Performance of some quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) genotypes in Kenya

Abstract

Quinoa (Chenopdium quinoa Willd.) has been cultivated for thousands of years in South America for its nutritious grain and leaves. Demand for the crop has risen in the recent past. In order to satisfy the demand, there is need to increase quinoa cultivation both in South America and elsewhere. Twenty four quinoa genotypes were evaluated for adaptation and agronomic performance at Nairobi, Kenya in 1999 and 2000. The genotypes varied in their agronomic performance during the two year period. In 1999, all the genotypes took a shorter period to mature, were taller and produced more branches, biomass, and seeds than in 2000. The highest yields per plant in the two seasons were obtained from Narino (26.5 g and 11.8 g) and the second highest yielding genotype was CICA-17 which gave 25.7 g and 9.2 g in 1999 and 2000, respectively. The mean number of days to flowering, biomass yield, plant height, harvest index and number of branches all had significant associations with seed yield indicating that selection for these traits could lead to increased yields.