Morphological Analysis of Quinoa Germplasm Grown Under Lowland Desert Conditions

Twenty-eight quinoa accessions collected from the northern highlands (Andes) of Chile were assessed using eleven morphological descriptors. A complementary analysis of multivariate tools permitted a fuller understanding of interrelationships within this germplasm as it was assessed in a lowland desert environment. Through a frequency distribution, it was possible to make a general classification of accessions which were represented by plants having medium height and low grain yield. The accessions BS2 and BS1 registered the highest yields with mean values of 993.89 and 820.56 kg ha−1 respectively. On the other hand, accession B13 stood out as having good forage potential, with relatively high values for plant weight (PW, 349 g DM) and plant height (PH) (1.91 cm). The first four principal components accounted for 70 % of the total variation among the accessions. The first PC (PC1), accounting for 36 % of the total variation, included stem diameter, PW and PH with high positive, and harvest index and leaf tooth number with high negative coefficients. Principal component 2 (PC2) contributed for an additional 19 % of the total variation and reflected the patterns of variation in leaf morphology all of which had high positive values. Cluster analysis allowed classification of the accessions into six discrete groups. The yield assessment in the Atacama Desert was considered low, probably due to the negative effects of the high-temperature stress around flowering. The data set presented in this study is the first report of quinoa assessed under lowland desert conditions and would assist in the development of new plant breeding programmes for quinoa in areas having similar agroclimatic factors as the Atacama Desert.