WE NEED TO IMPROVE GRAIN PRODUCTIVITY UNDER RAISING GLOBAL TEMPERATURES, TO FEED A GROWING POPULATION. QUINOA IS A GRAIN CROP THAT PRODUCES A HIGHLY NUTRITIOUS GRAIN. THERE IS GROWING INTEREST IN CULTIVATING QUINOA IN THE UNITED STATES, BECAUSE OF ITS NUTRITIONAL QUALITIES, ACCEPTANCE AMONG CONSUMERS, AND GOOD MARKET PRICE. HOWEVER, QUINOA LOSES 60 TO 85% OF ITS YIELD WHEN EXPOSED TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURES (APPROXIMATELY 35°C) OF THE SUMMER TIME IN MOST PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. OUR PREVIOUS STUDIES SHOWED THAT HEAT INDUCES QUINOA FLOWERS TO CLOSE, POTENTIALLY LIMITING POLLINATION, AND THEREFORE CAUSING YIELD LOSS. THIS RESEARCH DIRECTLY STUDIES THE IMPACT OF FLOWER CLOSING ON QUINOA YIELD UNDER THE HIGH TEMPERATURES COMMON DURING SUMMER TIME (APPROXIMATELY 35°C), AND INVESTIGATES HOW THIS HIGH TEMPERATURE AFFECTS THE NUTRIENT CONTENT OF QUINOA GRAIN. FURTHER, THIS RESEARCH WILL IDENTIFY GENES AND GENETIC LOCI THAT INFLUENCE YIELD AND NUTRIENT CONTENT OF QUINOA GRAIN UNDER THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES. THE NEW KNOWLEDGE RESULTING FROM THIS RESEARCH WILL HELP SCIENTISTS BETTER UNDERSTAND GRAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE, AND HOW PLANTS RESPOND TO HIGH TEMPERATURES ON A BASIC LEVEL. THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE MAY ALSO HELP BREEDING EFFORTS TO CREATE NEW QUINOA AND OTHER GRAIN CROP VARIETIES THAT ARE HIGH YIELDING AND HAVE HIGH NUTRIENT CONTENT, ESPECIALLY UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURES.

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis MO

Investigators