Effects of osmotic stress on Chenopodium quinoa seed germination.

Abstract

Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal native to the Andes known for its exceptional adaptation to extreme soil and climate conditions. The study of the response of Chenopodium quinoa to osmotic stress and the contribution to improving its yield aims to ensure production in arid and semi-arid regions as an alternative crop. The aim of this study is to test the germination capacity of 5 selected varieties; CQ-57, UDEC-2; ICBA-4, ICBA-5 and 115-R subjected to varying osmotic pressures using solutions of PEG-6000 and NaCl. Seeds are incubated at 25 °C for 10 days. Results showed that osmotic stress increases the lag phase but does not affect the germination rate at low concentrations of PEG and NaCl. While for high concentrations the germination rates decrease as compared to controls. Radicale and hypocotyl lengths decreased with increasing the degree of osmotic stress. The effects of osmotic stress are comparable in the 5 varieties. At high concentration of PEG or NaCl, ICBA-5 and CQ-57 exhibited the highest value of germination rate showing the capacity of these varieties to establish itself in regions suffering from salinity or water deficit.