Physiological performance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) under agricultural climatic conditions in Boyaca, Colombia

Abstract

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is native to South America; it is characterized by its high nutrient contents and high adaptation capacity to diverse edapho-climatic conditions, which highlights it´s genetic variability expressed as multiple physiological and phenological responses. The objective of this research was to evaluate the physiological response and proximal composition of the grain to three types of fertilization under the environmental conditions of the municipality of Oicata (Boyaca, Colombia) located at 2,875 m a.s.l. The white Soracá variety was planted using a completely randomized design with four treatments and four replicates. It was observed that the fertilization sources have an effect on the physiological and phenological behavior, mainly on the number of leaves, length of stem and chlorophyll content. The reproductive stage and the proximal composition of seeds changed, which is attributed to the application of mineral organic fertilizer that improves the production of quinoa grains, while N-P-K contribution shows greater growth and vegetable development, but less yield.