Evaluation of salt stress tolerance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) forage lines under field conditions

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 National Salinity Research Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran

2 Master Student, Department of Agrothnology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashahd, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
The increasing demand for high-quality forage, particularly in salt-affected regions facing water scarcity due to climate change, poses a significant challenge to sustainable agricultural production. Quinoa is well known for its tolerance to adverse environmental conditions, particularly drought and salinity. As a dual-purpose crop, quinoa is a promising candidate for forage production under such conditions. The primary objective of this study was to identify high-yielding quinoa forage lines and evaluate the salinity tolerance of 16 quinoa forage lines.
 
Materials and methods
This study was conducted at the Sadouq Salinity Research Farm, Yazd, Iran, during the 2023–2024 growing season. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications using a split-plot arrangement. Fifteen superior quinoa forage lines (NSRCQF1–NSRCQF15) with Termeh cultivar, were assigned to the subplots. The main plots consisted of four irrigation water salinity treatments: a non-saline control and three salinity levels with electrical conductivity (EC) values of 5, 10, and 15 dS m⁻¹. Forage was harvested from a 1-m² area in each plot. Agronomic traits, including fresh forage yield, dry forage yield, dry matter percentage, stem diameter, and plant height, were then measured.
 
Results and discussion
The results showed that the effects of salinity and line on most of the measured traits were significant at the 1% and 5% probability levels, whereas the salinity × line interaction was not significant. Mean comparison analysis revealed significant reductions in plant height, stem diameter, dry matter percentage, and dry forage yield as salinity increased. Fresh forage yield increased as salinity increased up to 10 dS m⁻¹ but decreased at higher salinity levels. Significant differences were observed among quinoa forage lines in plant height, dry matter percentage, and forage yield. Among the evaluated lines, NSRCQF15 produced the highest fresh and dry forage yields, reaching 68.8 and 15.56 t ha⁻¹, respectively. The salinity tolerance threshold (CT) of the evaluated lines ranged from 5 to 18 dS m⁻¹, and the yield reduction slope (b) was less than 1% for all lines. The evaluated quinoa forage lines maintained approximately 80% of their forage yield at salinity levels ranging from 9 to 23 dS m⁻¹. Based on the evaluated indices, the NSRCQF3, NSRCQF4, and NSRCQF6 lines exhibited high stress tolerance index (STI) values, high electrical conductivity at 50% yield reduction (EC50) values, and low yield reduction slopes, indicating superior salinity tolerance. These lines can therefore be considered salinity-tolerant lines. In contrast, the NSRCQF7, NSRCQF9, and NSRCQF12 lines were more sensitive to salinity because of their lower EC50 values, higher yield reduction slopes, and lower CT values. Based on average dry matter yield and the stress tolerance index (STI), the NSRCQF3, NSRCQF8, NSRCQF10, NSRCQF13, and NSRCQF14 lines exhibited higher forage yield and greater stress tolerance than the overall mean of the evaluated lines. These lines maintained favorable forage production under high salinity conditions. Conversely, the NSRCQF7, NSRCQF9, and NSRCQF12 lines were more sensitive to salinity and exhibited a significant reduction in forage yield under high salinity conditions.
 
Conclusion
The results of this study demonstrated that salinity stress significantly affected the growth and forage yield of quinoa by affecting morphological traits. The significant variation among the evaluated lines indicated that certain quinoa lines possessed greater salinity tolerance, suggesting that the selection of salt-tolerant lines could effectively improve forage production under saline conditions. Furthermore, quinoa has considerable potential as a new forage crop for saline environments.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Environmental Stresses in Crop Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 04 July 2026

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  • Receive Date: 20 April 2025
  • Revise Date: 25 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 31 May 2025

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