Investigation of Morphological and Genotypic Characteristics of Quinoa in Gorgan Region

Introduction and Objective: Due to the very high diversity among the genotypes of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), it has shown a very high adaptability and stability in different climates. Therefore, this experiment was performed to investigate the morphological and genetic diversity of 14 quinoa genotypes and compare them with the control genotype of the region (Titicaca). Material and Methods: This experiment was conducted using randomized complete block design with three replications in the research farm of Gorgan Agricultural Meteorological Research Office. The studied genotypes including 4 late genotypes and 10 early genotypes were obtained from the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute of Karaj and were sown on August 11, 2019. Nine traits including plant height, stem diameter, number of sub-branches, panicle length, number of panicles, panicle width, biomass, 1000-seed weight and yield per hectare were evaluated during the growing season. Results: Analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference between genotypes in all studied traits. Late genotypes Q104, Q102 and Q101 had a significant increase in most traits, especially grain yield, compared to control and other genotypes. Comparison of correlation coefficients between traits has shown a positive and significant relationship between grain yield and all studied traits except 1000-grain weight. The highest correlations of grain yield were with biomass, stem diameter, panicle width, height and panicle length, respectively. In addition, the clustering of genotypes based on agronomic traits has divided the genotypes into 3 groups, with the highest average yield related to the second cluster including late maturity genotypes Q104 and Q102 and the lowest related to the first cluster. In this study, the highest genetic and phenotypic variance, heritability and genetic gain were related to plant height and grain yield. Conclusion: Among the studied genotypes, late genotypes Q104, Q102 and Q101 and among early genotypes, Q12 and Q18 showed better performance than other genotypes. Therefore, these genotypes can be suitable options for cultivation of this plant in this region.