Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Agriculture is facing new scenarios due to climate change and so crop management will require adaptation. Factors, such as water availability for agricultural use and temperature seem to threaten future global food supplies. In order to overcome this condition, attention has been focused on Chenopodium quinoa Willd a healthy food plants. There is scarce information about the effect of water restriction during quinoa development on the starch content in mature quinoa seeds. This research evaluated starch accumulation and proportion of amylose and amylopectin in flour seed of quinoa cultivated in Chile (-36°35’43,2’’S, -72°04’39,9’’ W and 140 m.a.s.l.) during 2014-2015 and 2015- 2016 season. A randomized complete block experimental design with a split-plot arrangement was used. Main plot treatment was water level availability (AW), once 50% of the grains were in the grain filling stage, establishing four irrigation treatments in which water applied was supplying when soil water content achieved 95%, 60%, 40%, 20% and 0% AW. The subplots included four quinoa genotypes. The starch content varied between 52 and 61% by dry weight basis. During 2015/2016 season, there was a significant difference (P0.05) in total starch through water restriction levels, however there was no difference (P≥ 0.05) between genotypes. Amylose accumulation in seed increased with 0, 20 y 40% of AW treatments.