Genomic Resources for Orphaned Andean Crops – Quinoa and Amaranth.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) and kiwicha (Amaranthus sp.) are an important seed crop throughout Latin America, especially in the Andean region of South America and central Mexico.  Both pseudocereals were major staple food of the Ancient Tiwanaku, Inca and Aztec civilizations.  However, after the European conquest of Latin America, their production declined precipitously. Interestingly, both crops continue to be important staple food for rural inhabitants and subsistence farmers throughout Andean altiplano and Mexico.  Discovery of their exceptional nutritional qualities, and their resistance to drought, soil salinity, and frost, have led to increased international interest in the crops.  This new interest has lead to public and private financial support for breeding programs and the development of several important molecular genetic tools for the crops.  We report on our efforts to develop of improved genetic varieties, genetic markers, genetic linkage maps, EST databases, and BAC libraries as well as the initial cytological characterizations for these species.