Screening Quinoa Varieties for Utah's Climate.

Most of the western United States faces increasing water shortages in the coming years which will prove a major challenge for maintaining sustainable farms. Incorporating an alternative crop that is well adapted to the projected climate could be a successful approach to increasing the sustainability of farms in the region.  Quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa, may be an ideal alternative crop to meet the demands of the Intermountain West. In this area, marginal soils with low nutrient availability, low organic matter, low soil moisture and high salinity are common, which may be exacerbated as drought conditions become more widespread in the future.  In order in integrate this novel crop on local farms, salinity tolerance and irrigation requirements must be fully understood.  Two separate trials were started in 2013: (1) a greenhouse salinity tolerance (ST) trial with 48 varieties of wide eco-typical heritage irrigated with water at EC levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 ds/m; and (2) a line source irrigation (LS) rate field trial with 10 regionally selected varieties where irrigation rates ranged from maximum theoretical evapotranspiration rate to dry land conditions. Preliminary results indicate widespread tolerance to moderate to high salinity rates, with most plants tolerating up to 15ds/m with little biomass loss or visual indications of injury.  Due to high summer temperatures during flowering and seed set, there was no harvestable seed in 2013 in field trials.  However, irrigation rates in LS trial indicate greatest biomass in the intermediary irrigation and strong varietal response. Although heat intolerance is disappointing, apparent favorable tolerance salinity and a wide range of drought conditions are promising.