Selection and agronomic evaluation in Saiwa and Last'a morphotypes of qañawa (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen)

Abstract

The qañawa plant (Chenopodium pallidicaule Aellen) has a branched habit, reduced height, heterogeneous maturation in the same plot and on the same plant, and grain dehiscence, which make cultivation on a larger scale difficult. The genetic improvement of the qañawa to overcome these characteristics is in its infancy. Therefore, at the Kiphakiphani Research Center, it has been proposed to select for earliness and plant height in qañawa genotypes and evaluate promising lines. The genetic material for selection was integrated by evaluating 30 Saiwa and 52 Last'a genotypes of qañawa and for selection purposes, while the agronomic evaluation was carried out with 10 promising lines (5 Saiwa and 5 Last'a) established in random blocks with four repetitions. The days elapsed from sowing to physiological maturity and plant height have been recorded. With the data obtained, the frequency distribution was elaborated and genotypes were selected, calculating the selection differential. In the lines, plant height, foliage diameter, yield, harvest index (IC) and hectoliter weight of the grain were recorded. In qañawa Saiwa, precocious from 151.0 days to maturity and in Last'a from 136 days were selected. For plant height, 43.29 and 39.3 cm were selected in Saiwa and Last'a, respectively. In the promising lines, plant height, foliage diameter, CI and yield presented statistically significant differences. The Saiwa reached greater height, but the Last'a were superior in foliage diameter and yield. Grain hectoliter weight was similar between lines. In conclusion, early genotypes of 145.0 days were selected in Saiwa and 136.0 days in Last'a. The Saiwa lines were superior in plant height, the Last'a superior in leaf diameter and yield (2 554.4 kg ha^-1), determining that the genetic source for earliness and yield is found in qañawa Last'a.