Contrasting developmental responses to high temperatures in a quinoa RIL population

ZHANG, HEHUA; ALONSO, FLORENCIA; ZHANG, HENG; CURTI, RAMIRO N.; BERTERO, HECTOR DANIEL

Santa Fe

Congreso; XXXIII Annual Meeting of Plant Physiology; 2021

Sociedad Argentina de Fisología Vegetal

Quinoa has been promoted as a crop for marginal environments thanks to its tolerance to several abiotic stresses including high salinity, frost and water deficit. High temperature reduces plant productivity by affecting reproductive and vegetative growth and the reduction in the duration of the crop cycle with the increase in temperature is an almost universal response. Knowledge about quinoa responses to temperature stress is scarce and there is a need to identify tolerant genotypes and the mechanisms involved in this response. To do this, a RIL population comprising ~ 290 genotypes was developed by crossing two parents regarded as contrasting for their responses to temperature. Plants were grown in two glasshouses under two temperatures: LT (temperatures cycled between 10 and 20 °C during the night/day) and HT (20 to 35 °C) at a facility associated to the Plant Stress Center, Shanghai, China. One 10 l pot was used per plants and there were three replicates of three plants each by temperature treatment. Several alternative models were fitted to the Dev. Stage vs. time relationship using the nonlinear option of Infostat. Complex responses to temperature were detected, with some genotypes showing a general increase or decrease in developmental rate with temperature, while others differed in their temperature responses only at the later seed filling stage. These responses could be exploited by breeders and agronomist to improve quinoa adaptation to specific environments and the exploration of the association between their development and yield component responses to temperature is under way.