Studies in Leaves of Quinoa cv. Hualhuas Under Saline Stress Conditions

AXEL JOEL RIZZO; SARA BEATRIZ MALDONADO; MARÍA BELÉN PALACIOS; VANILDO SILVEIRA; ELLEN MOURA VALE; HERNÁN PABLO BURRIEZA

Pullman, Washington

Simposio; 2nd International Quinoa Research Symposium; 2020

Washington State University, Sustainable Food Systems

Plants have various adaptation mechanisms to high salinity conditions, among them: the regulation of the expression of genes involved in various metabolic pathways, the synthesis of proteins with protective function (oxidative stress enzymes, LEAs, chaperones, etc.), osmolytic synthesis, antioxidant synthesis and structural changes. Quinoa is a species well adapted to extreme environmental conditions such as altitude, drought, salinity, and freezing temperatures. The crop is typical of the Andean region, and extends throughout South America. Some genotypes are able to grow in soils with saline concentrations close to those of seawater, while others do not tolerate such conditions. These differences make saline stress tolerant varieties an attractive crop for those regions where salinity and water deficiency are considered the main issues. In order to investigate the mechanisms that support differences in tolerance to salt stress, this study analyzed the proteomic profile of the Hualhuas variety that comes from the ecoregion of the Inter-Andean Valleys, with low-salinity soils. The interpretation of the proteomic analysis was based for the most part on the morphological (histological, cellular and subcellular changes), physiological (different growth parameters such as fresh weight, height, water content, among others) and biochemical (pigment content) that were simultaneously performed.