Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Growth Dynamics and Yield Results under Varied Geometry and Fertility Practices

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a native of the Andes, has sparked a worldwide interest due to its unique nutritional value. Quinoa seed with magnificent nutritional food quality has gained global recognition as superfood and also called “the mother grain”. However, toachieve optimal crop yield, farmers have to manage various agronomic factors, ensuring a balanced approach to fertility levels, geometry, irrigation and pest control for maximization of growth and yield. The current investigation was conducted in kharif 2022, with genotype “EC507742” at mid-hill region of Uttarakhand, India comprising of two factors viz., geometry (S): S1- 20 x10 cm, S2- 30 x 10 cm and S3- 40 x 10 cm in main plot and fertility levels (F): F1- Control, F2- 75% NPKS, F3- 100% NPKS and F4- 125% NPKS in sub plot with total of 12 treatment combinations that were evaluated in split plot design with three replications. The data was analysed using OPSTAT with figures from SAS (proc glm). The 30 x 10 cm spacing (S2) was particularly effective in field conditions compared to other geometries, suggesting it to be more suited for quinoa cultivation under 100% NPKS fertilizer (F3) that produced best growth dynamics, yield characteristics and overall yield for quinoa. This indicates that quinoa responds very well to this complete fertilizer mix. The interaction between the 30 x 10 cm spacing and 100% NPKS fertilizer was especially significant in yielding the highest growth dynamics and yield.