funded by: Bundesministerium für Bildung  und Forschung

in progress since 2023

Persons involved:

Prof. Dr. Sandra Schmöckel, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim
Tabea Mengen, PhD Candidate, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim

Brief Description:

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), an annual grain crop originating in South America, is highly genetically diverse and has been shown to be adaptable to a range of marginal environments. Besides Tolerance to cold, drought and salinity, its exceptional nutritional qualities makes it a candidate for diversifying cropping systems for food security. Therefore, Quinoa also has huge potential as a valuable crop for the arid, sandy, and saline conditions of Central Asia. The project aims to improve agricultural production and livelihoods in the Aral Sea Basin by establishing quinoa as an innovative crop for resource-poor production systems in marginal environments.

Main Objectives:

- Selection of salt-tolerant quinoa lines adapted to the Uzbek climate and the Aral Sea region

- Development of an efficient phenotyping system for quinoa lines in different growth stages

- Understanding salt tolerance mechanisms in quinoa

- Support of breeding efforts by developing genetic markers

- Strengthening the seed production system for improved varieties in Uzbekistan

- Socioeconomic assessment of quinoa production in Uzbekistan

In this context, University of Hohenheim focuses on aspects regarding plant sciences, namely developing a phenotyping system, investigating physiological and molecular salt tolerance mechanisms and developing markers for breeding. The project brings together partners from Uzbekistan and Germany, uniting expertise in local agronomy, plant sciences, breeding and agricultural economics, to bring about efficient agricultural innovation for the marginal environments of the Uzbek Aral Sea basin and beyond.

funded by: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

in progress since 2023

Persons involved:
Prof. Dr. Sandra Schmöckel, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim
Dr. Sophie Otterbach, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim
Marius Kollmar, PhD Candidate, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim

In collaboration with:

Prof. Dr. Jan Frank, Department of Food Biofunctionality (140b), University of Hohenheim

Brief Description:

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a major Andean seed crop that has become a popular food product in Europe. Quinoa has a high potential to improve food security due to its stress-tolerance, genetic diversity, nutritional quality and low production costs. The United Nations declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa, and the FAO emphasized the nutritional benefits and agricultural adaptability of quinoa.Quinoa seeds contain essential micronutrients, including vitamin E, pro-vitamin A carotenoids, and minerals, but also anti-nutritional saponins. Because of their bitter taste, saponins need to be removed before consumption, which is time- and resource-consuming and adds to the production costs. Breeding efforts therefore focus on producing quinoa accessions with low saponin content (‘sweet’). In floral clusters of ‘sweet’ accessions we observe a transcriptional down-regulation of many genes in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, which results in saponin biosynthesis. The pathway is also involved in the synthesis of vitamin E, carotenoids, and phytosterols, which raises the question if the downregulation of the MVA pathway in ‘sweet’ quinoa also influences the content of these important and in part essential nutrients in quinoa seeds. Furthermore, if the contents of nutrients and anti-nutritional compounds are both altered, how does this affect their digestion, bioaccessibility and absorption in humans? This project brings together experts in plant science, saponins, and human nutrition to investigate the mechanisms regulating saponin and nutrient synthesis in quinoa and their impact on digestion and bioaccessibility of essential nutrients for humans.

Quinoa4Med PRIMA Project

funded by: PRIMA and Bundesministerium für Bildung  und Forschung for German partners

in progress since 2022

Persons involved:
Prof. Dr. Sandra Schmöckel, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim
Prof. Dr. Karl Schmid, Crop Biodiversity and Breeding Informatics (350b), University of Hohenheim
Dr. Irene Huber, Research Center for Health Sciences (703), University of Hohenheim
Lukas John, PhD Candidate, Physiology of Yield Stability (340k), University of Hohenheim

In collaboration with:

Brief Description:

Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal, initially cultivated in the Andean region. It has gained attention throughout the Mediterranean because it yields well even on marginal soils and is tolerant to drought, soil salinity and other abiotic stresses. Moreover, it is considered among the world’s healthiest foods. Its grains contain a balanced composition of minerals, vitamins, dietary fibre, fats, and high-quality, gluten-free proteins with a balanced amino acid profile. Our vision considers the whole system by enabling successful and widespread agroecological quinoa farming and marketing its products.

Q4M brings together scientific partners and societal stakeholders from five Mediterranean countries (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain and France) in collaboration with quinoa and breeding experts from Germany. Together, the consortium will advance climate-resilient quinoa germplasm and upscale quinoa cultivation and valorisation in an integrated approach. Guided by National priorities and reinforced by a multi-stakeholder network, we will demonstrate the power and benefits of agroecological quinoa farming at twelve distinct multi-agroecosystem demo sites. We will use various crop combinations under varying agronomic regimes facing diverse climate and soil conditions.

Main objectives:

1. Breed/establish multi-purpose quinoa varieties better adapted to saline, marginal Mediterranean soils, resilient to climate change, reducing post-harvest processing, and enriching crop diversity for sustainable agricultural management.

2. Establish zero-waste valorisation chains/nets for quinoa delivering affordable gluten-free food products and other non-foods.

3. Provide guidance, support and a networking platform for stakeholders.

gefördert vom DAAD aus Mitteln des Auswärtigen Amts (AA)

Travelling conference planned for Dec. 2023

The project "Ta'awon4Quinoa - Cooperation for Quinoa" aims to build networks and competences in the field of biodiversity of diversified agroecosystems, with a special focus on quinoa and other non-native "superfoods". For this purpose, (1) the existing partnerships with scientists from the Maghreb countries Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco are to be intensified, (2) expanded for the topic of biodiversity, and (3) new networks for future cooperation in Egypt are to be initiated.

In order to enable this exchange and knowledge building, we are planning a "Travelling Conference" as part of the Ta'ziz funding. The aim is for all those involved to know the different levels of biodiversity, to be able to use standardized procedures to record and then evaluate the context specifically for the respective locations.

The travelling conference is intended to nurture collaborations for a long-term exchange and future cooperation in order to prepare a thematically focused scientific partnership "Agrobiodiversity" between Germany and the transition countries Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt. A participatory approach to solving current social challenges can be promoted and long-term added value can be generated in the sense of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).