Quinoa: identifying accessions with superior drought tolerance

Heat stress modifies many biological processes including gene expression, enzyme activities, carbon partitioning, photosynthetic carbon fixation, and carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms. To date little research work has been reported on quinoa’s adaption to hot temperature or heat stress. It is important to understand how seedlings respond to heat stress to better modulate its growth in the Middle East and North Africa region. It has been reported that sucrose–starch partitioning or the overall carbohydrate profile (sucrose, starch, fructose, glucose and polyols) may vary under stress; such soluble sugars are known to be important for activating various biosynthetic pathways such as those of polysaccharides and proteins, cell cycle, respiration, and nitrogen assimilation. Although a lot is now known about proline accumulation in response to environmental stress, its partition and contributions under heat stress are still unclear. The effects of heat stress on the nutritional profile of quinoa seeds, including protein and mineral contents, as well as on the amino acids and mineral quality index, have not been elucidated.