Genotype-Dependent Variation of Nutritional Quality-Related Traits in Quinoa Seeds

Exploiting the relationship between the nutritional properties of seeds and the environment (E), genotype (G) and the GXE interaction, constitutes an essential analysis which contributes to broaden our knowledge regarding the control of the nutritional quality of seeds or of any other edible plant structure. This constitutes an important aspect when aiming at improving the nutri-tional characteristics properties of plant species, including those of Chenopodium quinoa Willd (quinoa) which is intended to be one of the main nutrient sources ensuring food security worldwide. This crop has gained popularity in the last decade achieving a fast-global expansion due to its excellent nutritional and agronomical properties together with the excellent adaptation shown to a wide diversity of agroclimatic conditions. Changes in the nutritional properties of quinoa seeds due to the influence exerted by the environment, the genotype, or their interaction, have been already described in previous works, but there is an important limitation in the anal-yses carried out, including the outcomes that can be translated into agronomical practices by which quality can be improved selecting the most adequate genotype. In here, several seed nu-tritional-related parameters from fifteen quinoa cultivars grown in a particular environmental context were analysed aiming at targeting compounds that can be determinants of seed quality varying with the genetic background. Important nutritional and agronomical differences were found among quinoa varieties highlighting the importance of choosing a proper genotype when cultivating quinoa.