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DURHAM, N.H. 鈥� Researchers with the at the 麻豆app have launched a research project that aims to 鈥渞e-domesticate鈥� the superfood quinoa in northern New England, giving the region鈥檚 farmers a new high-value grain crop that is in high demand in the nation. 听

Researchers are investigating the potential use of听a wild/weedy, locally adapted听Chenopodium species as a breeding partner with quinoa in an effort to听"re-domesticate" quinoa into a form听suitable for crop production under northern New England鈥檚 growing conditions.听

鈥淚f we can successfully breed or re-domesticate a locally adapted quinoa variety that can be grown with commercial success, it would offer a new option to regional farmers interested in taking advantage of the current, very high price commanded by quinoa as a novel and highly nutritious grain crop,鈥� said experiment station researcher and geneticist Tom Davis. Erin Neff, master鈥檚 student in integrative and organismal biology, also is working on the project.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, quinoa grain is a nutritional powerhouse that is high in protein, vitamins, and fiber, and low in fat. Quinoa is almost exclusively grown in South America. However, its potential for cultivation elsewhere is being widely explored.

Global production of quinoa听has been increasing significantly, surpassing 228 thousand metric tons in 2015, according to Statista. In 2014, the United States was the leading importer of quinoa in the world; U.S. quinoa imports totaled $159.12 million, or about 68.9 million pounds. The听global price of quinoa more than doubled from $2.96 per kilogram in 2010 to $6.74 per kilogram in 2014.

According to Davis, the plant genus Chenopodium includes the cultivated species, quinoa, and at least one problematic weed, lambsquarters, along with several other wild species in northern New England and about 150 wild species worldwide.听So far, researchers have documented the existence of four wild/weedy Chenopodium species in northern New England, including the familiar lambsquarters.

One of these currently appears to be the most suitable breeding partner for quinoa. They also have confirmed that several existing, commercial quinoa varieties are听challenging to grow听successfully as a crop in Durham, and that the fungal听disease downy mildew is one of the听quinoa production challenges to be overcome by breeding.

鈥淓xisting quinoa varieties are adapted to regions with less humid fall seasons, and do not mature well听here.听However,听some听of quinoa鈥檚 weedy relatives are very听successful and well-adapted as weeds in northern New England,鈥� Davis said.听鈥淚t is always a challenge to 鈥榞et to know鈥� a new species. We must learn how to grow the plants, how to perform genetic crosses, collect and germinate seed, differentiate among the wild species, and so on. It takes considerable time and effort to learn by doing.鈥�

This material is based upon work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 1006924, and the state of New Hampshire. This research also has been supported by the work of the Northern New England Collaborative Research Funding Program, a partnership of the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station, New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, and Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station.

Founded in 1887, the at the is UNH鈥檚 original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.听