Optimization of agronomic practices for cultivation of quinoa, a super food and climate resilient crop, is critical to obtain its maximum grain yield under the current scenario of climate change. In the present experimentation, we evaluated the appropriate sowing time of ten elite lines of quinoa, already screened from USDA germplasm. Seeds of each line were sown in the experimental area at Square No. 22, Block No. 5, Directorate of Farm, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan on 15 November, 30 November and 15 December during quinoa cultivation season of 2019-2020. Sowing time significantly affected the emergence percentage, days taken to anthesis, chlorophyll contents, sodium and potassium concentrations in leaf, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves and leaf area, panicle length, grain yield and 1000-grain weight. Lines; PIA-922, PIA-924, PIA-928 and PIA-929 performed better under first sowing and produced higher grain yield as compared to other lines. Similarly, PIA-921, PIA-922, PIA-925 and PIA-932 produced maximum biomass and grain yield under second sowing date while in case of third sowing date, PIA-926, PIA-928, PIA-930 and PIA-931 were observed more responsive regarding growth and yield attributes. A diversified pattern of agronomic, growth and yield contributing attributes of quinoa lines was observed when cultivated under varying sowing dates. The collected data will be very informative for the breeders and agronomists during selection and variety development process in future.
Keywords: germplasm; growth; quinoa; sowing dates; yield.