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bioRxiv · 10.1101/691592

First Adaptation of Quinoa in the Bhutanese Mountain Agriculture Systems

Katwal, T. B.·Bazile, D.
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Abstract

Bhutan represents typical mountain agriculture farming systems with unique challenges. The topography, agriculture production systems and environmental constraints are typical of small-scale agricultural subsistence systems related to family farming in the Himalayan Mountains with very low level of mechanization, numerous abiotic stresses influenced by climate and other socio-economic constraints. Quinoa was first introduced in 2015 through FAOs support to Bhutan as a new crop with the objectives to adapt this versatile crop to the local mountain agriculture conditions as a climate resilient crop for diversifying the farmers traditional potato, maize, and based cropping systems, and to enhance the food and nutritional security of the Bhutanese people.\n\nTen quinoa varieties were evaluated at two different sites representing contrasted mountain agro-ecologies in Bhutan and were tested during the two agricultural campaigns 2016 and 2017. Yusipang (2600 m asl) represents the cool temperate agroecological zone, and Lingmethang (640 m asl) the dry subtropical agroecological zone.The sowing time differed depending on the growing season and elevation of the sites. Results indicate that quinoa can be successfully grown in Bhutan for the two different agro-ecological zones. The grain yields varied from 0.61 to 2.68 t ha-1 in the high altitude areas where quinoa was seeded in spring and harvested in autumn season. The grain yield in the lower elevation ranged from 1.59 to 2.98 t ha-1 where the crop was sown in autumn and harvested in winter season. Depending on genotypes characteristics, agro-ecology and elevation of the sites and variety; crop maturity significantly varied from 92 to 197 days with all genotypes maturing much earlier in the lower elevations where mean minimum and maximum temperatures during the growing season were higher. Quinoa is rapidly promoted across different agro-ecological contexts in the country as a new climate resilient and nutrient dense pseudo cereal to diversify the traditional existing cropping system with some necessary adjustments in sowing time, suitable varieties and crop management practices. To fast track the rapid promotion of this new crop, four varieties have also been released in 2018. In just over three years, the cultivation of quinoa as a new cereal has been demonstrated and partially adapted to the maize-potato traditional cropping systems under the Himalayan mountain agriculture environment. Quinoa is also being adapted to the rice based cropping system and rapidly promoted as an alternative food security crop in the current 12th Five Year national development plan of Bhutan.

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Katwal, T. B., Bazile, D.. 2019-07-03. First Adaptation of Quinoa in the Bhutanese Mountain Agriculture Systems. https://doi.org/10.1101/691592

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