Effects of ultraviolet UV-B (UVB) on different varieties of quinoa. I. Effects on morphology under controlled conditions.

Abstract

Effects of ultraviolet UV-B (UVB) on different varieties of quinoa. I. Effects on morphology under controlled conditions. The effects of UV-B radiation (RUV-B) on growth parameters: plant height (H), stem diameter (SD), length x wide (LW), leaf number (LN), specific leaf area (SLA) and specific leaf mass (SLM) of five quinoa varieties are described. RUV-B effects were different according to analyzed variety and parameter. The H was increased in CICA (P ? 0,04) and Robura (P ? 0,02) varieties, while SD was increased in CICA (P ? 0,0002) and Faro Roja (P ? 0,017) varieties. The LW changed significantly in CICA (P ? 0,05) variety only. The LN showed positive changes in all quinoa varieties exposed to RUV-B. Highest changes were found in Faro Roja (P ? 0,003), CICA (P ? 0,003) and Ratuqui (P ? 0,015) varieties. The SLM positively changed in Faro Roja, Kancolla and Robura varieties (P ? 0,05). The CICA variety showed significant increases in all evaluated parameters, followed by Faro Roja and Robura varieties. Less parameter changes occurred in Kancolla and Ratuqui varieties. The observed changes were discussed in terms of adaptive evolution.