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From the we-don't-need-your-stinkin-GMO department, the Beeb reports that "Scientists have successfully decoded the genome of quinoa, one of the world's most nutritious but underutilised crops." The team was led by Mark Tester in Saudi Arabia.
The South American grain is a hugely popular "super-food" because it is well balanced and gluten-free. However, prices for quinoa have rocketed in recent years as demand exceeded supply. Researchers believe the genetic code will rapidly lead to more productive varieties that will push down costs.
They go on to say that the genome will be used to direct conventional plant breeding methods. Several traits of the 7000 year old South American grain would improve its utility such as reducing the level of saponins which make it bitter. Also, varieties could be bred for other climates. The plant is naturally able to grow in salty soils and another goal is to breed tolerance to irrigation with brackish water (partially desalinated sea water).
(Score: 4, Informative) by ikanreed on Thursday February 09 2017, @03:49PM
No. Quinoa is not "underutilized." It's a generally healthy whole grain, with a scant couple vitamins that you won't find in whole wheat. And it's served fucking everywhere in the first world. And that's in spite of it being a relatively vulnerable crop that requires very specific climatic conditions to grow, and produces far fewer calories per acre than other staple grains.
If we somehow switched all the worlds' wheat and corn fields to quinoa, billions of people would starve to death.
It's only "underutilized" in that the gluten-free obsessed idiots can't imagine eating rice and beans instead. There's nothing wrong with dropping a few quinoa grains into a weird hippy dish, but "superfood" obsessions are rarely grounded in realism.
(Score: 1) by Oakenshield on Thursday February 09 2017, @04:04PM
Hey. Don't knock gluten free unless you want your dick to fly off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbMq7Pme5pk [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by termigator on Thursday February 09 2017, @04:05PM
For those of us real food sensitivities and allergies, we are quite aware of quinoa.
What folks may not realize is it is actually the seed portion of the plant we eat, where seeds of various plants can trigger reactions in some people (e.g. sunflower, sesame, etc).
Unfortunately for me, I cannot eat quinoa. I used to, but then developed a reaction to it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Thursday February 09 2017, @06:42PM
You're quite right in questioning the yield of quinoa. However, we need more than just energy for nourishment. Unlike wheat or maize, quinoa is considered a complete protein: it contains all the amino acids that humans need, in roughly the proportions in which we need them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein [wikipedia.org]
Much of the maize grown is not eaten by humans, but is instead used for animal feed (and biofuel). Alfalfa is grown solely as animal feed. Raising crops that people can eat directly, and raising animals on pastureland that can't be tilled, could be more efficient.
On a list I found on the Web, my eye is drawn to duckweed, chufa, and camelina, three high-yielding plants I'd never heard of before.
http://www.gardeningplaces.com/articles/nutrition-per-hectare1.htm [gardeningplaces.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duckweed [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chufa [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelina [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Thursday February 09 2017, @07:08PM
"And that's in spite of it being a relatively vulnerable crop that requires very specific climatic conditions to grow.."
Be interested in where you found that information. Everything I've read on Quinoa and Amaranth indicates otherwise. Amaranth grows all over the Americas and does quite well in poor soils. Quinoa is a form of Amaranth that was cultivated in the high Andes beginning over 3000 years ago.
" However, in general it is undemanding and altitude-hardy. It is grown from coastal regions to over 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in the Andes near the equator, with most of the cultivars being grown between 2,500 m (8,200 ft) and 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Depending on the variety, optimal growing conditions are in cool climates with temperatures that vary between −4 °C (25 °F) during the night to near 35 °C (95 °F) during the day. Some cultivars can withstand lower temperatures without damage. Light frosts normally do not affect the plants at any stage of development, except during flowering. Mid-summer frosts during flowering, often occurring in the Andes, lead to sterilization of the pollen. Rainfall conditions are highly variable between the different cultivars, ranging from 300 to 1,000 mm (12 to 39 in) during growing season. Growth is optimal with well-distributed rainfall during early growth and development and dry conditions during seed maturation and harvesting."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa [wikipedia.org]
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 3, Informative) by ikanreed on Thursday February 09 2017, @07:42PM
article including the following expert analysis [washingtonpost.com]
Also it totally wrecks the soil it's grown in [wiley.com]