Chenopodium quinoa as a model for studying cross-talk between abiotic and biotic stress defence mechanism of plants

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Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa) is a highly nutritious crop native to the Andes with remarkable capacity for growing in marginal climates across 70 different countries. Quinoa has adapted for growth on nutrient-poor or highly saline soils across an altitudinal gradient of 4000m and withstands temperature fluctuations of over 40 degrees. The quinoa germplasm has over 6000 accessions and represents an invaluable genetic resource for investigating the underlying mechanisms of its hardiness. Climatic changes and expansion of crop species to new areas brings new pathogen threats and there is an ever-greater need for investigating how plants perceive and respond to biotic and abiotic stresses applied in combination. Using quinoa, the model pathogen Pseudomonas syringae and salt stress the relationships between biotic and abiotic stress defence pathways will be unravelled. Genetic, physiological and biochemical techniques will characterise quinoa's stress responses at multiple levels: morphologically, and via cellular and molecular components. To strengthen the depth of characterisation and widen the applicability of this research several agroecologically distinct quinoa varieties native to Bolivia will be tested. The biotic stress tolerance of quinoa, namely quinoa's immunity has never been fully characterised before and this project aims to establish a toolbox for interrogating plant-pathogen interactions in quinoa. This will be increasingly relevant considering the demand for expansion of nutritious crop species to new areas and for the optimisation of productivity on sub-optimal land in a changing climate.BBSRC priority areas:Sustainably enhancing agricultural productionFood, nutrition and health