The investigation of yield and physiological responses of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) at different salinity and irrigation levels and evaluation of SALTMED model under Mediterranean conditions

In this study, the effects of various irrigation strategies (full, deficit irrigations of 33 and 67%, and PRD) and salinity levels (0.5, 10, 20 ve 30 dS/m) on growth and yield of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) along with physiological responses to drought and salinity stresses and salt accumulation in soil under the Mediterranean climate conditions were investigated; the SALTMED model ability on simulation of soil moisture, total dry matter and grain yield of quinoa was evaluated. According to research results, water and salt stresses are two factors which affect quinoa growth and grain yield. Under drought and salinity stress conditions, quinoa decreases leaf water potential to maintain water uptake from soil and control its water status through controlled transpiration with its effective stomatal behaviour. The crop water stress index (CWSI) values of quinoa were changed between 0.02 and 0.58 under stress-free conditions and it reached 0.96 depending on intensity of the water and salt stress. The SALTMED model has showed a very good performance on prediction of biomass, grain yield and soil water content for quinoa grown under various irrigation strategies with different salinity levels in the Mediterranean conditions of Turkey. It was determined that the model has the potential to be an effective tool for irrigation management.