D3066: Cultivation and pest assemblage of quinoa: South and North American perspective

Native to the Andean range of South America and cultivated for around 5000 years starting with the Incas, quinoa, Chenopodium quinoa Willd (Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae), is valued for its adaptability and impressive nutritional qualities. This excellent crop has been cultivated in Colorado since the 1980’s and the U.S. has been the third-highest exporter of quinoa in recent years. The recent outbreaks of a new pest in quinoa, the stem-boring fly Amauromyza karli (Diptera: Agromyzidae) have prompted interest in assessing geographical differences in arthropod communities associated with quinoa. This paper gives an introduction to quinoa as a crop and food source, explores some of the key traits that contribute to the adaptability of quinoa, and presents a comparison of arthropod assemblages in quinoa grown in South and North America and Africa.