Quinoa (
Chenopodium quinoa
Willd.) and millet species (including
Eleusine coracana, Panicum miliaceum
, and
Setaria italica
) are nutritionally valuable seed crops with versatile applications in ...food production and consumption. Both quinoa and millet have the potential to provide drought-tolerant, nutritious complementary crops to maize that is predominantly cultivated in Rwanda. This study evaluated quinoa and millet genotypes and assessed their agronomic performance in two agroecological zones of Rwanda. Twenty quinoa and fourteen millet cultivars were evaluated for grain yield, emergence, days to heading, flowering, and maturity, and plant height in 2016 and 2017 in Musanze, a highland region (2,254 m above sea level), and Kirehe, in the Eastern lowlands of Rwanda (1,478 m above sea level). Quinoa yield ranged from 189 to 1,855 kg/ha in Musanze and from 140 to 1,259 kg/ha in Kirehe. Millet yield ranged from 16 to 1,536 kg/ha in Musanze and from 21 to 159 kg/ha in Kirehe. Mean cultivar plant height was shorter in Kirehe (μ = 73 and 58 cm for quinoa and millets, respectively), than Musanze (μ = 93 and 76 cm for quinoa and millets, respectively). There was a genotype × environment interaction for maturity in quinoa and millet in both years. Across locations, “Titicaca” and “Earlybird” (
Panicum miliaceum
) were the earliest maturing quinoa and millet varieties, respectively, both with an average of 91 days to maturity. The results suggest that quinoa and millet have potential as regional crops for inclusion in the traditional dryland cropping rotations in Rwanda, thereby contributing to increased cropping system diversity and food security.
Barley (
Hordeum vulgare
L.) has a storied history as a food crop, and it has long been a dietary staple of peoples in temperate climates. Contemporary research studies have focused mostly on hulled ...barley for malt and animal feed. As such, nitrogen (N) and seeding rate agronomic data for naked food barley are lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effects of N on ß-glucan and protein content, and N and seeding rate on phenotypic characteristics of naked food barley, including grain yield, emergence, plant height, days to heading, days to maturity, test weight, percent plump kernels, and percent thin kernels. Experiments were conducted at two no-till farms, located in Almota, WA, and Genesee, ID, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest from 2016 to 2018. The experiment comprised two varieties (“Havener” and “Julie”), employed N rates of 0, 62, 95, 129, and 162 kg N ha
−1
, and seeding rates of 250, 310, and 375 seeds/m
−2
. Increased N fertilization rate was shown to significantly increase all response variables, except β-glucan content of the variety Julie, days to heading, test weight, and percent plump and thin kernels. Increased N fertilization resulted in higher mean grain yield of Havener and Julie in both Almota and Genesee up to 95 kg N ha
−1
. Havener had higher yields (3,908 kg N ha
−1
) than Julie (3,099 kg N ha
−1
) across locations and years. Julie had higher β-glucan (8.2%) and protein (12.6%) content compared to Havener (β-glucan = 6.6%; protein = 9.1%). Our results indicate that β-glucan content is associated with genotype, environmental, and agronomic factors in dryland cropping systems of the Palouse.
Proso millet
L.
is a warm season grass with a growing season of 60-100 days. It is a highly nutritious cereal grain used for human consumption, bird seed, and/or ethanol production. Unique ...characteristics, such as drought and heat tolerance, make proso millet a promising alternative cash crop for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States. Development of proso millet varieties adapted to dryland farming regions of the PNW could give growers a much-needed option for diversifying their predominantly wheat-based cropping systems. In this review, the agronomic characteristics of proso millet are discussed, with emphasis on growth habits and environmental requirements, place in prevailing crop rotations in the PNW, and nutritional and health benefits. The genetics of proso millet and the genomic resources available for breeding adapted varieties are also discussed. Last, challenges and opportunities of proso millet cultivation in the PNW are explored, including the potential for entering novel and regional markets.
This dissertation comprises three research studies. The first study evaluated N and seeding rate effects on β-glucan protein content, grain yield, and agronomic and quality traits of hulless food ...barley in two no-till farms in Almota, WA, and Genesee, ID, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest during 2016, 2017, and 2018. The first experiment, an agronomy trial featuring two varieties (‘Havener’ and ‘Julie’), employed N rates of 0, 62, 95, 129, and 162 kg ha-1 and three seeding rates. The second experiment, a variety trial, gauged nine food barley varieties’ suitability to no-till farming systems in the Palouse region. Nitrogen was shown to significantly increase all variables, except days to heading, test weight, percent plump kernels, percent thin kernels, and β-glucan content. In the variety trial, Genesee environments exhibited higher mean grain yield across all varieties, with ‘Kardia’ boasting the highest yield of 3,984 and 5,882 kg ha-1 in both Almota and Genesee, respectively. The second study, conducted in 2016 and 2017, assessed the adaptability of quinoa and millet in two agro-ecological zones of Rwanda. Quinoa and millet cultivars were evaluated for their agronomic traits, including grain yield, emergence, days to heading, flowering, maturity, and plant height. Results suggest that quinoa and millet have the potential as regional crops in the traditional dryland rotations in Rwanda, thereby contributing to increased cropping system diversity. However, we suggest the need to continue evaluating a diverse number of cultivars to select for genotypes adapted to specific agro-ecological zones and across seasons in Rwanda. The third study was conducted to ascertain Rwandan smallholders’ perceptions of the government mandated crop intensification program (CIP) implemented in 2007. Data were collected over three months from 50 respondents through an ethnographic interview to assess the challenges that farmers have encountered since the implementation of CIP. The respondents asserted that their participation in the CIP was hindered by inadequate irrigation and mechanization infrastructure, lack of farmer input, and inadequate extension services, agricultural inputs, and post-harvest technologies. The CIP should weigh sustainable management practices with short-term food security needs and long-term soil fertility targets.
To date, little research has been conducted on the phenotypic responses of proso millet to drought and deficit irrigation treatments in the dryland wheat-based cropping systems of the Palouse ...bioregion of the U.S. The objectives of this study were to evaluate critical agronomic traits of proso millet, including emergence, plant height, days to heading, days to maturity, and grain yield, with and without supplemental irrigation. Twenty diverse proso millet accessions, originating from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, the former Soviet Union, Turkey, and the United States, were grown in irrigated and non-irrigated treatments under organic conditions in Pullman, WA, from 2012 to 2014. Irrigation was shown to significantly improve emergence and increase plant height at stem extension and to hasten ripening of all the varieties, whereas heading date was not affected by irrigation in two of the three years tested. Irrigation resulted in higher mean seed yield across all varieties, with ‘GR 665’ and ‘Earlybird’ performing best under irrigation. Seed yield was highest in ‘GR 658’ and ‘Minsum’ in the non-irrigated treatment, suggesting the importance of identification and utilization of varieties adapted to low rainfall conditions. The highest yielding varieties in irrigated systems are unlikely be the highest yielding in dryland systems. Our results suggest that millet has potential as a regionally novel crop for inclusion in traditional dryland cropping rotations in the Palouse ecosystem, thereby contributing to increased cropping system diversity.
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