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The introduction of quinoa into new growing regions and environments is of interest to farmers, consumers, and stakeholders around the world. Many plant breeding programs have already started to adapt quinoa to the environmental and agronomic conditions of their local fields. Formal quinoa breeding efforts in Washington State started in 2010, led by Professor Kevin Murphy out of Washington State University. Preharvest sprouting appeared as the primary obstacle to increased production in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest. Preharvest sprouting (PHS) is the undesirable sprouting of seeds that occurs before harvest, is triggered by rain or humid conditions, and is responsible for yield losses and lower nutrition in cereal grains. PHS has been extensively studied in wheat, barley, and rice, but there are limited reports for quinoa, partly because it has only recently emerged as a problem. This study aimed to better understand PHS in quinoa by adapting a PHS screening method commonly used in cereals. This involved carrying out panicle-wetting tests and developing a scoring scale specific for panicles to quantify sprouting. Assessment of the trait was performed in a diversity panel (N = 336), and the resulting phenotypes were used to create PHS tolerance rankings and undertake a GWAS analysis (n = 279). Our findings indicate that PHS occurred at varying degrees across a subset of the quinoa germplasm tested and that it is possible to access PHS tolerance from natural sources. Ultimately, these genotypes can be used as parental lines in future breeding programs aiming to incorporate tolerance to PHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Quinoa is a high-value, nutritious crop that performs well in variable environments, marginal soils, and in diverse crop rotations. Quinoa'smany attributes make it an ideal crop for supporting human health in global communities and economies. To date, quinoa research has largely focused on traits in adult plants important for enhancing plant phenotypic plasticity, abiotic stress, disease resistance, and yield. Fewer studies have evaluated quinoa seed dormancy and suggest that most modern quinoa varieties have weak or no seed dormancy, and a narrow window of seed viability post-harvest. In other crops, diminished seed dormancy is a major risk factor for preharvest sprouting (PHS; germination on the panicle due to rain prior to harvest) and may also pose a similar risk for quinoa. Methods: This study (1) developed a dormancy screening assay to characterize seed dormancy strength in a large collection of quinoa varieties, (2) investigated if morphological variables including seed coat color, seed coat thickness, seed shape including eccentricity which evaluates the roundness or flatness of a seed, and other agronomic traits like crude protein content and seed moisture, contribute to quinoa seed dormancy, and (3) evaluated the use of a pheneticmodeling approach to explore relationships between seed morphology and seed dormancy. Results: Dormancy screening indicated seed dormancy ranges in quinoa varieties from none to strong dormancy. Further, phenetic modeling approaches indicate that seed coat thickness and eccentricity are important morphological variables that impact quinoa seed dormancy strength. Conclusions: While dormancy screening and phenetic modeling approaches do not provide a direct solution to preventing PHS in quinoa, they do provide new tools for identifying dormant varieties as well as morphological variables contributing to seed dormancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing cropping system diversity can promote agricultural sustainability; however, identifying suitable alternative crops for regional growing conditions, supply chains, and markets is challenging. This review considers the potential for buckwheat production and consumption in western Washington (WWA). Buckwheat production is modest in WWA but is promising as a weed suppressive summer crop in organic systems and a short-season alternative to cereal grains. Key challenges for production in the region include flood sensitivity and sensitivity to heat at seed set, which should be breeding targets in WWA. Other production challenges include access to suitable production, storage, and transportation equipment. Regarding end-use qualities, buckwheat is composed of ash (1.1–3.1%), moisture (7.6–11.7%), crude fat (0.9–5.4%), crude fiber (0.8–10.6%), protein (6.8–17.9%), and starch (65.6–76.8%). Information about buckwheat fraction (starch and protein) functionality is limited. Buckwheat has been tested in an array of products, including pasta, noodles, cakes, cookies, bread, and beer. To enhance the quality of buckwheat food products, various enzymes and activation ingredients including transglutaminase, xanthan gum, and calcium hydroxide have been explored. Simultaneously addressing these research gaps for food products and crop production systems will be critical to successfully investing in and developing a regional supply chain in WWA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malted barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a foundational ingredient for the brewing industry, providing functionality and flavor. Increasing demand for locally produced barley, supported by the craft brewing and malting industries, necessitates identifying environments and varieties to meet this demand. Therefore, we analyzed malt quality and quantified quality scores for adjunct (AQS) and all‐malt (AMQS) brewing for 12 barley genotypes grown at 11 locations in eastern Washington and Northern Idaho in 2017 and 2018. Genotype‐by‐environment interactions were identified for six out of nine of the malt quality traits. These included kernel plumpness, malt extract, diastatic power, α‐amylase, β‐glucan, and free amino nitrogen. Stability indices, including Eberhart and Russell's deviation from regression, simultaneous selection index, and mean of the relative performance of genotypic values were quantified. We identified genotypes that had high stability and high AQS (LCS Genie, LCS Odyssey, 12WA 120.14, 12WA 120.23, and GemCraft) or AMQS (LCS Odyssey, LCS Genie, Palmer, 11WA 107.36, 11WA 107.58). Significant correlations between rainfall and barley protein (r = −0.22, p < 0.001), and between barley protein and seven out of eight of the other malt quality traits, reveal important relationships that may influence malt quality. This study may aid producers in variety selection, and provides a detailed malt quality analysis, evidence of G×E interactions, and stability measures for barley genotypes within a production region that has the potential to meet malting barley demand. Core Ideas: Protein content had significant correlations with seven out of eight of the malt quality traits.Genotype × environment interactions influenced six out of nine of the malt quality traits.We recommend Genie and Odyssey based on malt quality scores and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implications for risk-taking behavior and the equilibrium distribution of income of assuming that the desire for status positions is a powerful motive and that it raises the marginal utility of consumption. In contrast to previous analyses, we consider the case in which status positions are sold in a hedonic market. We show that such a complete hedonic market in status positions can be perfectly replicated by a simpler arrangement with a "status good" and a social norm that assigns higher status to those that consume more of this good. The main result is that for a wide range of initial conditions the equilibrium distribution over income, status, and consumption is the same, that this allocation requires inequality of income and consumption, and that this allocation coincides with the optimum of a utilitarian planner.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a pseudocereal with high protein quality originating from the Andean region of South America, has broad genetic variation and adaptability to diverse agroecological conditions, contributing to the potential to serve as a global keystone protein crop in a changing climate. However, the germplasm resources currently available to facilitate quinoa expansion worldwide are restricted to a small portion of quinoa's total genetic diversity, in part because of day-length sensitivity and issues related to seed sovereignty. This study aimed to characterize phenotypic relationships and variation within a quinoa world core collection. The 360 accessions were planted in a randomized complete block design with four replicates in each of two greenhouses in Pullman, WA during the summer of 2018. Phenological stages, plant height, and inflorescence characteristics were recorded. Seed yield, composition, thousand seed weight, nutritional composition, shape, size, and color were measured using a high-throughput phenotyping pipeline. Considerable variation existed among the germplasm. Crude protein content ranged from 11.24% to 17.81% (fixed at 14% moisture). We found that protein content was negatively correlated with yield and positively correlated with total amino acid content and days to harvest. Mean essential amino acids values met adult daily requirements but not leucine and lysine infant requirements. Yield was positively correlated with thousand seed weight and seed area, and negatively correlated with ash content and days to harvest. The accessions clustered into four groups, with one-group representing useful accessions for long-day breeding programs. The results of this study establish a practical resource for plant breeders to leverage as they strategically develop germplasm in support of the global expansion of quinoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze entry, pricing, and product design in a model with differentiated products. Market equilibrium can be "separating," with multiple sellers and a sorting of heterogeneous consumers across goods, or "exclusionary," with one seller serving all customer types. Entry into an initially monopolized market can occur because of cost reductions or product improvements, but entry need not lower the incumbent's price, improve efficiency, or raise consumer welfare. Post-entry design incentives favor a softening of price competition and stronger market segmentation, whereas exclusionary design changes typically raise consumer welfare. Potential, as distinct from actual, entry always benefits consumers.