Chia (Salvia hispanica) experiment at a 30˚ N site in Sichuan Basin, China

• Published in: Ciência rural 2018, Vol.48 (9)
• Main Authors: Win, Aung Naing, Xue, Yufei, Chen, Baojun, Liao, Feifei, Chen, Fang, Yin, Nengwen, Mei, Fanrong, Wang, Bitao, Shi, Xiaofeng, He, Yumeng, Chai, Yourong
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: Agricultural production; AGRONOMY; Antioxidants; aácido linolênico; Bacia do Sichuan; chia (Salvia hispanica); Crops; Dietary fiber; ensaio de campo; Equivalence; Experiments; Flowering; Flowers & plants; Food; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Gels; Harvesting; High temperature; Linoleic acid; Linolenic acid; Lodging; Palmitic acid; Planting; Plants (botany); rendimento; Salvia columbariae; Salvia hispanica; Seeds; Spring; Spring (season); Stearic acid; Summer; Winter
• ISSN: 0103-8478; 1678-4596; 1678-4596
• DOI: 10.1590/0103-8478cr20180105

The mysterious ancient Mesoamerican Indian crop chia (Salvia hispanica) is revived and expanding worldwide due to its richness of valuable nutraceuticals such as α-linolenic acid (ALA), antioxidants, food fiber, gels, and proteins. We carried out a pilot experiment on chia planting in non-frost Sichuan Basin, at Hechuan Base (30˚0′ 43″ N, 106˚7′ 41″ E, 216 m), Southwest University, Chongqing, China. The split-plot trial contained two factors, 3 spring-summer sowing times as main plots, and 6 densities as subplots, with 3 replicates. Phenological, botanical, adversity, yield, and seed quality traits were investigated. Plants were very tall, suffered from lodging, and flowered in mid-October. Sichuan Basin can be considered as a north edge for growing chia, with low yield (680 kg/hectare) because of insufficient seed filling and maturation in autumn-winter season (1000-seed weight of 1.14 g). However, its ALA content is 5 percent points higher than the seed-donor commercial bottle (65.06%/63.96% VS 59.35%/59.74% for black/white seeds), accompanied by decrease oleic and stearic acid, while linoleic acid and palmitic acid are equivalent. Considering its short-day habit, it is recommended to try sowing in middle summer (from late June to early August) to avoid too long growing period, excessive vegetative growth, and waste of field and climate resources caused by spring-summer sowing. Furthermore, winter sowing of chia with mulch cover could also be tried, with an expectation of harvesting in summer. Most importantly, only when the photoperiod-insensitive early flowering stocks are created, chia can be recommended as a low-risk crop to the farmers of this region. RESUMO: A chia (Salvia hispanica) é cultivada em todo o mundo por sua riqueza de nutrientes nutracêuticos valiosos, tais como a-ácido linolênico (ALA), antioxidantes, fibras alimentares, géis e proteínas. Entretanto, não há informações sobre sua performance agronômica se cultivada aos 30˚N na China. Assim, realizou-se um experimento com o cultivo de chia na base Hechuan (30°0’43”N, 106°7’41”E, 216m, que não apresenta geada) da Southwest University, Chongqing, China. O delineamento em parcela subdividida contém dois fatores,três épocas de semeadura na primavera-verão como parcelas principais e seis densidades de sementes como subparcelas, com três repetições. Foram investigados os caracteres fenológicos, botânicos, de adversidade, rendimento e qualidade da semente. As plantas se tornaram altas, acamaram