BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
The Institute of Botany of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) has conducted research to introduce quinoa into Azerbaijan's agriculture, Director of the institute, Academician Valida Alizade said, Trend reports.
"The Institute of Botany conducted research at the Karrar Experimental Station in the Azerbaijan’s Kurdamir district, during which, by the recommendation of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), a number of important local and foreign food crops, including quinoa, were used," Alizade said.
Quinoa, which is one of the main food products of the population of South America, has been included into agriculture in more than 100 countries so far. So the United Nations (UN) called 2013 the International Year of Quinoa.
This plant contains more protein, a number of minerals, starch, lipids, amino acids, thiamine, folic acid and vitamins compared to other cereals.
Quinoa is resistant to heat, cold, high soil salinity, salt water irrigation, water scarcity, drought, etc. It has been successfully used in bioremediation and reclamation of saline lands. The stem and leaves of quinoa are widely used as feed in livestock and poultry.
The inclusion of this plant in agriculture can play a positive role in the execution of state programs on food security, agricultural development, protection of water and biological resources and biodiversity, improvement of marginal and saline areas in Azerbaijan.
All quinoa samples at the Kurdamir Experimental Station passed all stages of ontogeny development up to seed ripening.
Also, with the participation of the employees of the Central Botanical Garden of ANAS, phyto-melioration measures were carried out on the territory to prevent water and wind erosion, over 5,000 ecologically sustainable and economically important trees for the region were planted.