High salinity induces dehydrin accumulation in Chenopodium quinoa Willd. cv. Hualhuas embryos

Background and Aims Chenopodium quinoa can grow at altitudes of 3,600–4,000 masl and is adapted to the highly arid conditions typical of the salty soils in the South American Altiplano, with less than 250 mm of annual rain and temperatures below 0°C. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of salinity on the dehydrin content of mature embryos harvested from salt-stressed Chenopodium quinoa cv. Hualhuas plants grown at 100 to 500 mM NaCl. To date, no studies exist on the dehydrins of seeds from salt-stressed plants, although dehydrins in the root, stems and leaves have been reported as an adaptation to water deficit produced by salinity.