Characterization and Evaluation of Salvia hispanica L. and Salvia columbariae Benth. Varieties for Their Cultivation in Southwestern Germany

Characterization and Evaluation of Salvia hispanica L. and Salvia columbariae Benth. Varieties for Their Cultivation in Southwestern Germany

Rising consumer attraction towards superfoods and the steadily increasing demand for healthy, environmentally sustainable, and regionally produced food products has sharpened the demand for chia. Over the course of 4 years, two early flowering chia varieties belonging to Salvia hispanica L., and Sal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agronomy (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 12; p. 2012
Main Authors: Grimes, Samantha Jo, Capezzone, Filippo, Nkebiwe, Peteh Mehdi, Graeff-Hönninger, Simone
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-12-2020
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Climate change
Crop diseases
Crop yield
Crude oil
Cultivation
Environmental conditions
Environmental impact
Fatty acids
Flavonoids
Flowering
Food products
Functional foods & nutraceuticals
Linolenic acid
Mucilage
Natural & organic foods
Nutrient content
quality traits
regional cultivation
Salvia columbariae
Salvia columbariae Benth
Salvia hispanica
Salvia hispanica L
Seeds
Statistical analysis
yield traits
Europe
Germany
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Rising consumer attraction towards superfoods and the steadily increasing demand for healthy, environmentally sustainable, and regionally produced food products has sharpened the demand for chia. Over the course of 4 years, two early flowering chia varieties belonging to Salvia hispanica L., and Salvia columbariae Benth. Species were identified to complete their phenological development and, therefore, able to reach maturity under a photoperiod >12 h, thus enabling the cultivation of chia in central Europe—more specifically, in southwestern Germany—consistently for the first time. Results obtained by the conducted field trial in 2018 showed that chia seed yields and thousand-seed mass ranged from 284.13 to 643.99 kg ha−1 and 0.92 to 1.36 g, respectively. Further, the statistical analyses showed that the protein content of the cultivated chia varieties ranged from 22.14 to 27.78%, the mucilage content varied from 10.35 to 20.66%, and the crude oil content amounted up to 28.00 and 31.73%. Fatty acid profiles were similar to previously reported data with α-Linolenic acid being the most prominent one, ranging from 60.40 to 65.87%, and we obtained ω6:ω3 ratios between 0.2 and 0.3. In conclusion, chia could represent a promising raw material from a nutritional point of view, while being able to diversify the local food basis of southwestern Germany.
ISSN:2073-4395
2073-4395
DOI:10.3390/agronomy10122012