EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT NITROGEN LEVELS ON THE GRAIN YIELD AND SOME YIELD COMPONENTS OF QUINOA (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) UNDER MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), is a pseudo-cereal crop that has been cultivated in the Andean region in South America. The quinoa as a field crop has a great potential in the improvement of food for humans and animals even under the conditions of marginal lands. For getting high crop yields, nutrients in balanced amount are a basic requirement. Experiments were carried out at the Bornova experimental fields of Field Crops Dept. of Agriculture Fac., Ege Univ., Turkey during 2013 and 2014 main crop growing season in order to evaluate the effect of seven nitrogen levels (0, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and 175 kg ha(-1)) on the grain yield and some yield components of cultivar Q-52 of quinoa. Results indicated that the effects of nitrogen treatments and years on all characteristics tested were significant. Nitrogen level of 150 kg ha(-1) was proved to be the best level for nitrogen supplementation of soil for grain yield (2.95 t ha(-1)) and crude protein content (16%) of quinoa under Mediterranean ecological conditions of Bornova.