Chenopodium pallidicaule, known as cañihua, canihua or cañahua (from Quechua 'qañiwa, qañawa or qañawi') and also kañiwa or kaniwa, is a species of goosefoot, similar in character and uses to the closely related quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa).

Cañihua is native to the Andean region, with more than 200 varieties, and it has been farmed in the Altiplano for millennia. As a crop, cañihua has distinct characteristics, including tolerance of high mountain conditions, high content of protein and dietary fiber, and rich phenolic content.

Description

Cañihua is a herbaceous and annual plant. This species is diploid with a chromosome number of 2n = 18. There are two types of this species, which differ in their branching. The lasta type shows high branching, whereas the saguia type is characterized by few branching and its more erected growth. The plant grows to high and is therefore shorter than its close relative quinoa.

Cañihua also vary from quinoa in its inflorescence and its flower traits. The plant belongs to the pseudocereals, similar to the increasingly popular quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) and is closely related to it. Cañihua (AA, 2n = 2x = 18) is a diploid A-Genome relative of the allotetraploid quinoa (AABB, 2n = 4x = 36 ). Quinoa's genome represents a recent polyploidization event between North American and Eurasian diploid species donating the A and B subgenomes of modern quinoa, respectively. The South American Cañihua is not believed to be the direct A genome donor for Quinoa but a close relative to it.

Breeding

The pseudocereal is considered a semi-domesticated plant by many researchers. Initiating genetic enhancement efforts for cañihua is necessary for the continued or intensified cultivation of this crop. The plant shows morphologically weedy characteristics, non-uniform maturation, and tendency to seed shattering. A further agronomic issue is the small seed size that makes harvesting and processing of the seed difficult.

Breeding goals are to  increase the plant height and non-shattering behaviour, among other characteristics. cultivated as a pseudocereal crop for its seeds.

Both seeds and leaves are edible.

The plant was often cultivated in South America in the past. More than 200 varieties are known in Bolivia, but only twenty are still in use, with a majority of farmers cultivating just one.

Environmental requirements

Cañihua is well-adapted to the Andean climate and therefore cold-resistant in all growth stages. Adult plants are also resistant to night frosts.

Cañihua can be grown from 1500 m up to 4400 m, but is rarely cultivated below 3800 m. The plant exhibits a high resistance to abiotic stressors. Cañihua can tolerate drought as it is adapted to low rainfall and dry conditions. With a growing season precipitation of 500 to 800 mm, irrigation becomes unnecessary. Cañihua can be grown in any type of moderately fertile soil, including shallow, acidic and alkaline soils. Cañihua tolerates a broad spectrum of high and low temperatures and is not affected by frost. Also, its seeds germinate at low temperatures.

Potential and risks

Cañihua is often considered as a forgotten crop once widely used in the Andes, but now replaced by other crops such as millet. Today, cañihua has significance only at higher altitudes, where neither quinoa nor millet can grow.

There are numerous native varieties in the Peruvian highlands, some have beneficial agronomic characteristics. The varieties are interesting for inclusion in breeding programs, aimed to enhance the adaptability of cañihua for cultivation on larger scales. So far limited investment has been made into the agronomic improvement of cañihua. One possible reason could be that the Amaranthaceae family consists of plants with comparable characteristics, resulting in potential market competition. On the other hand, the success of quinoa and the increasing demand for it in western countries, could facilitate the entry to the global market.

The crop was experimentally produced in Finland and showed good results. As normally grown under harsh conditions with low weed pressure, this crop could suffer yield losses in varying climates. To overcome the higher weed pressure, planting in rows can facilitate weeding.

Uses

Cañihua can easily be milled to flour and can be prepared further as a toasted cañihua flour called cañihuaco. Cañihuaco has a nutty taste and can be mixed with water and milk for a breakfast meal. Since it is rich in calories and proteins, local people take it on long travels. Additionally, cañihua flour can be used for a lot of other purposes such as bread-making, pastry-making and noodle-making. Some varieties of cañihua can even be included in sweets, snacks and weaning food mixtures. Results from a study demonstrated that the initial moisture content of 12% was optimal to obtain an extrudate with good physicochemical characteristics (e.g. degree of gelatinization, sectional expansion index, water absorption index, water solubility index and density).

Importance for food security

Cañihua is an important crop for food security in the Andean region where there are nutritional problems. The most affected group are rural families having limited access to commodities due to poverty and droughts. Cañihua is both easily accessible and drought-resistant, offering potential food and income for highland farmers. These two protein types are non-glutens and have a very good amino acid balance. The grains contain all nine essential amino acids thus lysine, histidine, threonine, methionine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine and tryptophan and meet the children's and adults' daily requirements for essential amino acids. They are especially rich in sulfur amino acids, lysine and aromatic amino acids.

The lipids consist mainly of unsaturated fatty acids.

As an Andean grain, cañihua has a high content of carbohydrates with starch as the most prevalent sugar. With percentages of 1% of glucose, 2% of sucrose and 1% of maltose, amounts of free sugars are rather small, but slightly higher than those of quinoa or amaranth.

Unlike quinoa, cañihua contains a lower amount of the bitter tasting saponins which affect taste and texture.

{| class="wikitable"

|+

! colspan="2" |Nutritional value per 100 g

|-

|Energy

|1331-1595 kJ (318-381 kcal)

|-

|Carbohydrates

|61.0-66.2 g

|-

|Available carbohydrates

|45.5 g

|-

|Dietary fibers

|15.5 g

|-

|Fat

|3.5-8.9 g

|-

|Proteins

|13.8-15.7 g

|-

|Minerals

|Quantity

|-

|Calcium

|87-171 mg

|-

|Iron

|10.8-17.07 mg

|-

|Phosphorus

|320-496 mg

|-

|Zinc

|4.55 mg

|-

|Vitamins

|Quantity

|-

|Niacin (B<sub>3</sub>)

|1.2-1.56 mg

|-

|Riboflavin (B<sub>2</sub>)

|0.3-0.75 mg

|-

|Thiamine (B<sub>1</sub>)

|0.47-0.67 mg

|-

|Vitamin C

|0.0-2.2 mg

|-

|Other constituents

|Quantity

|-

|Water

|10.7-12-4 g

|}

See also

  • Kiwicha (Foxtail amaranth)
  • Chia

Reference list

  • Cañihua, In: Andean Grains and Legumes, Purdue University, 1994
  • Chenopodium pallidicaule, Plants for a Future, 2007
  • Cañihua, Crops for the Future, 2013