The genome of a lost crop is explored

A comparison of two related plants: quinoa ( left ) and, grown from seeds collected in Montreal, C. berlandieri ( right ). Credit: Mark Samuels Scientists led by a geneticist at Université de Montréal have sequenced the genome of pitseed goosefeet, a northern relative of South American quinoa, with the potential to boost food diversity. Climate change is disrupting agriculture around the globe, and as the weather becomes less predictable, farmers and policy-makers are scrambling to make sure that people not only have enough to eat, but also that they get the most nutritious foods available. A team of Canadian scientists is exploring a way, grounded in centuries-old Indigenous cultivation practices, to boost the diversity of crops beyond the country's typical output of wheat, corn, canola and oats. Led by Université de Montréal geneticist Mark Samuels , the researchers have succeeded in sequencing the genome of a wild plant called Chenopodium berlandieri - or pitseed goosefeet - that is a northern relative of Chenopodium quinoa , South American quinoa. These days, health-conscious Canadians are eating more and more quinoa. It has several advantages over other crops: higher in protein and essential amino acids (especially lysine, which wheat and corn have much less of), and lower in sugars.