Task 1

• Article 1. The genome of Chenopodium quinoa. Jarvis et al 2017, Nature 542: 307-312.

  
  
  

Read the Title and the Abstract of the paper, the first section of the Introduction and Section “Mechanisms underlying saponin production” and answer the following questions about the crop Chenopodium quinoa (Quinoa)

• Q. Which crop is studied? Where is the crop used for?

• Q. How many chromosomes are present in Quinoa?

• Q. What is the ploidy level of the crop?

• Q. What are the anti-nutritional factors in quinoa?

• Q: Is quinoa a cross- or self-pollinating species?

• Q: What are saponins and what is their function in the plant?

• Q: Why must the saponins be removed before human consumption?