Awais Akram1, Muhammad Abdullah1,*, Diyan Haider1, Talha Tariq1, Qurban Ali1, Muhammad Khizar Hayat2, Abdul Haseeb1, Fahad Yasin1 and Ahmad Iqbal1
1Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan; 2Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, Sakarya, Turkey
*Corresponding author: muhammadabdullahbajwa76@gmail.com
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) has emerged as a vital crop addressing the global challenge of food security amid climate change, population growth, and increasing hunger. In 2025, over 295 million people faced acute hunger, aggravated by climate extremes disrupting traditional food systems. Quinoa’s resilience to adverse conditions such as drought, high salinity, frost, and poor soils, combined with its superior nutritional profile complete protein, fiber, and essential minerals makes it a promising climate-resilient superfood. Originating in the Andean region about 5,000–7,000 years ago, quinoa’s domestication and cultivation are deeply rooted in indigenous practices, preserving over 3,000 local varieties adapted to diverse microclimates. Despite historical suppression, quinoa has experienced a global resurgence, now cultivated in at least 95 countries ranging from sea level to 4,000 meters in altitude, delivering yields from <1,000kg/ha in marginal conditions to >9,000kg/ha under intensive management. Recent studies document quinoa’s drought tolerance mechanisms: antioxidant enzyme activities increase under stress, osmoprotectants accumulate, and genotypic variation permits maintenance of yield despite water limitations. For example, deficit irrigation strategies applying 40–75% of crop evapotranspiration sustain yields of approximately 1,400–1,800kg/ha while improving water use efficiency by up to 67%. Seed priming with selenium (6 mg/L) and use of organic amendments like biochar markedly enhance drought resilience and yield. Furthermore, quinoa’s molecular drought responses involve upregulation of aquaporin channels, LEA proteins, and transcription factors (AP2/ERF, NAC), modulated via abscisic acid signaling. Breeding efforts integrating phenotypic, physiological, and genomic data are accelerating development of drought-tolerant genotypes, while precision irrigation technologies such as AI-based phenotyping and IoT-controlled irrigation hold promise for optimizing water use. However, challenges remain, including a lack of standardized irrigation protocols across diverse ecotypes, economic constraints in low-input systems, and increasing drought frequency due to climate change. Bridging these gaps through genotype-specific water management and adoption of sustainable agronomic practices is essential for quinoa’s continued contribution to resilient global food systems.