The Seed's Protein and Oil Content, Fatty Acid Composition, and Growing Cycle Length of a Single Genotype of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) as Affected by Environmental Factors

As a botanical source, variability in chia seed composition could be expected between growing locations, and between years within a location, due to genotype and environment effects as well genetic x environment's interactions. The objective of the present study was to determine the location effect on the growing cycle length, and seed's protein content, lipid content, and fatty acid profiles, of a single chia genotype. Seeds of chia genotype Tzotzol grown on eight sites in five different ecosystems were tested. One site was in Argentina, in the Semi-Arid Chaco ecosystem (T-5); one was in Bolivia, in the Sub-Humid Chaco ecosystem (T-4); and six in Ecuador, one in the Coastal Desert (T-3), two on the Tropical Rain Forest (T-2), and three in the Inter-Andean Dry Valley ecosystem (T-1). Seeds from plants grown in T-4 and in T-3 contained significantly (P<0.05) more protein percentage than did seeds from the other three ecosystems. No significant (P<0.05) differences in protein content were found between T-3 and T-4, and between T-1, T-2, and T-5. Seeds from T-1 and T-5 ecosystems, with 33.5 and 32.2%, respectively, were the numerically highest oil content producers, but their results were only significantly (P<0.05) higher when compared with the T-2 seeds. Significant (P<0.05) differences in palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty acids between oils from seeds grown in different ecosystems were detected, however. Oil of seeds grown in the T-3 ecosystem had the palmitic, stearic and oleic fatty acids' highest contents. Palmitic and oleic fatty acid levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher when were compared to that of seeds grown in the T-1 ecosystem, and stearic when was compared to that of seeds grown in the T-5 ecosystem; omega-6 linoleic fatty acid content was significantly (P<0.05) lower in oils of seeds produced in T-1, and T-2 than in those produced in T-3, T-4, and T-5, ecosystems; omega-3 alpha-linolenic fatty acid content was significantly (P<0.05) higher in seeds produced in T-1, than in those produced in T-3, T-4, and T-5, but not in those produced in T-2.