Within the Water Living Lab Friuli Venezia Giulia, we are testing quinoa as an alternative crop for farming systems exposed to abiotic stress. To this end, over the course of two years (2024 and 2025), we conducted a pot experiment at the A. Servadei agricultural farm in Udine using two quinoa varieties to evaluate their performance under saline conditions (through irrigation with saline water) and compare them with quinoa plants irrigated normally. The varieties Titicaca and Vikinga were tested in 2024, and Titicaca and Freja in 2025.

Additionally, four quinoa varieties (Titicaca, Freja, Quipù, and Carmela) were tested for the first time on 50 hectares of farmland in Friuli, belonging to the Water Living Lab. As part of this activity, we are also monitoring soil salinity in one of the fields of a Living Lab farm that reported salinity issues, where quinoa could potentially be cultivated.

Objective

The objective is to test different quinoa genotypes to evaluate this species as an alternative crop for both normal and saline abiotic stress conditions typical of coastal areas in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Entities Involved

• A. Servadei Experimental Farm (Udine)
• 4 agricultural farms
• ERSA – Regional Agency for Rural Development of Friuli Venezia Giulia