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Facilitation (Chenopodium pallidicaule)
Unit
for Underutilized
Species
> Health
Cañihuaco also has medicinal uses: it counteracts altitude
sickness and fights dysentery while the ashes of its stem can be
used as a repellent against insect and spider bites.
GROWING
At present, the cultivation and utilization of cañihua are
maintained at subsistence levels in the high plateau regions of
Peru and Bolivia It is a day-neutral plant and shows adaptability
to several environments. Grain has been produced experimentally
in Finland at lat. 40°N. The plant needs 500 to 800 mm of rain
but it can also tolerate prolonged periods of drought. It displays
extreme susceptibility to excessive humidity in the first stages of
development. Once established, the plant is very resistant to cold
and can tolerate temperatures as low as -10°C during branching,
since it has an adaptation mechanism whereby the leaves cover
and protect the primordia and flower stems at nightfall, thus
preventing the vital parts of the plant from freezing. At the
other extreme, it can tolerate up to 28°C, if it has the necessary
humidity.
HARVESTING
Harvesting takes place when the plants change colour. It consists
of cutting and laying the grain for threshing after 20 to 30 days
or when it is completely dry. Threshing may be done by hand,
using curved sticks and sieves, or it may be mechanized, using a
stationary wheat thresher. One of the causes of its marginalization
is the large number of people required to harvest it.
PROCESSING
The grain, which is covered with fine chaff, needs cleaning. One
reason for its underutilization is its small grain size, which makes
handling difficult.
CAÑIHUA
w e b s i t e : w w w. u n d e r u t i l i z e d - s p e c i e s . o r g