Native to the Andes, quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a very nutritious pseudocereal that is attracting attention from all over the world due to its remarkable nutritional profile, capacity to withstand extreme conditions, and potential to support food and nutritional security. With five main ecotypes—Altiplano, Valley, Saltflat, Sea-level, and Yunga—each suited to certain environmental circumstances, it is grown across a variety of agroecological zones. Quinoa has gynomonoecious flowers, with a wide range of morphological characteristics that serve as the foundation for the distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) categorization. Quinoa has an allotetraploid genome (2n=4x=36), and breeding is difficult due to its intricate floral biology and inheritance pattern. However, trait mapping and diversity investigations have been sped up by developments in molecular genetics, including development of SSR and SNP markers. Breeding initiatives for quinoa are now being carried out mainly in South America, North America, Europe and up to some extent in Asia, marking a significant advancement in quinoa improvement programs worldwide. However, because of issues like its high saponin content, lack of locally adapted cultivars, and breeding challenges, quinoa is still underutilized in India. A well-coordinated national breeding program is necessary to achieve quinoa's full potential in India. Multi-location testing, targeted hybridization with male sterility and marker- assisted selection, strategic germplasm acquisition, and the development of reliable seed systems are all necessary for this. Such initiatives will open the door for nutritional improvement and sustainable quinoa farming in underserved Indian communities.

Keywords: Chenopodium quinoa, genetic improvement, Low saponin.