Scientists have successfully decoded the genome of the South American grain quinoa, considered a "superfood" because it is protein-rich and gluten-free.  It's hoped that understanding the genome will lead to new, easier to grow varieties.

The aforementioned qualities have made quinoa popular with foodies, and led to the price doubling from 2006 to 2013.  Increasing production has been difficult because it is finicky about where it will grow - at high altitudes and in cool temperatures, which limits most production to the South American Andean nations of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.  Despite earlier concerns that the quinoa fad would deplete supplies for the people who've eaten it for centuries, it turned out that exporting the grain has been good for the economies of these regions.

"By sequencing the genome we have provided the foundation to enable breeders to work much faster and more powerfully," said project leader Professor Mark Tester of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).  "Especially the seeds, they will be able to develop a lot more varieties for different conditions, they will help us make a designer plant."

KAUST is interested in the crop because it has great potential to grow in poorer soils, even salty soils which are common in the desert Middle East.  Prof. Tester's and the researchers are looking forward to developing a variety with a stronger stalk and sweeter seeds for easier processing.  If production goes global, supply increases and prices come down.

Foodies can continue enjoying quinoa, says Tester:  "But they just might get a little bit annoyed that what they're eating is not so unusual and everyone else is eating it too!"