Black Quinoa
The darkest-hulled grain-colour type, generally the least common of the three in Indian cultivation, sold at a similar or higher premium than red quinoa for its striking appearance.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Quinoa
- Type
- Grain-colour type (no bred/released variety)
- Season
- Rabi
- Maturity period
- 120–150 days
- Seed rate
- Same as the crop generally — about 8–10 kg/ha for line sowing
- Expected yield
- Variable by seed source; generally the least common of the three colour types in Indian cultivation
- Suitable soil
- Saline / marginal
- Release
- Not a bred or released variety — a grain-colour trade class sourced from imported and privately traded seed lines
About this variety
Black quinoa carries a dark, near-black seed coat and a firmer, slightly earthier cooked texture than white or red quinoa, and is generally the least commonly grown of the three colour types in India. Like the other colours, it is not a named bred variety — it is a grain-colour trade class sourced from imported or privately traded seed lines, moving through private exporters and contract-farming arrangements rather than an open seed market. Its scarcity in Indian cultivation, combined with buyer interest in its striking appearance, is why it commands a price similar to or above red quinoa. Agronomically it is grown the same way as the other colour types, so the choice between colours is primarily a market and buyer-demand decision, not a cultivation one.
Key characteristics
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeNovember–December, the crop's general rabi window
- Seed rateSame as the crop generally — about 8–10 kg/ha for line sowing
- Spacing30 cm rows, thinned to about 20 cm within the row
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
120–150 days
Expected yield
Variable by seed source; generally the least common of the three colour types in Indian cultivation
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Commands a price similar to or above red quinoa, thanks to its scarcity in Indian cultivation and distinctive dark appearance.
- Same low-input, drought- and salinity-tolerant growing requirements as white and red quinoa.
Things to consider
- The smallest, most niche market of the three colour types in India — confirm real buyer demand before committing meaningful land, since volumes moved are smaller than for white or red quinoa.
- With no ICAR release behind it, seed quality and germination depend entirely on the private supplier or contract-farming partner.
Suitable regions
Quinoa is still a new crop in India with no fixed growing belt for any grain-colour type — this is the state it is most reported grown in for this colour, not an exhaustive or officially recommended list.
- Rajasthan
Sourced from: Quinoa Seeds in India: Cultivation in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand. editorial policy.