Amaranthus

Botanical Name- Amaranthus tricolour L.Family- AmaranthaceaeChromosome number -2n = 32Origin - India

INTRODUCTION

• The most common leafy vegetable grown during summer and rainy

seasons in India.

• Fits well in a crop rotation because of its very short duration nature

and large yield of edible matter per unit area.

• The estimation of the extent of its cultivation is not available.

• Leafy types are usually grown in kitchen and market gardens.

BOTANY

Habit

Amaranthus is an annual herb with erect growth and scarce to profusely branching

habit.

Plant

Annual herb, erect (trailing), mostly unarmed and rarely armed, scarce to produce

branches, shallow to deep tap root system. Stem green to purple or with mixed

shades of these two colours glabrous and succulent, leaf simple, alternate or

opposite, exstipulate, entire obovate to lanceolate with acute tip green to purple or

with shades of these two colors, purple coloration prominent in young leaves and

fades away at maturity.

INFLORESCENCE

Inflorescence is terminal and axillary branched spikes differently

coloured from green to deep purple to orange.

Flowers small, regular mostly unisexual, monoecious, pentamerous,

membranaceous, often with persistent stamens 2-5, placed opposite to

perianth parts, often some reduced to staminoides, filaments either

free or united below, anther one or two to three styles and stigma,

carpels 2-3, syncarpous, ovary superior with one cambylotropus

ovule, styles single to 2 to 3 branched.

FLORAL BIOLOGY

Leafy amaranthus species takes about 80-130 days for flowering. Monoecious species of amaranthus are chiefly self pollinated.

The flowers are protogynous with stigma in pistillate flowers becoming receptive several days before opening of staminate flowers.

In grain amaranthus species since the inflorescences are coloured, they are occasionally visited by bees and by this cross pollination is encouraged.

The dehiscence of anthers and release of pollen grains are maximum between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on sunny days.

Fruit Fruit is dry, membranous, indehiscent, opening

circularly or tearing irregularly at the end containing one vertically compressed seed.

Taxonomy-Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Amaranthaceae

Subfamily: Amaranthoideae

Genus: Amaranthus

Species tricolour

Composition of tender amaranthus (per 100 g of edible portion)"

Moisture 85.7 g Calcium 397 mg

Fat 0.5 g Iron 25.5 mg

Fibre 1.0 g Thiamine 0.03 mg

Protein 4.0 g Riboflavin 0.10 mg

Minerals 2.7 g Potassium 341 mg

Carbohydrates 6.3 g Nicotinic acid 1.00 mg

Magnesium 247 mg Sulphur 61 mg

Phosphorus 83 mg Vitamin A 9200 IU

Sodium 230 mg Vitamin C 99 mg

*Aykroyd (1963).

USES

• The fresh tender leaves and stem of amaranthus are delicious when

cooked.

• The tiny seeds of grain amaranthus are popped or parched and milled

for flour.

• In taste, nutritional value and yield, the grain compares favourably

with maize and other true cereals.

• It’s A Source Of Key Vitamins And Minerals: Amaranth contains

calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron

Amaranthus is widely distributed in both tropical and sub tropical regions. Leaf

amaranth is a warm season crop adapted to hot humid climatic conditions. It is

grown throughout the year in tropics and in autumn, spring and summer seasons

in temperate regions.

Most of leaf types are day neutral in habit but differ in their day length

requirements and respond differently to changes in photo and thermoperiodism.

Grain types, A. caudatus, A. cruentus and A. edulis are short day species while

A. hypochondriacus is day neutral.

Amaranth comes up well in well drained loamy soil rich in organic matter. The

ideal is pH is 5.5-7.5 but there are types which can come up in soils with pH as

high as 10.0. Red amaranth requires bright sunlight for colour development.

CLIMATE AND SOIL

• Cultivars

• CO-1(A. dubius)

• This cultivar has been developed by selection from

a local type at TNAU, Coimbatore, India in 1968.

• It is mainly grown for tender green as well as

matured stems.

• It yields 2.150 kg of greens per 3 sq m area (7165

kg/ha) at 25th day after sowing

• leaves dark green with ridged appearance;

• stem dark green, round and succulent; inflorescence

terminal and axillary,

• Takes 50 days for flowering and 90 days for seed

maturity

• plants tall 150 cm

• seed yield per plant is 13 g with an yield of 1.5 t/ha

• Seeds are small and black

• tolerant to pests and diseases.

• Co. 2 (A. tricolor) • selection from local type at TNAU, Coimbatore and

released in the year 1976. • particularly suited for early harvest. • It yields 3.230 kg of greens per 3 sq m area (10780 kg/ha)

at 25th day after sowing .

• Early germination and vigorous growth make it more suitable for early harvest as tender greens.

• Takes 42 days for flowering and 80 days for seed maturity.

• Plants medium tall with 125 cm. • Seed yield per plant is 48.4 g and 2.80 t/ha.• Seeds bolder and black.• Tolerant to pests and diseases.

Co. 3 (A. tristis) • Selection from local type at TNAU in 1981. • This is the only type suitable for clipping of tender

greens. • average yield of 30716 kg of greens per hectare• This cultivar lends itself for ten clippings

commencing from 20 days after sowing and provides a continuous supply of luscious tender greens for a period of 3 months. .

• As a seed crop, this cultivar flowers in 35-40 days after sowing and matures at 85-90 days.

Chhoti Chaulai (A. blitum) • Selection at IARI, New Delhi. • Suitable for its leafy shoots.• Plants erect with thin stem, slightly dwarf; leaves

small, green in colour. • Responds well to cutting.• Flowers are borne in clusters in leafy axils.• It is best suited for early summer and can be grown

in rainy season also.

Badi Chaulai (A. tricolor) • Developed at IARI, New Delhi through selection. • The economic product is leafy shoots. • Stem thick, green; leaves large and green; responds

to cutting and distinguishable by its much longer growing period.

• It is best suited for summer season.

Pusa Kirti (A. tricolor) • This cultivar developed at IARI ,New Delhi is

suitable for summer cultivation.• The economic part is green and soft stem. • The ratio of stem to leaf is 1 : 4. • The crop is ready in 30-35 days for first cutting

which may continue up to 78-84 days.

Pusa Kiran • Developed through hybridization between A. tricolor x A. tristis at IARI,New Delhi. • This cultivar is most suitable for rainy season.

Leaves are soft, green and wide.• The ratio of stem to leaf is 1 :5. • It provides first cutting in 21-25 days after sowing

and continue up to 70-75 days.

Pusa Lal Chaulai (A. tricolor) • A high yielding, red pigmented cultivar developed at IARI, New Delhi is suitable for growing in both summer and rainy seasons.• It has a stem-leaf ratio of 1 : 5.• First cutting of leaves can be taken 33 and 24 days after sowing in summer and rainy seasons, respectively.• It yields on an average 490 and 450 q/ha in summer and rainy seasons, respectively.

Arka Suguna • A pure line selection from Taiwanese introduction (IIHR 13560) made at

IIHR, Bangalore• ideal for multicut without becoming fibrous which also regenerates at a

faster rate. • The first cutting is ready in about 25 days after sowing and subsequent

cuttings can be taken at 10-12 days interval (up to 90days). • The cultivar is moderately resistant to white rust.• yield potential 270 q/ha.

Arka Arunima • A multicut, purple cultivar with brown and dark purple leaves • Developed at IIHR, Bangalore.• The first cutting becomes ready at 30 days after sowing. • Leaves contain low antinutrient factors like oxalate and nitrates. • It grows well in rainy and summer seasons and yields about 240 q/ha

of greens.

Amont (A. cruentus) • It was developed in Montana, USA from line RRC-A362. • Amont has a central main panicle with thick, erect to drooping,

fingerlike branches. • Days to maturity varied from 122 to 127.

 

Other varieties

Amaranthus purple

White Amaranthus

Planting Time and Method• Amaranthus can be grown throughout the year.• The field is prepared to a fine tilth and beds of 2.0 m x 1.5 m size are

usually made for growing this crop. • The field should be kept weed free by hoeing and weeding as and

when necessary.• Amaranth should be sown during mid-March for summer crop and

mid-July for kharif crop.• About 1.5–2.0 kg seed is enough for a hectare. Since seeds are very

small, they should be mixed well with sand and sown in rows at 1cm depth at a spacing of 30cm. After sowing, a light irrigation is essential for ensuring good germination. Seedlings 2–3cm long are thinned out to a spacing of 3–4cm.

Seed Rate • The seed rate is 2 kg/ha for direct sowing.

• Manures and fertilizers • Amaranth is a heavy feeder and high yielding crop.

20-25 tonnes of FYM and 50:25:20 kg NPK / ha are recommended as basal dose. Under pulling out method, 20 kg N should be top dressed twice during subsequent pulling out of seedlings. For clipping varieties, a still higher dose of 75:25:25 is advisable. Apply N after every clipping or cutting. Foliar spray of 1% urea or diluted cow urine at every harvest is good for promoting further growth and for high yield

• Irrigation • Grain amaranth is a drought tolerant crop, but

leaf amaranth requires frequent irrigation to keep soil moist. Frequency of irrigation depends on soil.

• Interculture • Amaranth is a short duration and shallow

rooted crop. Provide light hoeing to prevent soil crust formation after irrigation and to keep soil loose. Field also should be kept weed-free, especially during initial stages.

• Physiological disorder• Bolting• Premature flowering or bolting is a serious

problem in cultivation of amaranth. Quality and yield are deteriorated after flowering. Bolting is usually associated with planting of short day varieties during November-December, deficiency of nitrogen, extreme high temperature and poor soil aeration. Practices like raising of crop at ideal time depending on locality, frequent application of nitrogen fertilizers and manures and keeping soil loose by light hoeing prolong flowering.

Harvesting and Post harvest management• The young amaranth seedlings grown for

commercial purpose are often uprooted when they are 8–10cm tall (3–4 weeks after sowing).

• The first cutting can be made 3 weeks after sowing. Subsequent cuttings are made at 10–15 days interval depending upon the vegetative growth.

• As many cuts are made as possible until flowering begins and suitable vegetative material is no longer available.

• Amaranth grown for seed is not usually harvested for greens. Seed plants are cut when mature and seeds can be rubbed from the inflorescence and then removed by drying and threshing.

• These seeds may be separated from the chaff with fine screens and if necessary, by winnowing. Yield of gross products (total biomass) varies from 100–500q/ha depending on varieties.

• The leaves lose water rapidly during storage, particularly at higher temperature resulting in rapid wilting, decrease in chlorophyll, ascorbic acid and soluble protein content and an increase in amino acid content.

• It can be stored for 6 days at 24°–28°C temperature.

Amaranth ready for harvesting

Diseases • leaf spot and white rust are two diseases which

affect the amaranth plants to a great extent• In case of leaf spot, Cercospora sp. is the causal

organism affecting this crop. • This disease is characterized by the presence of

numerous small brown circular spots on the leaves.

• White rust.• It is characterized by white, blister like circular or

irregular pustules on the lower surface of the leaf and opposite each pustule on the upper surface a yellow patch develops.

• Severe infection causes leaves to die and turn brown, giving the field a blighted look.

• spraying Dithane M-45 or any other copper fungicide

Pests • No serious pests have been reported in amaranth.• However, leaf webber, caterpillars and ants are

some of the pests which attack this crop. • Leaf webber and caterpillars can be controlled by

spraying malathion at the rate of 1.5 to 2 ml per litre of water.

Leaf minor

Seed production • The agronomic practices normally followed for

producing tender leaves and stems are also usually employed for seed production.

• In a soil of high alkalinity, the quality of seed will be very much affected.

• For seed crop, a spacing of 30 x 30 cm is usually maintained.

• Since it is a cross-pollinated crop, an isolation distance of about 400 m.

• It is a quick growing crop and forms seed in about 10-12 weeks.

• After taking a number of leaf cuttings, only a few last cuttings can be omitted to produce seeds.

• The seed grower, should be well acquainted with the varietal characteristics and rogue out the off-type plants at different stages of growth.

• Harvesting of inflorescence starts from 35 days after flowering when the glumes turn brown in colour and seeds turn black.

• Initial drying of the spikes in sun and drying the seeds to a 15% moisture content are usually practised so that the seeds can be threshed with pliable bamboo sticks.

• Seeds are then strained through 2 mm sieve. • The seed yield is about 200 kg/ha.

Sr. No. Particulars Total Cost ( /ha)

A Manures and fertilizer

1 Farm yard manure @ 20 t/ha, including labour 11600

2 Chemical fertilizers (Urea, SSP and Mop) @ 50:50:20 kg NPK/ha

3401

Total Cost 15,001

B Layout & bed preparation , seed sowing 1980

C Land preparation and planting 3000

D Irrigation charges 2500

E Land revenue 3333

F Intercultural operation 2000

G Plant protection 450

H Transportation 1000

J Cost of seed 500

Total Cost of Cultivation 29764

ECONOMICS