Research on the morphology, biology, productivity and yields quality of the Amaranthus cruentus L. in the southern part of Romania

Abstract

Currently, according to the specialists in the field, Amaranthus species are part of alternative agricultural crops recommended for organic farming. In this context, our scientific approach is to analyse the adaptability of these species in the specific conditions of the southern part of Romania (Reviga village, Ialomita County). Thus, for two consecutive years, two varieties of Amaranthus cruentus, namely ‘Bolivia 153’ and ‘Golden Giant’, were studied regarding: morphology, biology, cultivation technology, plant productivity and quality of yields in the organic farming conditions. After the study period, the ‘Golden Giant’ variety was characterized by the following: 8 days - sowing-emergence period; flowering start on 21 July; 124 days - vegetation period; 839.3 Growing Degree Days (GDD) ($$ t 15 °C); 23.24 g - grains mass per plant; 1.375 g - Thousand Weight Grains (TWG); 2,647 kg ha-1 - grains yields. By comparison, ‘Bolivia 153’variety plants were presented as follows: 11 days - sowing-emergence period; flowering start on 21 July; 127 days - vegetation period; 842.4 GDD; 22.09 g - grains mass per plant; 1.46 g TWG; 23.78 kg ha-1 - grains yields. In average, the chemical composition of Amaranthus cruentus grains was: 15.20% proteins; 51.70% starch; 5.96% lipids; 13.36% cellulose and 3.35% ash. In conclusion, the experimentation area proved to be favourable to Amaranthus cruentus cultivation, so that the tested varieties behaved well, had a fairly uniform emergences, and the good level of grains yields and quality.