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AMARANTH
(Amaranthus spp.)
Amaranth
belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. It is the most
popular leafy vegetable of Kerala. It can be grown throughout
the year. Avoid sowing or planting of red leaved varieties
during periods of heavy rain. The leaves and succulent
stems are good sources of iron (305 mg/100 g),calcium
(397 mg/100 g),vitamin A (8340 microgram /100 g)and
vitamin C (99 mg /100 g). The crop is adapted to a wide
range of soil conditions. Sandy soil with slight acidity
is best suited. A temperature range of 20-30o C is required
for better vegetative growth. A. tricolor, A.dubius,
A. tristis are common leafy vegetables whereas A.hypochondriacus
is a grain type. In leafy amaranthus the grain colour
is black while in grain amaranthus the seed colour is
sandal yellow. The grain Amaranthus is a rich source
of protein and essential aminoacids like lysine, leucine,
isoleucine etc.
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20-30
day old healthy seedlings are transplanted in the main
field.
Red:
Kannara Local, Arun
Green: Co-1, Co-2, Co-3 and Mohini
Note: Kannara Local is a season bound variety, which
comes to flowering in November-December.
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Preparation
of land
Prepare
the land by ploughing or digging followed by levelling.
Then shallow trenches of width 30-35 cm are made 30
cm apart. Well rotten FYM is mixed with soil in the
trenches. Transplant 20-30 day old seedlings in the
shallow trenches at a distance of 20 cm in two rows.
During rainy season planting shall be done on raised
beds.Seed rate: 1.5 to 2.0 kg/ha.
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The
first irrigation is given immediately after sowing.
Avoid rapid water flow to prevent washing off of seeds.
Subsequent irrigations may be given at frequent intervals
except rainy days.
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Apply
50 tonnes of FYM per ha as basal dose before planting.
After preparing trenches, apply N:P2O5:K2O @ 50:50:50
kg/ha. Another 50 kg of N can be applied at regular
intervals as topdressing. Spraying 1% urea immediately
after each harvest will increase the yield.
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During
early stages, complete control of weeds could be obtained
by raising cowpea in the interspaces. In gardens where
this is not possible, pre-emergence application of diuron
1.5 kg/ha or oxyfluorfen 0.2 kg/ha is effective. Weeds
emerging later could be controlled by the application
of paraquat 0.4 kg/ha or glyphosate 0.4 kg/ha. If hand
weeding is resorted to, give 4-5 surface diggings depending
on weed growth. Avoid deep digging. Do not disturb soil
after plants start producing bunches. If green manure
crop is grown, weeding operations can be reduced to 1-2
diggings.
As far as possible, avoid use of insecticides or fungicides.
In severe cases of leaf webber attack, spray malathion
0.1% or dust malathion 10% DP.
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Spray Indofil-M 45 @2 g/l of water if the white rust
incidence is very severe.
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In
green types, pull out the plants with the roots on 25th
day after sowing. Cutting the top portion is also practiced.
4-6 cuttings are possible.
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On
an average a total green yield of 10-15 tons can be
harvested from one hectare in 4-6 cuttings.
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