Studies on growth and seed yield of grain Amaranthus (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.)

Abstract

The present investigations were carried out during rabi 2017-18 at AICRN on Potential Crops, M.P.K.V. Rahuri for testing the qualitative and quantitative characters of sixteen grain amaranthus genotypes. All sixteen genotypes differed for qualitative characters viz. plant growth habit (spreading, erect and drooping), leaf colour (pinkish green, yellowish green, green and reddish green), inflorescence colour (yellowish green, pink and yellow), stem colour (yellow, yellowish green and reddish green), stem surface (ridged and smooth), inflorescence shape (globose, straight and semidrooping), inflorescence spininess (smooth and spiny) and seed colour (creamish, pale yellow and brown). The results on quantitative characters revealed that genotype RHGA 13-4 gave better performance for yield and yield contributing characters followed by RGAG 12-8 and RGAG 16-11. Among the genotypes, RHGA 13-4 recorded significantly for leaf length, stem thickness, inflorescence length, plant height and seed yield per hectare while the genotype RGAG 12-27 showed early flowering days and days to maturity.