Identification and Agronomic Performance of Species of the Genus Amaranthus Grown in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The present study was carried out on eighty (80) accessions from Burkina Faso. It has a double objective: to identify the different species of amaranths cultivated and to estimate their agronomic performances. To this end, twenty-four (24) descriptors were used to characterize the collection, according to a Fisher block design with three replications. The survey was conducted at the IDR experimental site in Gampèla. The study revealed a great phenotypic diversity characterized by the existence of qualitative discriminating characters of which the color of the stem and the leaves, the shape and the size of the leaves as well as the color of the inflorescence. These observations allowed us to identify seven morphotypes belonging to three species: Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus hypochondriacus and Amaranthus dubius. The analysis of variance showed several discriminating quantitative characters including height, stem diameter, number of branches and number of days to flowering. The green-leaved Amaranthus cruentus species showed the highest yields of leaf biomass (283.57 g) with a long flowering cycle (72.5 days) and a high number of branching (45.6). Oval-leaved accessions with broad, long blades and early flowering were identified belonging to the species Amaranthus dubius. The light green morphotype of Amaranthus hypochondriacus species and accessions of Amaranthus dubius species yielded low foliar biomass.

Agromorphological Diversity and Disease Assessment of Grain Amaranth in Lamjung, Nepal

“…Among the studied accessions, 41.67% had no branch, 16.67% had few branches all near the base of stem, 8.33% had many branches all near the base of stem, and 33.33% had many branches all along stem. For stem pigmentation, high variation of yellowish green (50%), orange ( [33] for leaf pigmentation, leaf shape, and terminal inforescence attitude; Jacques et al [34] for leaf pigmentation, stem pigmentation, and seed color; Shah et al [35] for stem pigmentation, leaf pigmentation, and inforescence color. Similarly, marked variation in stem pigmentation and inforescence color was revealed by Yadav et al [19].…”