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The present study optimised the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from Amaranthus hypochondriacus var. Nutrisol. Influence of temperature (25.86–54.14 °C) and ultrasonic power densities (UPD) (76.01–273.99 mW/mL) on total betalains (BT), betacyanins (BC), betaxanthins (BX), total polyphenols (TP), antioxidant activity (AA), colour parameters (L*, a*, and b*), amaranthine (A), and isoamaranthine (IA) were evaluated using response surface methodology. Moreover, betalain extraction kinetics and mass transfer coefficients (KLa) were determined for each experimental condition. BT, BC, BX, TP, AA, b*, KLa, and A were significantly affected (p

Knowledge of the pattern of trait variation among accessions, and the trait profiles of the accessions is crucial for improvement of a crop. Twenty-one Amaranthus accessions were evaluated in 2018 and 2019 to investigate the extent of genotypic diversity among the amaranth accessions and their trait profiles. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and correlation and principal component analyses. Taking stem weight (SWT) as the yield, the accession × yield-trait combination (GYT) biplot was employed to investigate the trait profiles of the accessions. Accession, year, and accession × year mean squares were significant (P≤0.05/0.01) for most of the measured traits. The first three principal components explained 88.18% of observable variation among the accessions and identified plant height (PHT), number of leaves per plant (NOL), and root weight (RWT) as the major contributors. Significant (P≤0.01) correlation was observed in the association of SWT with NOL, TBM, and RWT. Accessions NGB00019 and NGB00061 were associated with the sector containing all the YT combinations considered. However, NGB00019 was identified as the best combiner of yield with other traits. Further studies involving more traits should determine the trait profiles of the remaining accessions.

Amaranthus is a C4 plant tolerant to drought, and plant diseases and a suitable option for climate change. This plant could form part of every region's cultural heritage and can be transferred to the next generation. Moreover, Amaranthus is a multipurpose plant that has been identified as a traditional edible vegetable endowed with nutritional value, besides its fodder, medicinal, nutraceutical, industrial, and ornamental potentials. In recent decade Amaranthus has received increased research interest. Despite its endowment, there is a dearth of awareness of its numerous potential benefits hence, it is being underutilized. Suitable cultivation systems, innovative processing, and value-adding techniques to promote its utilization are scarce. However, a food-based approach has been suggested as a sustainable measure that tackles food-related problem, especially in harsh weather. Thus, in this review, a literature search for updated progress and potential uses of Amaranthus from online databases of peer-reviewed articles and books was conducted. In addition, the nomenclature, nutritional, and nutraceutical value, was reviewed. The species of focus highlighted in the review include, A. blitum, A. caudatus, A. cruentus, A. dubius, A. hypochondriacus, A. spinosus, A. thunbergii, A. tricolor, and A. viridis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gases used: ethylene (C2H4), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and nitric oxide (NO) showed a high activity as inductors of germination in primary dormant or non-dormant seeds exposed to stress or suboptimal temperatures. So far, research on the role of ethylene, hydrogen cyanide and nitric oxide has involved these gases during seed germination. This work describes gas-priming as a novel method for treating air dry seeds of the genus Amaranthus serving as a model. Effects of C2H4, HCN or NO applied to dry seeds were similar to those obtained when the gases were used during seed germination for an identical period of time. Application of the gases to air dry seeds presents a new opportunity to study the role of those gases in germination of dormant and non-dormant seeds and to constrain effects of the gases from time 0. The prolonged treatment time for dry seeds (24 h) is convenient because if the treatment is started in the morning, there is sufficient time the next day for further experiments to begin, e.g. germination test in water or in solutions of other compounds. Moreover, it is important that the gas-treated seeds can be stored or transported prior to use. The gas-priming method allows to prepare treated seed samples which can be used in experiments either immediately or after storage in open air or in a closed container. Gas-priming with C2H4, HCN and NO is a simple and useful treatment of air-dried seeds, which opens up new useful possibilities for basic research on the role of those gases in releasing dormancy and seed germination of various plant species. In addition, the method may prove very useful in horticulture and agriculture in improving germination of gas-sensitive seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local cultivars of A. caudatus: Helios and Karmin were used as plant material. Amaranth is a new pseudocereal introduced in Ukraine. The plant biomass of amaranth is used in medicine, food industry and cosmetology industry. Aim. The purpose of the work was to identify the optimal conditions for the transient expression of reporter genes in Amaranthus caudatus cultivars. Methods. Biochemical and microscopy methods were used in the following work. Seedlings and adult plants of different age were infiltrated with agrobacterial suspensions separately (genetic vector pCBV19 with a uidA gene and genetic vector pNMD2501 with a gfp gene in Agr obacterium tumefaciens GV3101 strain). Results. Transient expression of the uidA and gfp genes was obtained in amaranth plants after conduction series of experiments. The most intensive transient expression of gfp and uidA genes was observed in seedlings infiltrated at the age of 1 day. The maximum fluorescence of the GFP protein was observed on 5th–6th days. Conclusions. It was shown that the cultivar Helios was more susceptible to agrobacterial infection than the cultivar Karmin. The effectiveness of Agrobacterium mediated transformation was from 16% to 95% for the Helios cultivar and from 12% to 93% for the Karmin cultivar. The obtained results indicate that the studied amaranth cultivars can potentially be used for obtaining transient expression of target genes and synthesizing target proteins in their tissues in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of genomic, physiological, and population genetic research has accelerated the understanding and improvement of numerous crops. For nonmodel crops, the lack of interdisciplinary research hinders their improvement. Grain amaranth is an ancient nutritious pseudocereal that has been domesticated three times in different regions of the Americas. We present and employ PopAmaranth, a population genetic genome browser, which provides an accessible representation of the genetic variation of the threegrain amaranth species (Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Amaranthus cruentus, and Amaranthus caudatus) and two wild relatives (Amaranthus hybridus and Amaranthus quitensis) along the A. hypochondriacus reference sequence. We performed population-scale diversity and selection analysis from whole-genome sequencing data of 88 curated genetically and taxonomically unambiguously classified accessions. We employ the platform to show that genetic diversity in the water stress-related MIF1 gene declined during amaranth domestication and provide evidence for convergent saponin reduction between amaranth and quinoa. PopAmaranth is available through amaranthGDB at amaranthgdb.org/popamaranth.html. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the pattern of trait variation among accessions, and the trait profiles of the accessions is crucial for improvement of a crop. Twentyone Amaranthus accessions were evaluated in 2018 and 2019 to investigate the extent of genotypic diversity among the amaranth accessions and their trait profiles. Data were subjected to analysis of variance, and correlation and principal component analyses. Taking stem weight (SWT) as the yield, the accession × yieldtrait combination (GYT) biplot was employed to investigate the trait profiles of the accessions. Accession, year, and accession × year mean squares were significant (P=0.05/0.01) for most of the measured traits. The first three principal components explained 88.18% of observable variation among the accessions and identified plant height (PHT), number of leaves per plant (NOL), and root weight (RWT) as the major contributors. Significant (P=0.01) correlation was observed in the association of SWT with NOL, TBM, and RWT. Accessions NGB00019 and NGB00061 were associated with the sector containing all the YT combinations considered. However, NGB00019 was identified as the best combiner of yield with other traits. Further studies involving more traits should determine the trait profiles of the remaining accessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic farming is described as an agricultural system which brings soil fertility and avoids the use of pesticides or fertilizer which is harmful to the environmental condition. Banana peel are rich in nutrients and minerals which can be used as good composting materials. Composting is the process of producing eco-friendly manure from organic matter. The present study was conducted at Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu to analyse the Physico chemical analysis of raw and composted banana peel and its effect ongrowth and yield parameters in leaves of Amaranthus. The study consists of 5 treatments C- Control, T1- Composted Banana peel waste (25g), T2- Composted Banana peel waste (50g), T3- Composted Banana peel waste (75g), T4- Composted Banana peel waste (100g). Maximum growth and yield parameters were observed in T4 treatment when compared to control. Hence, the study concluded that the banana peel biocompost showed an increase in pH, EC, N, P and K. Lignin and cellulose content decreases in composted banana peel. In the present study, treatment T4- Composted Banana peel waste (100g) enhanced the growth and yield parameters in leaves of Amaranthus (Amaranthus spinosus L.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El presente trabajo se realizó con el objetivo de caracterizar las unidades productivas de sistemas agrícolas en pequeña escala de kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus) en cinco comunidades de las provincias de Yungay, Huaylas y Carhuaz, región Áncash, Perú. La población muestra de las unidades de producción en estudio se determinó mediante un muestreo irrestricto aleatorio proporcional y estratificado. La información obtenida de fuentes primarias (encuestas y entrevistas) y secundarias se analizó agrupando variables cualitativas y cuantitativas, y utilizando técnicas estadísticas de análisis multidimensional. Se identificaron tres tipologías de productores que se asemejan al interior de cada grupo y, al mismo tiempo, presentan diferencias frente a otros grupos por la posesión de tierras, área sembrada de kiwicha, área sembrada de cultivo secundario e ingreso neto mensual. El primer grupo, compuesto por productores de minifundio con 0,42 ha de tierras cultivables, posee en promedio 0,14 ha de cultivo de kiwicha y 0,17 ha de un cultivo secundario; el segundo grupo, compuesto por pequeños productores con 0,53 ha de tierras disponibles para sus cultivos, cuentan con 0,30 ha de kiwicha y 0,43 ha de un cultivo secundario; el tercer grupo, compuesto por medianos productores, en promedio dispone de 6,13 ha de tierras, de los cuales 1,87 ha son de kiwicha y 0,63 ha son de cultivos secundarios. Los ingresos netos mensuales de los medianos productores con PEN 493,50 resultan mayores a los de los pequeños y los de minifundio en 176,52 % y 279,03 %, respectivamente.

Despite the fact that in the modern world more than a thousand edible plants are used for food, only 3 staple cereal crops are grown worldwide: wheat, rice, and maize. Growing a limited number of crops often causes many problems: ranging from the loss of biodiversity, due to the constant cultivation of the same monocultures in the same areas, to the deterioration of soil quality. A way out of this situation is the selection of new untraditional and neglected plants that could grow in a wide range of temperatures, produce high yields and at the same time have a balanced amino acid composition. Pseudocereals of the genus Amaranthus L. meet these criteria. Amaranth grain and plant raw materials are used in many industries: food, medicine, cosmetics. Modern technologies do not stand still. Along with traditional methods of plant breeding, the rapid pace of development involves genetic engineering of plants, which allows the process of creating improved plants to be speeded up several times. The purpose of this study is to analyze and systematize the achievements in the field of regeneration and genetic transformation of representatives of the Amaranthus genus. The results can be used for a practical application: the genetic transformation of species of the genus Amaranthus and other close genera of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several alien plant species have been introduced into Kashmir Himalaya from different regions of the world and subsequently some of these have been able to colonize and become invasive. Why only some species among the alien species pool establish as strong invaders represents a fundamental question for invasion ecologists. Trait comparisons of invasive with less/non-invasive congeners help in understanding the role of various trait differences in invasion success. In this study, we investigated the differences in various phenological, physiological and morphological traits in three alien plant congeners (Amaranthus blitum Linn., A. caudatus Linn. and A. spinosus Linn.) which differ in their invasion status, and attempted to relate the trait differences to their differential invasion potential in Kashmir Himalaya. The results revealed that the more aggressive behavior of A. caudatus in contrast to other two congeneric species is more likely explained by its early and longer germination period, shorter pre-reproductive period, early and extended flowering period, shorter generation time, early life cycle completion, fast growth, high reproductive allocation, more height, inflorescence length and higher seed production. We expect this knowledge to yield theoretical as well as practical information, about the possible adaptive traits employed by the three alien species, to target their long term management in the Kashmir Himalaya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus is an important vegetable crop that belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. An experiment was carried out to study the effects of varying concentrations of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) on the in vitro propagation of amaranthus seed using seed explants. The seeds were cultured in vitro on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media containing different concentrations (0.1mg/L to 0.2mg/L) of auxin (NAA) gibberellin (GA3) and cytokinin (BAP). Early germination was observed in media treated with NAA 0.02mg/L. Best vigor was recorded in media treated with 0.20mg/L BAP treatment. All media has same number of leaves with the exception of 0.2mg/LNAA treatment. Highest root length was observed in media treated with 0.15 mg/L GA3 and 0.2mg/l GA3 and NAA. Highest shoot length was recorded in media treated with 0.15 mg/L GA3. Results of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated significant differences among the treatments compared with the control (p < 0.05). The protocol developed in this study is suitable for large scale seedling formation, biomass production and obtaining uniform materials for various in vitro studies for the improvement of amaranthus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Amaranthus tuberculatus and Amaranthus palmeri are agronomically important weed species, both with stable dioecious reproductive systems. An understanding of the genetic basis of sex determination may lead to new methods of managing these troublesome weeds. Previous research identified genomic sequences associated with maleness in each species.Male‐specific sequences were used to identify genomic regions in both species that are believed to contain sex‐determining genes, i.e. the male‐specific Y (MSY) region. These regions were compared to understand if sex determination is controlled via the same physiological pathway and if dioecy evolved independently.A contiguously assembled candidate MSY region identified in Amaranthus palmeri is approximately 1.3 Mb with 121 predicted gene models. In Amaranthus tuberculatus, several contigs, with combined length of 4.6 Mb and with 147 gene models, were identified as belonging to the MSY region. Synteny was not detected between the two species' candidate MSY regions but they shared two predicted genes.With lists of candidate genes for sex determination containing fewer than 200 in each species, future research can address whether sex determination is controlled via similar physiological pathways and whether dioecy has indeed evolved independently in these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was conducted to investigate the pasting, rheological and functional properties, and gluten-free biscuit making potential of a composite flour prepared from grains of amaranthus, sorghum and finger millet. The formulation for the composite flour was obtained from D-optimal mixture design ratio using Design-Expert. The rheological and pasting properties of the composite flours were determined, while the proximate composition, physical dimensions, mineral concentration and sensory quality attributes of the biscuits were assessed. The results showed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences in the pasting profile of the control and amaranthus based composites flour except for pasting temperature. Water absorption capacity and water soliblity index increased as the blending ratio of amaranthus flour increased, while oil absorption capacity decreased. The proximate composition evaluation 13.75, 2.04, 1.77 and 31.75% were found to be the highest values of the biscuit samples in terms of protein, crude fiber, ash and crude fat, respectively. Mineral analaysis was carried out and there was a significant (p<0.05) difference in Fe, Ca, Zn and P content among the biscuit samples made from the composite flour blends. Similarly, the sensory evaluation indicated that there was a significant (p<0.05) differences in apperance, colour, texture, flavour and overall acceptability among the composite biscuit samples. However, the difference was insignificant (p<0.05) in crispiness of biscuit samples. In a nut shell this research revealed that a nutritionally dense gluten-free biscuits can be formulated without affecting the quality attributes of the biscuit. Thus, the composite flours can be used for the preparation of gluten free food products in africa, where the crops have not been effectively utilized in food processing industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antioxidants are substances that delays or inhibits the oxidation of a substrate by countering highly unstable entities (ROS and free radicals) that can cause cellular damage. Some natural source of antioxidants is green leafy vegetables like Amaranthus. Results of vegetable composition are usually determined on raw material, however for nutritional purposes most of them are cooked in different ways before consumption. In India, vegetables we consume are cooked by boiling in water, fried in oil or microwaved. Objectives: This paper mainly focuses on the comparative study of raw, boiled and fried forms of Amaranthus viridis and Amaranthus tricolor to ensure which form of vegetable intake provides proper amount of antioxidants to our body in order to boost the antioxidant profile. Methods: Total phenol content, flavonoid content, free radical scavenging activity, estimation of total inhibitor capability and estimation of Quercetin, Kaempferol and Rutin by HPTLC analysis were carried on raw, boiled and fried forms of Amaranthus viridis and Amaranthus tricolor. Results: The cooking processes lead significant changes in physical characteristics and chemical composition influencing the concentration and bioavailability of bioactive compounds of vegetables. The fried material is heated only on the surface so that the phenolic antioxidant losses are insignificant. Conclusion: The raw forms of green and fried form of red are more suitable for uptake. Also, green species contains more antioxidants than the red one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are bacteria that cause biofilm-associated infections. The aim of this study was to determine the activity of combined betacyanin fractions from Amaranthus dubius (red spinach) and Hylocereus polyrhizus (red pitahaya) against biofilms formed by co-culture of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa on different polymer surfaces. Various formulations containing different concentrations of the betacyanin fractions were investigated for biofilm-inhibiting activity on polystyrene surfaces using crystal violet assay and scanning electron microscopy. A combination of each betacyanin fraction (0.625 mg mL−1) reduced biofilm formation of five S. aureus strains and four P. aeruginosa strains from optical density values of 1.24–3.84 and 1.25–3.52 to 0.81–2.63 and 0.80–1.71, respectively. These combined fractions also significantly inhibited dual-species biofilms by 2.30 and reduced 1.0–1.3 log CFU cm−2 bacterial attachment on polymer surfaces such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene and silicone rubber. This study demonstrated an increase in biofilm-inhibiting activity against biofilms formed by two species using combined fractions than that by using single fractions. Betacyanins found in different plants could collectively be used to potentially decrease the risk of biofilm-associated infections caused by these bacteria on hydrophobic polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf and stem vegetative morphological characters have been studied in ten Egyptian Amaranthus species. Macro-and micro-morphological characters besides leaf venation and architecture have been studied. Twenty-seven main variable characters have been subjected as OTU's to numerical analysis. The resulted dendrograms (nearest neighbor, group average and farthest neighbor) divided the studied species into two categories with different subdivisions. From the most important morphological characters within the studied taxa are the places of red spot on the leaf surfaces and the type of leaf venation. These characters divided the studied taxa into two main groups: 1-the red spot; on the middle versus on the lower part of the leaf blades, 2-the leaf venation; reticulodromus versus brochidodromous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The production of sustainable materials with properties aimed at the additive manufacturing of electrochemical sensors has gained prestige in the scientific scenario. Here, a novel lab-made composite material using graphite (G) and carbon nitride (C 3 N 4 ) embedded into polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymer is proposed to produce 3D-printed electrodes. PLA offers printability and mechanical stability in this composition, while G and C 3 N 4 provide electrical properties and electrocatalytic sites, respectively. Characterizations by Raman and infrared spectroscopies and Energy Dispersive X-rays indicated that the G/C 3 N 4 /PLA composite was successfully obtained, while electron microscopy images revealed non-homogeneous rough surfaces. Better electrochemical properties were achieved when the G/C 3 N 4 /PLA proportion (35:5:60) was used. As a proof of concept, amaranth (AMR), a synthetic dye, was selected as an analyte, and a fast method using square wave voltammetry was developed. Utilizing the 3D-printed G/C 3 N 4 /PLA electrode, a more comprehensive linear range (0.2 to 4.2 μmol/L), a 5-fold increase in sensitivity (9.83 μmol -1 L μA), and better limits of detection (LOD = 0.06 μmol/L) and quantification (LOQ = 0.18 μmol/L) were achieved compared to the G/PLA electrode. Samples of jelly, popsicles, isotonic drinks, and food flavoring samples were analyzed, and similar results to those obtained by UV-vis spectrometry confirmed the method's reliability. Therefore, the described sensor is a simple, cost-effective alternative for assessing AMR in routine food analysis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The efficient remediation of the soil co-contaminated with heavy metals and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from electronic disassembly zones is a new challenge. Here, we screened a fungus of F. solani (F.s) can immobilize Cd and remove PBDEs. wIt combined with tourmaline enhances the remediation of co- pollutants in the soil. Furthermore, the environment risks of the enhanced technology were assessed through the amount of Cd/BDE-153 in Amaranthus tricolor L. (amaranth) migrated from soil, as well as the changes of soil microorganism communities and enzyme activities. The results showed the combined treatment of tourmaline and F.s made the removal percentage of BDE-153 in rhizosphere soil co-contaminated with BDE-153 and Cd reached 46.5%. And the weak acid extractable Cd in rhizosphere soil decreased by 33.7% compared to control group. In addition, the combined remediation technology resulted in a 32.5% (22.8%), 45.5% (37.2%), and 50.7% (38.1%) decrease in BDE-153 (Cd) content in the roots, stems, and leaves of amaranth, respectively. Tourmaline combined with F.s can significantly increase soil microorganism diversity, soil dehydrogenase and urease activities, further improving the remediation rate of Cd and BDE-153co-pollutants in soil and the biomass of amaranth. This study provides the remediation technology of soil co-contaminated with heavy metal and PBDEs and ensure the maintenance of food security., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Highlighting affordable alternative crops that are rich in bioactive phytoconstituents is essential for advancing nutrition and ensuring food security. Amaranthus blitum L. (AB) stands out as one such crop with a traditional history of being used to treat intestinal disorders, roundworm infections, and hemorrhage. This study aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic and hematologic activities across various extracts of AB and investigate the phytoconstituents responsible for these activities., Methods: In vitro anthelmintic activity against Trichinella spiralis was evaluated in terms of larval viability reduction. The anti-platelet activities were assessed based on the inhibitory effect against induced platelet aggregation. Further, effects on the extrinsic pathway, the intrinsic pathway, and the ultimate common stage of blood coagulation, were monitored through measuring blood coagulation parameters: prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and thrombin time (TT), respectively. The structures of isolated compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis., Results: Interestingly, a previously undescribed compound (19), N-(cis-p-coumaroyl)-ʟ-tryptophan, was isolated and identified along with 21 known compounds. Significant in vitro larvicidal activities were demonstrated by the investigated AB extracts at 1 mg/mL. Among tested compounds, compound 18 (rutin) displayed the highest larvicidal activity. Moreover, compounds 19 and 20 (N-(trans-p-coumaroyl)-ʟ-tryptophan) induced complete larval death within 48 h. The crude extract exhibited the minimal platelet aggregation of 43.42 ± 11.69%, compared with 76.22 ± 14.34% in the control plasma. Additionally, the crude extract and two compounds 19 and 20 significantly inhibited the extrinsic coagulation pathway., Conclusions: These findings extend awareness about the nutritional value of AB as a food, with thrombosis-preventing capabilities and introducing a promising source for new anthelmintic and anticoagulant agents., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Roots are crucial in plant adaptation through the exudation of various compounds which are influenced and modified by environmental factors. Buckwheat root exudate and root system response to neighbouring plants (buckwheat or redroot pigweed) and how these exudates affect redroot pigweed was investigated. Characterising root exudates in plant-plant interactions presents challenges, therefore a split-root system which enabled the application of differential treatments to parts of a single root system and non-destructive sampling was developed. Non-targeted metabolome profiling revealed that neighbour presence and identity induces systemic changes. Buckwheat and redroot pigweed neighbour presence upregulated 64 and 46 metabolites, respectively, with an overlap of only 7 metabolites. Root morphology analysis showed that, while the presence of redroot pigweed decreased the number of root tips in buckwheat, buckwheat decreased total root length and volume, surface area, number of root tips, and forks of redroot pigweed. Treatment with exudates (from the roots of buckwheat and redroot pigweed closely interacting) on redroot pigweed decreased the total root length and number of forks of redroot pigweed seedlings when compared to controls. These findings provide understanding of how plants modify their root exudate composition in the presence of neighbours and how this impacts each other's root systems., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The development of novel phytotoxic compounds has been an important aim of weed control research. In this study, we synthesized fluorinated chalcone derivatives featuring both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups. These compounds were evaluated both as inhibitors of the photosystem II (PSII) electron chain as well as inhibitors of the germination and seedling growth of Amaranthus plants. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence assay was employed to evaluate their effects on PSII, while germination experiments were conducted to assess their impact on germination and seedling development. The results revealed promising herbicidal activity for (E)-3-(4-bromophenyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)prop-2-en-1-one (7 a) and (E)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (7 e). Compounds 7 a and 7 e exhibited a reduction in Chl a parameters associated with performance indexes and electron transport per reaction center. This reduction suggests a decrease in PSII activity, attributed to the blockage of electron flow at the quinone pool. Molecular docking analyses of chalcone derivatives with the D1 protein of PSII revealed a stable binding conformation, wherein the carbonyl and fluorine groups interacted with Phe265 and His215 residues, respectively. Additionally, at a concentration of 100 μM, compound 7 e demonstrated pre- and post-emergent herbicidal activity, resulting in a reduction of the seed germination index, radicle and hypocotyl lengths of Amaranthus weeds., (© 2024 Wiley‐VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Accumulation of heavy metals in soil is becoming an increasingly serious eco-environmental problem. Thus, investigating how plants mitigate heavy metal toxicity is necessary to reduce the associated risks. Here, we aimed to assess the bioremediation and stress defense strategies of tolerant plant species grown under complex heavy metals contamination. To this end, a field study was conducted on the vegetation cover of sites with different soil pollution levels. Forty-two plant species that belong to 38 genera and 21 families were identified. The pollution had a significant impact on plant richness in the polluted sites. Out of several screened plants, Amaranthus retroflexus L. was selected because of its high relative density (16.7) and a high frequency (100%) in the most polluted sites. The selected species showed a high biological concentration factor (BCF) and low translocation factor (TF) for Cu, As and Ni. To control the heavy metal-induced oxidative damage, A. retroflexus invested in detoxification (metallothionein and phytochelatins, glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). At the organ level, oxidase damage (H2O2, lipid and protein peroxidation) was observed, particularly in the roots. To mitigate heavy metal oxidative stress, antioxidant mechanisms (e.g., tocopherols, glutathione, peroxidases, catalase, peroxide dismutase and ASC-GSH cycle) were upregulated, mainly in the roots. Overall, our results suggested the potentiality of A. retroflexus as a promising bioremediatory and stress-tolerant plant at the same time; moreover, defense and detoxification mechanisms were uncovered.

The procedure for vacuum infiltration of cultivars A. caudatus L. and hybrids of A. caudatus L. xA. paniculatus L. was optimized. The functioning of gene construction pCBv19 in the Amaranthus leaves was evaluated by the transient expression after vacuum infiltration with Agrobacterium rhizogenes A4. After hypocotyl transformation of the varieties of amaranth species A. caudatus L.: Helios, Karmin, Kremovyi rannii, and hybrids A. caudatus x A. paniculatus L. – cv. Sterkh, A. caudatus x Sterkh- cv. Zhaivir with the wild strain A. rhizogenes A4, the culture of "hairy roots" was obtained. Embedding and transcription of genes in the roots are confirmed by the results of the PCR analysis.

Amaranthus tuberculatus , Amaranthus hybridus , and Amaranthus palmeri are agronomically important weed species. Here, we present the most contiguous draft assemblies of these three species to date. We utilized a combination of Pacific Biosciences long-read sequencing and chromatin contact mapping information to assemble and order sequences of A. palmeri to near-chromosome-level resolution, with scaffold N50 of 20.1 Mb. To resolve the issues of heterozygosity and coassembly of alleles in diploid species, we adapted the trio binning approach to produce haplotype assemblies of A. tuberculatus and A. hybridus. This approach resulted in an improved assembly of A. tuberculatus , and the first genome assembly for A. hybridus , with contig N50s of 2.58 and 2.26 Mb, respectively. Species-specific transcriptomes and information from related species were used to predict transcripts within each assembly. Syntenic comparisons of these species and Amaranthus hypochondriacus identified sites of genomic rearrangement, including duplication and translocation, whereas genetic map construction within A. tuberculatus highlighted the need for further ordering of the A. hybridus and A. tuberculatus contigs. These multiple reference genomes will accelerate genomic studies in these species to further our understanding of weedy evolution within Amaranthus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nomenclatural study of the names in Amaranthus published by W. Roxburgh was carried out. Seven names appear to have been published by the author, three being not valid from the nomenclatural point of view (Amaranthus atropurpureus, A. fasciatus, and A. lanceofolius, nomina nuda, Arts. 38.1 and 38.2 of ICN). The remaining four names are valid and they are typified by illustrations included in "The Roxburgh Collection" at the library of the Royal Botanic Garden of Kew [Nos. 447 (lectotype of A. fasciatus), 1676 (lectotype of A. lanceolatus), and 1677 (lectotype of A. frumentaceus)] or included in the Seikei Zusetsu Agricultural Catalog (neotype of A. atropurpureus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To identify and describe the species of lepidopteran that causes damage to amaranth grains. Design/Methodology/Approach During six months, amaranth cereal bars were obtained to collect the larvae of the lepidopteran, a pest that consumes the grains. Larvae were kept under laboratory conditions until adults emerged. For the identification of the adults, the genitalia were extracted and photographs were taken by confocal laser scanning microscopy; and those of abdominal termination, egg and larvae of the first stage, by scanning electron microscopy. Results The first report on the appearance of the flour moth Plodia interpunctella in stored amaranth grains in Mexico is presented. This is the first known record of damage to amaranth grains by this pest in the world. Study limitations/implications In the Amaranth-producing region of Morelos, Mexico, there is no information on the pests of stored amaranth grains. Therefore, the need arises to deepen the study of the reproductive biology and ecology of Plodia interpunctella on this new host. Findings/Conclusions The identification of Plodia interpunctella in amaranth grains will allow the development of a management strategy to prevent the spread of this new pest in the Amaranth-producing region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many degenerative diseases. Antioxidant compounds can potentially be derived from plant sources. Consequently, investigations are been focused on plants as potential sources of treatments for oxidants-induced diseases. Some class of compounds that have been reported in many medicinal plants includes phenolics, alkaloids, saponins, tannins and terpenoids. Amaranthus belong to a more complex Amaranthaceae family and are widely used as leaf vegetables around the world. Interest has grown towards the search of Amaranthus species as potential sources of antioxidants. Compounds that can break the chain reaction initiated by reactive oxygen species are vital in treating and preventing disease caused by ROS. In this review, we did a comprehensive literature search on research articles published on the antioxidant activity of some Amaranthus species and in-vitro antioxidant assays. To establish the antioxidant potential of a plant, researchers customarily used more than a single evaluation method. Remarkable success has however been made using different evaluation methods in establishing the radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of some Amaranthus species. Some of the conventional methods enumerated in this write-up assessed the antioxidant activity by monitoring the radical scavenging activity of the plant extracts. The antioxidant activity of the Amaranthus family has been reported to contribute largely to the various medicinal values. This review further outlined the antioxidant properties of Amaranthus species vis-à-vis their health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allelopathic effects of aqueous leaf extracts of two selected plant species -Azadirachta indica A.Juss and Mikania micrantha Kunth on the seed germination of a common weed Amaranthus spinosus L. were studied. The experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions. Different test concentrations [5%, 10%, 15% and 20%] of aqueous extracts of both leaves were prepared separately. The receptor seeds were collected from Amaranthus spinosus. Seed germination tests were carried out in sterilized petri dishes. Effects of different concentrations of leaves extracts on the germination of seeds were studied and recorded for seven consecutive days. This data was compared with that of Control, i.e. Distilled water. Allelopathic inhibition of seed germination increased with increasing concentrations of leaves extracts for both donor plants. From the recorded results Germination potential and Germination rates were calculated. Germination potential was found to be the least in 15% and 20% concentration of both the leaves extracts. Germination rate was the lowest in 20% concentration of Mikania micrantha leaf extract. From the study, it was found out that both the plants show significant allelopathic effect against a common weed Amaranthus spinosus and this potential could be used to manage weeds. This work tries to point towards the possibility of developing bioherbicides from plants with such allelopathic activity, which could be used to control many weeds, an important problem faced in the agriculture fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The rhizospheric association of bacteria in terrestrial plants across the hilly region has tremendous potential for plant growth-promotion (PGP) and protection. This is the first study which aims to isolate some rhizo-bacteria from the different rhizospheric soil samples of S. obvallata in The Himalayan region. Genotypic, biochemical and PGP traits shows genetically similar bacteria species to have diverse PGP potential as shown by IAA production of 87.567 μg ml-1 by Bacillus sp. D5 and phosphate solubilization potential 30 mm halo zones are shown by Bacillus sp. D9. Growth of isolates was in the ranges of temperature (0-60 °C), salt (0-20%), which shows their tendencies towards surviving harsh environmental conditions. The isolates were further evaluated on Amaranthus cruentus, which shows a significant improvement in growth compared to control. The novel study finds the bacterial community at high altitudes to survive extreme climatic variability through association with plants by developing a commensalistic relationship with host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus spp. is a nephrotoxic plant with unknown toxic principle, affecting production animals worldwide, mainly in South America. The aim of this paper is to describe 5 spontaneous outbreaks of A. hybridus intoxication in beef cattle, where 7 autopsies were performed. Main gross findings were pale diffuse and enlarged kidneys. Microscopically, kidneys were characterized by severe tubular acute to subacute nephrosis, with dilatated tubules showing different degrees of epithelial degeneration and necrosis, and containing intraluminal eosinophilic hyaline casts. Intratubular birefringent crystals, compatible with oxalate, were observed under polarized light in kidneys from 3 autopsies. Positive von Kossa and red alizarin S staining confirmed the intratubular crystals as calcium deposits. This intoxication occurs mainly in stubble paddocks during summer and early autumn. The data from the present study suggests that oxalates were related to nephrotoxicity due to Amaranthus consumption. [Display omitted] • Amaranthus spp. consumption is responsible of nephrotoxicosis in animal production with toxic principle unknown. • Amaranthus spp. have high invasive capacity on fertile soils, therefore invading crops. • A seasonality of this intoxication was observed during summer-autumn, associated to stubble paddocks. • Calcium crystals were observed in kidney from cattle after A. hybridus consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of rapid and non-destructive classification of six different Amaranthus species was investigated using visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectra coupled with chemometric approaches. The focus of this research would be to use a handheld spectrometer in the field to classify six Amaranthus sp. in different geographical regions of South Korea. Spectra were obtained from the adaxial side of the leaves at 1.5 nm intervals in the Vis-NIR spectral range between 400 and 1075 nm. The obtained spectra were assessed with four different preprocessing methods in order to detect the optimum preprocessing method with high classification accuracy. Preprocessed spectra of six Amaranthus sp. were used as input for the machine learning-based chemometric analysis. All the classification results were validated using cross-validation to produce robust estimates of classification accuracies. The different combinations of preprocessing and modeling were shown to have a classification accuracy of between 71% and 99.7% after the cross-validation. The combination of Savitzky-Golay preprocessing and Support vector machine showed a maximum mean classification accuracy of 99.7% for the discrimination of Amaranthus sp. Considering the high number of spectra involved in this study, the growth stage of the plants, varying measurement locations, and the scanning position of leaves on the plant are all important. We conclude that Vis-NIR spectroscopy, in combination with appropriate preprocessing and machine learning methods, may be used in the field to effectively classify Amaranthus sp. for the effective management of the weedy species and/or for monitoring their food applications.

Amaranthus is a C4 plant tolerant to drought, and plant diseases and a suitable option for climate change. This plant could form part of every region’s cultural heritage and can be transferred to the next generation. Moreover, Amaranthus is a multipurpose plant that has been identified as a traditional edible vegetable endowed with nutritional value, besides its fodder, medicinal, nutraceutical, industrial, and ornamental potentials. In recent decade Amaranthus has received increased research interest. Despite its endowment, there is a dearth of awareness of its numerous potential benefits hence, it is being underutilized. Suitable cultivation systems, innovative processing, and value-adding techniques to promote its utilization are scarce. However, a food-based approach has been suggested as a sustainable measure that tackles food-related problem, especially in harsh weather. Thus, in this review, a literature search for updated progress and potential uses of Amaranthus from online databases of peer-reviewed articles and books was conducted. In addition, the nomenclature, nutritional, and nutraceutical value, was reviewed. The species of focus highlighted in the review include, A. blitum, A. caudatus, A. cruentus, A. dubius, A. hypochondriacus, A. spinosus, A. thunbergii, A. tricolor, and A. viridis.

Increasing the bacterial growth rate reduces the time getting the bacteria identification. This is helpful to choose an accurate and quick therapeutic strategy during microbiological infections, avoiding illness complications or in some cases the death. Here, we used bacterial growth method and we evaluated the growth of Staphylococcus aureus including an extract of Chenopodium quinoa, Amaranthus caudatus and Salvia hispanica in the routine culture media. Results show that adding these extracts, at low concentrations, have a protective effect against the cytotoxicity that could be generated by the oxidative stress product of the cellular metabolism of the bacteria growing in vitro and significantly increase the bacterial growth. The addition of these extracts to conventional culture media could improve bacterial growth during a bacteriological diagnosis and to reduce the time of pathogen identification.

C4 plants show higher photosynthetic capacity and productivity than C3 plants owing to a CO2-concentrating mechanism in leaves, which reduces photorespiration. However, which traits regulate the photosynthetic capacity of C4 plants remains unclear. We investigated structural, biochemical, and physiological traits associated with photosynthesis and resource use efficiency in 20 accessions of 12 species of Amaranthus, NAD-malic enzyme-type C4 dicots. Net photosynthetic rate (PN) ranged from 19.7 to 40.5 μmol m−2 s−1. PN was positively correlated with stomatal conductance and nitrogen and chlorophyll contents of leaves and was weakly positively correlated with specific leaf weight. PN was also positively correlated with the activity of the C3 enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphoshate carboxylase/oxygenase, but not with the activities of the C4 enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and NAD-malic enzyme. Structural traits of leaves (stomatal density, guard cell length, leaf thickness, interveinal distance, sizes of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells and the area ratio between these cells) were not significantly correlated with PN. These data suggest that some of the biochemical and physiological traits are involved in interspecific PN variation, whereas structural traits are not directly involved. Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency ranged between 260 and 458 μmol mol−1 N s−1. Photosynthetic water use efficiency ranged between 5.6 and 10.4 mmol mol−1. When these data were compared with previously published data of C4 grasses, it is suggested that common mechanisms may determine the variations in resource use efficiency in grasses and this dicot group.

Dark green leafy vegetables such as Amaranthus spp. are known to be good sources of beta-carotene, a pro-vitamin A carotenoid with highly potent antioxidant property. As an antioxidant, beta-carotene scavenges for electron and thus terminates chain reactions, prevents recurrence and formation of unstable oxygen which otherwise initiate a chain reaction leading to such cases as cancer. While beta-carotene is supplied from consuming vegetables to provide vitamin A, it is also given as a supplement in cases of deficiency. However, it is highly degraded in the presence of light, heat, and oxygen posing a challenge to the methods of its preservation. Coconut oil and honey are popularly consumed in many countries facing vitamin A deficiency as good antioxidants and yet their role in preservation is largely unknown. The study reports the retention of beta-carotene extracted from Amaranthus spp. and separately preserved in virgin coconut oil (VCO) and unadulterated honey for up to six months. HPLC and DPPH assay were used to determine beta-carotene and antioxidant activity respectively. Virgin coconut oil and honey had significantly different (p

A study of anatomical features of mature leaves and stems (at fruiting stage) of 12 Amaranthus taxa (Family: Amaranthaceae) shows high variation between them and supplied new characters. The internal structures were evaluated to clarify their effectiveness in solving taxonomic complexity and identification difficulty in this genus. Observation of the transections of blades showed that the epidermis is uniseriate, ground tissue consists of angular collenchyma and thin parenchyma. The vascular bundles shape has three patterns crescent, ring, ovate. Also they may be united or separated while the midrib shape in cross section has two patterns in which U-shaped, cordate or crescent bundle occurs. All leaves are petiolate. The examination of the petioles exhibits new and varied characters such as petiole shape (cross section), vascular bundles (shape, number, arrangement). While the resulted characters from the observation of the stem structure showed less variation. Nineteen qualitative characters with 38 character states resulted from leaf anatomy. Only (8) characters were sufficient to generate an identification anatomical key. DELTA program was used in key-generation. Also different measurements were carried out by a photo analysis program (Image J), such as lamina thickness, mesophyll thickness, area of upper and lower epidermal cells and thickness of upper and lower epidermal cells to exhibit most possible dissimilarities between the studied species.