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Genotype specific fingerprints were detected in two grain amaranthus varieties KBGA1 and Suvarna using SSR and RAPD markers. In this study 41 Pigeon Pea SSR markers and 6 RAPD markers were used to generate DNA fingerprints for the two varieties of grain amaranthus. Analysis of polymorphic fragments generated from SSR and RAPD markers revealed the genetic variation between grain amaranthus varieties KBGA1 and Suvarna. The results indicate that DNA markers are appropriate tools for assessing genetic variation within and between the species of amaranthus and suggest that cultivated varieties of Amaranthus have significant genetic variation. The differences generated by the markers can be used as fingerprints for detecting the varieties. This is the first report of the utilization of legume microsatellite markers in Amaranthus.

Amaranthus ( Amaranthus spp.), a leafy vegetable in South Africa, has the potential to be cultivated as a crop, but is rarely cultivated because it easily grows naturally on any waste land. The crop tolerates adverse environmental conditions, but performs better with application of water and soil organic or inorganic fertilizers. The AquaCrop crop model was calibrated and validated for amaranthus under irrigation and rainfed conditions for this study. Field experiments were carried out during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons under line source sprinkler system while pot experiment was carried out during the 2010–11 season. The pot and field data sets were used for parameterisation, calibration and validation of the model. The model was adequately calibrated for biomass and cumulative evapotranspiration (ET) for amaranthus under irrigation and rainfed conditions. However, pooled data across irrigation and rainfed conditions showed canopy cover (CC) was moderately simulated (root-mean-square error (RMSE)  = 20.8%; model efficiency (ME) = 0.11; R 2 = 0.577; d index of agreement (d) = 0.746; mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 43.4%). During validation, the model was able to adequately predict biomass and cumulative evapotranspiration (ET) for amaranthus for pooled data of irrigation (Full irrigation = W5 & Moderate irrigation = W3) and rainfed (W1) with RMSE of 1.96 t ha −1 and 75.64 mm, ME of 0.89 and 0.76, R 2 of 0.92 and 0.91, d index of agreement of 0.91 and 0.91 and MAPE of 24.1 and 37.6% respectively. The prediction of soil water content by the model was moderate (RMSE = 50.62 mm; ME = 0.19; R 2 = 0.30; d = 0.67; MAPE = 40.09) and needs improvement. It is recommended that datasets from other agro-ecological regions be used to improve calibration and validation for this crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amaranthus, a cosmopolitan genus including endangered species, restricted endemics and widespread weeds, is often difficult to characterize taxonomically and thus has generally been considered by systematists as a 'difficult' genus. Species in this genus have high genetic variability, with diversity in growth form, plant height, number of inflorescences, seed colour, protein content, seed yield, resistance to pests and diseases, and adaptation to soil type, pH, climate, rainfall and day-length. The combination of various anatomical characteristics of Amaranthus, such as Kranz anatomy, well developed root system, stomatal conductance, and maintenance of leaf area, results in increased efficiency of using CO under a wide range of temperatures, and higher light intensity and moisture stress environments which enables this plant to adapt under diverse geographic and environmental conditions. Buried seeds of Amaranthus constitute an important part of the soil seed bank and position, distribution and dormancy type of these seeds in the soil play an important role in their germination and subsequent emergence, which is further influenced by factors like temperature, soil moisture, and light availability. The current review highlights the positive as well as negative role of the various species of genus Amaranthus. Many species of the genus are medicinally important and bear antiallergic, anticancer, antihypertensive and antioxidant properties, thus being used in the treatment of several aliments. Amaranthus being a rich source of fatty acids, proteins, micronutrients, vitamins and squalene, are used as cereals, dye plants, forages, medicinal plants, ornamentals, and as vegetables. However some of the Amaranthus species are noxious weeds which are known to compete with many economic crops in different parts of the world and cause great yield losses. Thus, further research is warranted to strike a balance between the beneficial and harmful species of this Pseudocereal. Moreover, understanding the weedy behaviour of these plants would provide valuable information for improving our mechanistic models of crop-weed competition and weed population dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem borer insects are one of the most important pest groups of Amaranthus crops on a global scale. In this study, we evaluated the magnitude of borer herbivory in five cultivars of Amaranthus experimentally in La Pampa, Argentina, during two growing seasons. We tested the effect of several plant attributes of five cultivars of Amaranthus on the herbivory caused by three stem borer species. In turn, we evaluated the effect of cultivar and plant density (both as factors modifying the thickness of the stems) and the effect of cultivar and planting time (both as factors modifying the length of the life cycle of the plants) on the herbivory caused by the stem borers in two cultivars of Amaranthus hypochondriacus . We report a wide variation in the susceptibility of the cultivars to stem borer herbivory and discuss the effects of the plant features investigated. Phenological and morphological features of the stems (especially the diameter) influenced the selectivity of host plants by the adult females. The management practices tested here, including plant density and sowing date manipulations, modified plant structure and consequently influenced the damage by stem borers. High density sown plants presented thinner stems and suffered reduced damage by borers than plants sown at low density, whereas delayed sown plants had thinner stems and were less attacked by borer insects than earlier sown plants. The implementation of these cultural practices seems to be a promising alternative for the management of borer species, to which Amaranthus is particularly vulnerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, area under organic farming is increasing substantially over the years. There are certain apprehensions regarding microbial load of organically produced and conventionally produced leafy vegetables. The aim of this study was to analyze fresh amaranthus samples for the presence of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and coliforms. The aerobic mesophilic counts ranged between 7.15 - 8.54 log10 CFU/g and 7.83 log10 CFU/g from organic and conventional amaranthus, respectively. The total coliform counts varied from 0 to 7.5 log10 CFU/g and nil in organic and conventional amaranthus, respectively. This study determined no significant differences in aerobic mesophilic bacteria and total coliforms in organic and conventional systems of amaranthus production. Improvement in soil organic carbon (%) was recorded in organic treatments in comparison to inorganic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the considerable value of crop wild relatives (CWRs) as gene donors is well known, in many crop complexes they are subject to increasing threats from anthropogenic factors. The development of a prioritized inventory of CWR species is an essential step towards the conservation of this vital resource, so in this study, we developed a national inventory of pseudocereal CWR species in Argentina and established ex situ and in situ conservation priorities. The resulting prioritized inventory consisted of 16 species, almost all of which were underrepresented in national and global ex situ gene banks. Similarly, the extant reserve network was found to be insufficient for the preservation of pseudocereal CWRs, especially Chenopodium diversity. Three hotspot groups were identified in the Andean region: northern, central and southern. The northern group has the highest conservation priority because it harbours CWR species from the primary and secondary gene pools, but the central and southern groups are also important because they harbour endemic species that are poorly represented in the extant reserve network. Therefore, new priority areas for protection are necessary for their conservation. This study emphasizes that the conservation of pseudocereal CWRs in Argentina must be maximized using a complementary in situ and ex situ approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The domestication syndrome comprises phenotypic changes that differentiate crops from their wild ancestors. We compared the genomic variation and phenotypic differentiation of the two putative domestication traits seed size and seed colour of the grain amaranth Amaranthus caudatus, which is an ancient crop of South America, and its two close wild relatives and putative ancestors A. hybridus and A. quitensis. Genotyping 119 accessions of the three species from the Andean region using genotyping by sequencing ( GBS) resulted in 9485 SNPs that revealed a strong genetic differentiation of cultivated A. caudatus from its two relatives. A. quitensis and A. hybridus accessions did not cluster by their species assignment but formed mixed groups according to their geographic origin in Ecuador and Peru, respectively. A. caudatus had a higher genetic diversity than its close relatives and shared a high proportion of polymorphisms with their wild relatives consistent with the absence of a strong bottleneck or a high level of recent gene flow. Genome sizes and seed sizes were not significantly different between A. caudatus and its relatives, although a genetically distinct group of A. caudatus from Bolivia had significantly larger seeds. We conclude that despite a long history of human cultivation and selection for white grain colour, A. caudatus shows a weak genomic and phenotypic domestication syndrome and proposes that it is an incompletely domesticated crop species either because of weak selection or high levels of gene flow from its sympatric close undomesticated relatives that counteracted the fixation of key domestication traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We collected 21 species of Amaranthus and carried out phylogenetic evolutionary studies on ITS sequences of the 21 species of Amaranthus. Through interspecific and intraspecific genetic distance analysis of ITS sequences, the values of interspecific variation were 0-0.055 1 and intraspecific variation were 0-0.009 2. Using TAXON DNA software to build barcoding gap figure of ITS sequences, we could see interspecific variations of Amaranthus species were moderation. And inter- and intraspecific variation were overlapping in a few. In addition, five or six clades could be separated on the phylogenetic tree constructed by ML methods (according to the bootstrap value). Such as, A. plameri(subgen. Acnida) and A. spinosus(subgen. Amaranthus)clustered together. A. tuberculatus and A. rudis formed a sole clade jointly. A. retroflexus (subgen. Amaranthus, sect. Amaranthus, subsect. Amaranthus) and A. powellii(subgen. Amaranthus, sect. Amaranthus, subsect. Hybrida)had more close relationship. A. caudatus (subgen. Amaranthus, sect. Amaranthus, subsect. Amaranthus) and A. hybridus complex(including A. hybridus, A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus)(subgen. Amaranthus, sect. Amaranthus, subsect. Hybrida)were closer more. Subgen. Albersia was divided into two or three groups, A. polygonoides could be merged into A. albus and A. blitoides, or form a sole clade (Clade 6) by itself according to the bootstrap value. Therefore, categories of three subgenus or two to three sections based on traditional classification systems were problematic, we suggested that classification of Amaranthus in China should be divided into five sections and two subsections, or six sections and two subsections. The five sections and two subsections respectively were sect. Saueranthus including A. palmeri and A. spinosus, sect. Acnida(A. tuberculatus and A. rudis), sect. Amaranthus including subsect. Amaranthus (A. retroflexus and A. powellii) and subsect. Hybrida(A. hybridus, A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus and A. caudatus), sect. Albersia including A. blitum, A. viridis, A. deflexus, A. tricolor, A. graecizans, A. crispus, A. tenuifolius and A. standleyanus, and sect. Blitopsis including A. albus, A. blitoides, A. capensis and A. polygonoides. Most Amaranthus Pecies could be discriminated, only a few allied species(A. rudis and A. tuberculatus complex, and A. hybridus complex)and species under subgen. Albersia could not be separated clearly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs Ecological sanitation approach by constructing a urine diversion toilet with urine collection facility attached to harvest urine, sanitize the urine by storage of 4month and subsequent application for assessing the nutrient contained for the growth and yield of two vegetable species; Amaranthus caudatus and Lactuca sativa. The different urine and NPK fertilizer in solution concentration levels were prepared and the volume of urine were diluted in ratio per 100mls with water to make 100% volume. There were total of 9 treatments replicated 3 times in a completely randomized blocked design making 54 pots. The result indicated that for Amaranthus caudatus75% (1:3) water : urine level produced highest significant height (p<0.05) of 90.30cm±6.7 and highest yield of 14323Kg/ha, while in Lactuca sativa, 100% urine level produced most significant (p<0.05) number of 21.00±1.1leaves per plant and highest yield of 6957Kg/ha. The research might contribute to reduction of poverty and hunger of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations (2015) in areas such as the study area of urban Kano. It is therefore necessary to evolved better means of addressing environmental sanitation in urban Kano by assessing the practical value of a urine diversion toilets developed and tested elsewhere with modification to suit existing condition or situation in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development and evaluation of genetic diversity is necessary for selection decisions in breeding. Amaranth (Amaranthusspp.) is used as vegetable in the human diet. Thirty-one genotypes of amaranth, collected from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC), Tanzania; Research Institute and Crop Production (RICP), Czech Republic; National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB), Nigeria; and National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Nigeria, were evaluated for grain yield and related characters. Entries were evaluated in 2012 to determine genetic diversity among germplasm. There was a Genotype × Location interaction for most traits. Genotype Z150 from RICP had the highest grain yield at Ibadan; NG103 from NACGRAB had the highest value at Abeokuta (48.8). Genetic divergence was generally similar among germplasm from the same collection center, though a few clustered irrespective of collection center. High Mahalanobis squared distance (D2) occurred between cluster III and cluster IV (39.84). Genotypes in cluster IV were related to high grain yield (47.47 g); cluster I was associated with low days to 50% flowering (64.0). Introduction of germplasm from different geographic collection centers offers opportunity for genetic diversity and improvement of amaranth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Morphological characterization of plant genetic resources generates important information for plant breeders useful for pre-breeding and breeding programmes of crops. Amaranthus is one of the underutilized and genetically potential orphan crops grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It is a food security crop that can alleviate malnutrition and generate income for the rural communities in South Africa. A number of Amaranthus species have been collected from different regions in the world and conserved in the gene bank of the Agricultural Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa. The objective of the study was to assess the genetic diversity of these conserved Amaranthus species using qualitative morphological characters. Thirty two species of Amaranthus were evaluated for 16 qualitative morphological characters in the field using a randomized complete block design with three replications. The frequencies for each qualitative character were tabulated. The Shannon Weaver diversity index (HI) was calculated and the result revealed a low to high diversity among the collection regions for the traits. The result of the study showed that the HI for all the species varied from 0.28 to 0.70, indicating the existence of a wide genetic diversity among species evaluated. The information obtained in this study could be used for the genetic improvement of Amaranthus species in South Africa for the development of cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of CO 2 and temperature on glyphosate-resistant and susceptible biotypes of Amaranthus palmeri (Palmer amaranth) in terms of morphological development. Height (cm), stem diameter (cm), leaf area (cm 2 ), number of leaves, leaf, stem, and root dry matter, plant volume (m 3 ), as well as shoot-to-root allometry were evaluated. The Palmer amaranth biotypes were grown under four different scenarios: 1-low temperature (23/33 °C) and CO 2 (410 ± 25 ppm); 2-low temperature (23/33 °C) and high CO 2 (750 ± 25 ppm); 3-high temperature (26/36 °C) and low CO 2 (410 ± 25 ppm); and 4-high temperature (26/36 °C) and CO 2 (750 ± 25 ppm). Between CO 2 and temperature, the majority of differences observed were driven by CO 2 levels. Palmer amaranth grown under 750 ppm of CO 2 was 15.5% taller, displayed 10% more leaf area (cm 2 ), 18% more stem dry matter, and had a 28.4% increase in volume (m 3 ) compared to 410 ppm of CO 2 . GA2017 and GA2020 were 18% and 15.5% shorter, respectively. The number of leaves was 27% greater for GA2005. Plant volume decreased in GA2017 (35.6%) and GA2020 (23.8%). The shoot-to-root ratio was isomeric, except at 14 and 21 DAT, where an allometric growth towards shoot development was significant. Palmer amaranth biotypes responded differently to elevated CO 2 , and the impacts of temperature need further investigation on weed physiology. Thus, environmental and genetic background may affect the response of glyphosate-resistant and susceptible populations to climate change scenarios., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Purpose: Salinity is a main factor in decreasing seed germination, plant growth and yield. Salinity stress is a major problem for economic crops, as it can reduce crop yields and quality. Salinity stress occurs when the soil or water in which a crop is grown has a high salt content. Biochar improve plant growth and physiological traits under salt stress. The aim of the present study, the impact of biochar on growth, root morphological traits and physiological properties of alfalfa, amaranth and maize and soil enzyme activities under saline sands., Methods: We studied the impact of biochar on plant growth and the physiological properties of alfalfa, amaranth and maize under salt stress conditions. After 40 days, plant growth parameters (plant height, shoot and root fresh weights), root morphological traits and physiological properties were measured. Soil nutrients such as the P, K and total N contents in soil and soil enzyme activities were analyzed., Results: The results showed that the maize, alfalfa, and amaranth under biochar treatments significantly enhanced the plant height and root morphological traits over the control. The biochar on significantly increased the total root length, root diameter, and root volume. Compared to the control, the biochar significantly increased the chlorophyll a and b content, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content under salt stress. Furthermore, the biochar significantly increased enzyme activities of soil under salt stress in the three crops., Conclusions: Biochar treatments promote plant growth and physiological traits of alfalfa, amaranth, and maize under the salt stress condition. Overall, biochar is an effective way to mitigate salinity stress in crops. It can help to reduce the amount of salt in the soil, improve the soil structure, and increase the availability of essential nutrients, which can all help to improve crop yields., Competing Interests: Amr Elkelish is an Academic Editor for PeerJ., (© 2023 Jabborova et al.)

Background: Strategies to enhance the efficient use of irrigation water require a major shift in irrigation and cropping systems. It was hypothesized that (i) replacing water-demanding crops such as corn silage with more drought-tolerant forages species, (ii) adoption of intercropping instead of monoculture, and (iii) use of alternative irrigation methods, may alleviate the water shortage in semi-arid regions, while producing high-quality forage., Results: Adoption of drip irrigation (DRIP) and alternate furrow irrigation (AFI) reduced water consumption by 43% and 20%, respectively. Additionally, DRIP produced 11% more biomass than the conventional furrow irrigation. The intercropped ratio of 50% sorghum and 50% amaranth under DRIP maximized forage production and improved irrigation water-use efficiency (IWUE). Principal component analysis indicated that the DRIP increased the dry matter yield and IWUE, whereas the AFI improved the forage quality. The intercropped ratio of 75% sorghum and 25% amaranth demonstrated the highest yield stability and was considered superior cropping system regardless of the irrigation strategies., Conclusions: DRIP and AFI strategies were effective in reducing water consumption, with DRIP being the most water-efficient method. Intercropping sorghum and amaranth at a ratio of 50:50 under DRIP resulted in the highest forage yield and IWUE. While sole amaranth had the highest forage quality, intercropping sorghum and amaranth increased dry matter production with better forage quality than sorghum monoculture. Overall, the combination of DRIP and intercropping sorghum and amaranth at a ratio of 50:50 considered as a suitable strategy for improving forage yield and quality, as well as IWUE. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.)

The evolution of secondary sex-specific traits of dioecious species under abiotic stress conditions has received limited research, especially in the case of Amaranthus palmeri, a fast adapting and highly competing plant. Here, we have examined the interactive effects of abiotic stress on mineral accumulation, chlorophyll a and b content, and the operating capacity of Photosystem II (PSII) in both male and female A. palmeri plants grown under three different intensities of white light, and under N, K or P deficiency. Mineral profiling of the leaves and stems (with inflorescence) highlighted intra- and intersexual differences in their accumulation pattern and mineral associations. Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were different between the male and the female plants, being slightly lower in the latter, at high light intensity towards maturity, or under K or P deficiency. Further, slight, although statistically significant differences were recorded in the chlorophyll a/b ratio, which was lower at the higher light intensity in the female, over that in the male, plants towards maturity. Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, i.e., steady state and maximum fluorescence increased under high light intensity, whereas the PSII operating efficiency decreased in the female plants, indicating reduced PSII capacity. Sex-specific differences in A. palmeri showed a differential response to stressful conditions because of differences in their ontogeny and physiology, and possibly due to the cost of reproduction. We suggest that the breeding system of dioecious species has weaknesses that can be used for the ecological management of dioecious weeds without relying on the use of herbicides., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Metals can accumulate in different parts of plant species in high concentrations, which gives the basis for the plant-based technology called phytoremediation. Among annual species, Amaranthus is a well-studied, potential metal accumulator genus; however, some conflicts are found among published results. Thus, we studied the metal (Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) accumulation potential of Amaranthus plant parts (root, stem, and leaf) by meta-analysis, furthermore, by calculation of bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values. After the extensive literature search and the calculation of relative interaction intensity (RII) values, we found significant accumulation for each metal by Amaranthus individuals growing on contaminated soils compared to plants collected from uncontaminated ones. Differences among plant parts were significant for Cu and Fe, minor for Ni, Pb, and Zn, and negligible for Cd. The BAF values indicated high accumulation in the leaf, moderate in root and stem for Cd, moderate in each plant part for Pb, and very low in each plant part for Fe, Ni, and Zn. We highlight that Amaranthus species are good prospects for metal phytoremediation projects, although, due to specific plant part-metal patterns, special attention should be paid to the harvesting practice., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Premise: Characterizing the developmental processes in the transition from hermaphroditism to unisexuality is crucial for understanding floral evolution. Amaranthus palmeri, one of the most devastating weeds in the United States, is an emerging model system for studying a dioecious breeding system and understanding the biological traits of this invasive weed. The objectives of this study were to characterize phases of flower development in A. palmeri and compare organogenesis of flower development in female and male plants., Methods: Flower buds from male and female plants were dissected for light microscopy. Segments of male and female inflorescences at different stages of development were cut longitudinally and visualized using scanning electron microscopy., Results: Pistillate flowers have two to three styles, one ovary with one ovule, and five obtuse tepals. Staminate flowers have five stamens with five acute tepals. Floral development was classified into 10 stages. The distinction between the two flower types became apparent at stage four by the formation of stamen primordia in staminate flowers, which developed female and male reproductive organs initially, as contrasted to pistillate flowers, which produced carpel primordia only. In staminate flowers, the putative carpel primordia changed little in size and remained undeveloped., Conclusions: Timing of inappropriate organ termination varies across the two sexes in A. palmeri. Our study suggests that the evolution of A. palmeri from a cosexual ancestral state to complete dioecy is still in progress since males exhibited transient hermaphroditism and females produced strictly pistillate flowers., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Botany published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Botanical Society of America.)

This study focused on characterizing chemically and evaluating in vitro allelopathic and bioherbicidal potential of secondary metabolites extracted from the stem of Cuscuta campestris in seed germination, early seedling growth and early plant growth of Amaranthus retroflexus and Portulaca oleracea. The combined effects of stem extract and a reduced dose of herbicide metribuzin were also examined. Plant extract contained 17 phenolic compounds and the most abundant phenols were flavonoids: quercetin, (+)-catechin, daidzin, luteolin, and rutin. The seeds of P. oleracea were less sensitive than the seeds of A. retroflexus. The seed bioassay confirmed the inhibitory effect of stem extract on germination and early growth of both weed seedlings at concentrations of 0.75 % and 1 %, and a minor inhibitory effect in the plant bioassay. On the other hand, a synergy of C. campestris stem extract and metribuzin was revealed, as their combination achieved better results in the control of both weed species. Based on obtained data C. campestris stem extract could be a potential source of natural-based weed control molecules., (© 2023 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Malnutrition is the cause of the majority of deaths in children under five years old in Ethiopia. Micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, zinc and calcium, often seen in malnourished children, are major public health problems throughout Ethiopia. These deficiencies have negative consequences on the cognitive and physical development of children, and on work productivity of adults. There is, therefore, a need for sustainable methods to address iron inadequacy in complementary feeding. Animal products are a good source of iron, zinc and calcium, but due to their high costs, their consumption by most children in Ethiopia has declined. The grain amaranth grows wild in areas of Ethiopia but is considered a weed. This study, conducted in rural Ethiopia, was initiated to prepare nutrient-rich complementary food using recipes that substituted the usual maize gruel with porridge made from amaranth and chickpea flours. Using a laboratory based experimental study design, four porridges suitable for complementary feeding, with different proportions of amaranth grains, maize and chickpeas were formulated in triplicate and analyzed in triplicate for minerals including iron, and phytate levels. Mother-child pairs were recruited for acceptability testing, at the community level. Results showed adding amaranth improved the content of iron and other nutrients as compared to control porridge (100% maize) and decreased phytate levels. The lowest phytate to iron ratio (0.24) was observed in the 70% amaranth and 30% chickpea blend, and the lowest viscosity measure was also observed in this same formulation. Soaking amaranth seeds in warm (50°C) water then germinating in lemon juice-containing water at 32°C for 72 hours resulted in the lowest phytate levels. In sensory testing, all of the formulated porridges with different proportions of amaranth flour were acceptable to mothers and their children, although the red color was disliked by mothers and their children. Flavor preference was not altered; however, overall acceptability was reduced with increasing amounts of amaranth. The study indicated that a processed 70% amaranth and 30% chickpea product can be used to produce low-cost, nutrient-rich complementary food with moderate acceptability. Increased nutritional awareness, production and consumption of grain amaranth products may be the way to address mineral deficiencies including iron, in the study area. Key words: Micronutrients, Phytates, Complementary feeding, Amaranth grain, Chickpea, Ethiopia, Iron, Zinc., INTRODUCTION Malnutrition is the cause of the majority of deaths among children under five years in Ethiopia [1]. Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of stunting and wasting in [...]

La ausencia de una metodología destinada al análisis de la micoflora en semillas de amaranto (Amaranthus spp.) ha motivado la realización del presente trabajo. A tal efecto, fueron sembradas semillas de dos cultivares (con y sin tratamiento de desinfección en forma previa a la siembra) en papel «Blotter test» y en cinco medios agarizados: Agar Papa Glucosado al 2% (APG), Agar Extracto de Glucosa Cloramfenicol (CYG), Agar Czapek (CZ), Agar para conteo en placa (PCA) y Agar Sabouraud (SAB). Los cajas fueron incubadas a 26 °C± 2 y 16 hs luz/8hs oscuridad de fotoperíodo durante siete días, a partir del cual se procedió a registrar el número máximo de géneros fúngicos desarrollados y el porcentaje de germinación de las semillas. Un total de catorce géneros fúngicos procedentes del campo y del almacenamiento fueron registrados, destacándose Alternaria por su mayor frecuencia de aislamiento. Al evaluar el número máximo de géneros fúngicos, se detectaron diferencias significativas entre los medios (p>0,001) resultando los medios APG, CZ y PCA los mas efectivos. Por otro lado, la desinfección aplicada a las semillas redujo en términos generales el desarrollo de hongos de crecimiento expansivo. El análisis de los datos correspondientes al porcentaje de germinación reveló la presencia de interacciones entre los cultivares y los niveles de desinfección significativas (p>0,001) en cuatro de los medios analizados; mientras que en el resto se registraron interacciones no significativas.

Malnutrition has affected almost 31% of pre-school children. This paper provides the information of nutritional values (leaf protein, 15 amino acids, biomass and leaf dry matter) of grain, vegetable and weedy types of amaranths (n = 76 accessions); particularly those novel materials originated from the highland areas of Sumatra-Takengon. The highest values of leaf protein and total amino acids were found in many weedy species (A. viridis, A. blitum L. and A. dubius). The ranges of leaf protein and total amino acids in most of weedy types were 12–29 g 100 g−1 DM and 84–93 g 100 g−1 DW protein, respectively. The leaves of amaranths were found to be a good source for lysine which is the limiting essential amino acids in most of cereal plants. Their values were in the range of 6 g 100 g−1 DW protein which are close to that of good protein quality according to FAO/WHO’s standard. The leaves of underutilized weedy species of A. dubius, A. blitum, A. viridis and the dual purpose types of A. caudatus L., A. cruentus L. deserve to be further exploited as a low cost solution for solving malnutrition problems, especially in Indonesia.