Seed Production in Amaranthus

Following are the methods adopted for seed production of Amaranthus also called harive soppu and bhaji.

Selection

• healthy plants with good inflorescence must be selected.
  
• diseased, infested by insects , weak plants are not selected as the seeds obtained from them will be of poor quality
• care should be taken to see that weed plants are not harvested along with main plants
  

Drying

• all the unwanted leaves, branches, stem etc are trimmed & only the inflorescence is sun dried for a period of 7 to 15 days
• white or transparent plastic sheet must be used and the inflorescence must be spread out evenly on the surface
• drying process is complete when there is total discoloration of the plant. it changes from green to burnt yellow/brown color.
  

Packing and storage

• once the plant is completely dried, the seeds can be separated by threshing or beating the plant on a wooden plank or rough surface. even rubbing the inflorescence against each other dislodges the seeds
  
• the seeds are very small in size & black in color & round in shape.
• the seeds thus obtained must be kept in air tight containers & stored in a dry place.
  

Precautions and tips

• since there are 2 distinct color types, one green the other maroon, seeds of the required color plants can be obtained by not mixing the 2 while threshing, separate the green plants from the maroon plants
  
• do not keep in containers that are defective or have cracks as even a little moisture in these containers will encourage the growth of fungus & will damage the seeds
• ants & other insects can also be a problem if the storage containers are not proper. to control ants, 3 or 6 pieces of cloves can be added in the containers.
• certain chemicals like Thiram can be used for longer storage to prevent attack from insects
• the area of storage must be in a dry place, well aerated to prevent any kind of fungal attack.
• after using the seeds, the container must be closed properly,
  
• always use clean hands while handling seeds. after using any chemicals, wash hands with clean water thoroughly before handling seeds
  
  Photos and content by Pritham 'Heavy metal farmer' denzil dsouza
  

Amaranthus seed production

Cultivation of amaranthus for seed production is also very beneficial for farmers. Good quality plants can be selected & their seeds re used for further agriculture operations.

21 day old plants transplanted in rows

manuring done after transplanting

amaranthus as inter crop

Following is the seed production technique in amaranth practiced at Padval farms
Land preparation and technique
Since the plants do not occupy much space, it is not needed to specifically choose the land & work on it. The plant when it reaches 21 days must be uprooted form the raised beds & must be manually transplanted in a new area. In certain cases, raised seed beds are made & amaranth transplanted in pairs.
healthy amaranthus after fertilizer application

Spacing of 10 to 15 cm between plants is maintained. Plants can also be planted as intercrop between standing crops like chilly, okra, brinjal & others.
Since we need to choose only good plants for seeds, it is recommended to follow inter culture operations like weeding, fertilizer application, foliar sprays & pest management.
Since the quality & quantity of seeds directly depends on the amount of nutrients it receives, application of farmyard manure should be done 2 weeks after planting. The 3rd week, complex fertilizers NPK can be given as a foliar spray.
Since close spacing of amaranth can lead to high infestation of caterpillars & aphids which damage leaves & developing inflorescence, it is advised to follow the same pest management practice as mentioned in the older post.

seed development stage

It will take around 45 days for the development of the seed from the first day of transplanting. Harvesting the seeds is done, when the plant starts to age & slowly wither. The inflorescence will turn from green color to burnt yellow. The plant is then threshed using bamboo poles or sticks & the seeds separated from other plant matter. Sun drying the seeds for a few days is done. The dry seeds are then treated with captan to prevent insect damage & stored in air tight containers for further use.

Photos and content by Pritham 'Heavy metal farmer' denzil dsouza