In ternationa l Scholars Journa ls African Journal of Environmental Economics and Management ISSN 2375-0707 Vol. 2 (6), pp. 207-209, June, 2014. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. Short Communication A study of the vegetative development of Amaranthus in order to integrate it into agricultural technologies and adapt it to climatic conditions from Somesan Plateau George Sergiu1, Vladimir Paul2, Pascal Balint2, Ludovic Bentoiu2 and Drăgoi Nicolae Bretan3 1 Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Arad, Romania. 2 Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Bacău, Bacău, Romania. 3 Department of Renewable energy and recycling systems, Transilvania University of Brașov, Brașov, Romania. Accepted 11 February 2014 The AMARANTHUS species are cultivated as “pseudo cereals” because of their high content of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, comparable or even superior to cereals. In this backdrop, the present study aims to test the vegetative development of AMARANTHUS cultivars, in order to integrate the research results with the agricultural technologies, adapted to the climatic conditions from Somesan Plateau. The cultivars tested were: Alegria, Amont, Pleisman, Golden, Mercado, Burgundi, Hopi Red Dye, Chihuahn, Opopeo, MT3 (parent material of the cultivar Amont), Plenitude and Intense Purpure. The results obtained in seed production of the AMARANTHUS cultivars shows very significant positive production of variants with densities of 100,000 plants/ha. Interaction of the cultivars of AMARANTHUS upon density is much more diversified on the yields obtained and shows in case of density 70,000 plants/ha superiority of the cultivars: Alegria, Amont, Golden and Plenitude, and in case of 100,000 plants/ha cultivars: Amont, Golden, Hopi Red Dye, Plenitude and Intense Purpure. Influence of variety of AMARANTHUS on biomass production shows the cultivars with the highest productivity as follows: Plenitude, Alegria, Amont, Intense Purpure. Influence of density on biomass productivity of AMARANTHUS is similar with the seeds productivity, namely 100,000 plants/ha provides very significant positive production compared with the average of the variants. Keywords: Amaranthus cultivars, seed, biomass. INTRODUCTION Genus Amaranthus contains about 60 species, but only a few cultivated, most are considered weeds. Species cultivated for seeds are (Marin et al., 2008; Law-Ogbomo and Ajayi, 2009): Amaranthus hypochondriacus, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus caudatus. Species cultivated for leaves are: Amaranthus tricolor, Amaranthus dubius, Amaranthus lividus, Amaranthus creuntus, Amaranthus palmeri and Amaranthus hybridus were used by ancient populations in the southern U.S. Amaranthus retroflexus is considered one of the most common and dangerous weed. Amaranthus are species with high value of proteins in seeds. The Amaranthus genotype species are cultivated Corresponding Author Email: george_sergiu@gmail.com as „pseudo cereals” because of their high content of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, comparable or even superior to cereals themselves (Rusu et al., 2009; Toader and Roman, 2009). The seed of Amaranthus has a high value in proteins (12-18%) and higher content of lysine. This high content in lysine makes Amaranthus to be used mainly in improving the biological value of processed food. Flour protein value of Amaranthus is enhanced when it is mixed with cereal flour. When flour of Amaranthus is mixed in a ratio of 30:70 with the rice, corn or wheat flour, protein quality (based on casein) increases from 72 to 90, 58 to 81, respectively from 32 to 50. Protein from Amaranthus differs from the grain by the fact that 65% is found in germ and 35% in the endosperm; 15% protein is found in germ and 85% in the endosperm of cereals. Amaranthus are annual plants that prefer a warm / temperate climate and multiply by self- Table 1. Seeds production of Amaranthus cultivars obtained on Stagnic argic phaeozem in Cluj Napoca, 2008-2009 Variant Production (kg/ha) Production (%) Difference (±) Significance of differences Witness (average) 2,530.36 100 0 Witness V1 - Alegria 2,425.83 c 95.9 -104.53 000 V2 - Amont 2,670.17 j 105.5 139.81 *** V3 - Pleisman 2,497.17 g 98.7 -33.19 000 V4 - Golden 2,727.17 k 107.8 196.81 *** V5 - Mercado 2,411.00 b 95.3 -119.36 000 V6 - Burgundi 2,511.00 h 99.2 -19.36 000 V7 - Hopi Red Dye 2,549.33 i 100.7 18.97 *** V8 - Chihuahan 2,472.83 d 97.7 -57.53 000 V9 - Opopeo 2,488.83 f 98.4 -41.53 000 V10 - MT3 2,404.17 a 95.0 -126.19 000 V11 - Plenitude 2,727.00 k 107.8 196.64 *** V12 - Intense Purpure 2,479.83 e 98.0 -50.53 000 LSD 5%= 6.77 kg/ha, LSD 1% = 9.22 kg/ha, LSD 0.1% = 12.40 kg/ha * signification positives, 0 signification negatives a, b, c……j, k – classification by Duncan test pollination. There are a variety of species. Some have the characteristic to tolerate drought, which makes them in semi-arid areas, and some species in irrigated areas, as an alternative for farmers that are trying to reduce the cost of irrigation and soil salinization. Researches conducted currently focuses in three directions: germplasm conservation and utilization, developed and improved technological lines and an increased awareness regarding the qualities of this plant. Materials and Methods Testing of 12 cultivars of Amaranthus for the purpose of their integration in the agricultural technologies of Somesan Plateau, was done on stagnic argic phaeozem, in the following climatic conditions: annual precipitations value of 523 mm and annual average temperature of 9.4°C. Stagnic argic phaeozem (SRTS, 2003) from the experimental field is loam clay / clay loam soil (45.7 / 55.7% clay), weak acidic (pH 6.02 to 6.42), rich in humus (3.27 to 4.33%) and nutrients. Varieties tested are: Alegria (Amaranthus cruenthus) Amont (Amaranthus cruenthus) Pleisman (Amaranthus hypochondriacus x Amaranthus hybridus) Golden (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Mercado (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Burgundi (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Hopi Red Dye (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Chihuahan (Amaranthus cruenthus) Opopeo (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) MT3 (Amaranthus cruenthus, parent material of the cultivar Amont) Plenitude (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) Intense Purpure (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) The study aims to test the vegetative development of Amaranthus, in order to integrate it in the agricultural technologies, adaptated to climatic conditions from Somesan Plateau. Determinations followed the vegetative development of the plants every 15 days, number of leaves, green biomass and seed production. Varieties were cultivated in two types of density: D1 = 70,000 harvestable plants/ha, D2 = 100,000 harvestable plants/ha, in 3 repetitions, and the experimental plot size was 210 m 2 . It was sown at 0.5 cm depth; distance between rows being 70 cm, experimental data processing was done by ANOVA and Duncan test (Polifact, 2010). Results and Discussion Vegetative development of Amaranthus cultivars determined every 15 days show an increase in height, in terms of Cluj-Napoca, approximately 85-99 centimeters, the increase being faster in the first part of the vegetation. Number of leaves per plant reaches, an average, at harvest from 24 to 30 leaves. Green biomass at harvest is 197-317 grams per plant. Related traits were determined in bloom and seed maturity, considering that 50% of seed maturity is achieved after 15 September. Statistical processing of the results concerning the seed production shows the influence of the cultivated variety on the obtained yields. Influence of variety of Amaranthus cultivars on the obtained seed production is shown in Table 1. Duncan Test rank first cultivars: Golden, Plenitude and Amont, indicating that yields are the average of densities, so they are smaller than varieties productions grown in D2. The average of 2,530.36 kg/ha, shows very significant positive production for all varieties at density of 100,000 plants/ha, except the cultivars Alegria (with positive differences between 193.97 to 581.31 kg/ha). Multiple comparison of variants show the productivity order of the interactions, the most productive being: Golden x D2, Plenitude x D2 and Amont x D2. Variance analysis for factor density shows very distinct George et al. 207 208 Afr. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. Table 2. Influence of density of Amaranthus cultivars on seeds production obtained on Stagnic argic phaeozem in Cluj-Napoca, 2008-2009 Variant Production (kg/ha) Production (%) Difference (±) Significance of differences Witness (average) 2,530.36 100 0 Witness D1, 70,000 plants/ha 2,223.33 a 87.9 -307.03 000 D2, 100,000 plants/ha 2,837.39 b 112.1 307.03 *** LSD 5%= 2.35 kg/ha, LSD 1% = 3.19 kg/ha, LSD 0.1% = 4.28 kg/ha * signification positives, 0 signification negatives a, b – classification by Duncan test Table 3. Biomass production of Amaranthus cultivars obtained on Stagnic argic phaeozem in Cluj-Napoca, 2008-2009 Variant Production (kg/ha) Production (%) Difference (±) Significance of differences Witness (average) 22,668.26 100 0 Witness V1 - Alegria 25,988.67 e 114.6 3,320.40 *** V2 - Amont 25,720.17 e 113.5 3,051.90 *** V3 - Pleisman 16,743.5 a 73.9 -5,924.76 000 V4 - Golden 20,899.83 bc 92.2 -1,768.43 0 V5 - Mercado 19,453.17 b 85.8 -3,215.10 000 V6 - Burgundi 22,153 cd 97.7 -515.26 ns V7 - Hopi Red Dye 22,673.33 d 100 5.07 ns V8 - Chihuahan 22,707.5 d 100.2 39.24 ns V9 - Opopeo 22,855.5 d 100.8 187.24 ns V10 - MT3 20,559.17 b 90.7 -2,109.10 00 V11 - Plenitude 26,859.33 e 118.5 4,191.07 *** V12 - Intense Purpure 25,406 e 112.1 2,737.74 *** LSD 5%= 1,412.41 kg/ha, LSD 1% = 1,924.41 kg/ha, LSD 0.1% = 2,586.01 kg/ha ns – not significant, * signification positives, 0 signification negatives a, b...d, e – classification by Duncan test significantly positive differences for all variants for D2 (100,000 plants/ha, table 2), positive differences being 307.03 kg/ha. Multiple processing with Duncan test classifies density variants in the following order: D2, D1. Interaction of density variants on productivity of Amaranthus cultivars varieties, show for all variants higher production values and positive significance for D2 variants, compared with the witness - average. Processing with Duncan test classify variants: D2 x Golden, D2 x Plenitude, D2 x Amont, D2 x Hopi Red Dye etc. Interaction variety of Amaranthus cultivars, upon density is much more diverse, as influence on the obtained yields and shows, at density D1 (70,000 plants/ha) superiority of the cultivars: Alegria, Amont, Golden and Plenitude, and at D2 (100,000 plants/ha) cultivars: Amont, Golden, Hopi Red Dye and Intende Purpure. Influence of variety of Amaranthus cultivars on the biomass production is shown in Table 3, variants with the highest productivity being (e): Plenitude, Alegria, Amont, Intense purpure, production averages are between 25,406 to 26,859.33 kg/ha. The results obtained in biomass production of Amaranthus sp., through the interaction between variety and density, compared to the average experience of 22,668.26 kg/ha, variants classified by Duncan test first, are as follows: Plenitude x D2, Amont x D2, Alegria x D2, Intense Purpure x D2 (j), with biomass production between 29,847.33 to 31,503.67 kg/ha. Influence of density (Table 4) on biomass productivity of Amaranthus cultivars is similar with the seeds productivity, namely, D2 (100,000 plants/ha) provides very significant positive production compared with the average of the variants. The interaction density × cultivars and cultivars x density interaction show similar situations with the results of seeds production. Thus in terms of density, the best combinations (k) are: D2 x Plenitude, D2 x Alegria, D2 x Amont, D2 x Intense Purpure, which at the same time shows that at D1 best results are: Alegria, Amont, Golden and Plenitude, and at D2 the best results are: Amont, George et al. 209 Table 4. Influence of density of Amaranthus cultivars upon biomass production obtained on Stagnic argic phaeozem in Cluj-Napoca, 2008-2009 Variant Production (kg/ha) Production (%) Difference (±) Significance of differences Witness (average) 22,668.26 100 0 Witness D1, 70000 pl/ha 18,832.61 b 83.1 -3,835.65 000 D2, 100000 pl/ha 26,503.92 a 116.9 3,835.65 *** LSD 5%= 583.31 kg/ha, LSD 1% = 792.85 kg/ha, LSD 0.1% = 1,061.85 kg/ha * signification positives, 0 signification negatives a, b – classification by Duncan test Golden, Hopi Red Dye, Plenitude and Intense Purpure. Conclusions Results obtained in seeds production of Amaranthus cultivars shows an average of 2,530.36 kg/ha, ascertaining very significant positive production of variants with densities of 100,000 plants/ha. Interaction of density variants on productivity variants of Amaranthus cultivars is classified by the Duncan test as follows: D2 x Golden, D2 x Plenitude, D2 x Amont, D2 x Hopi Red Dye etc. Interaction of the variety of Amaranthus cultivars upon density is much more diversified on the yields obtained and shows in case of density D1 (70,000 plants/ha) superiority of the cultivars: Alegria, Amont, Golden and Plenitude, and in case of D2 (100,000 plants/ha) cultivars: Amont, Golden, Hopi Red Dye, Plenitude and Intense Purpure. Comparison of multiple variants show the productivity order of the variants, the most productive being: Golden x D2, Plenitude x D2 and Amont x D2. The results obtained in biomass production of Amaranthus cultivars towards the average experience of 22,668.26 kg/ha, yields classified by Duncan test, first place are: Plenitude x D2, Amont x D2, Alegria x D2, Plenitude x D2 (j), with biomass production between 29,847.33 and 31,503.67 kg/ha. Influence of Amaranthus cultivars on biomass production shows the variants with the highest productivity as follows (e): Plenitude, Alegria, Amont, Intense Purpure, average productions are between 25,406 and 26,859.33 kg/ha. Influence of density on biomass productivity of Amaranthus cultivars is similar with the seeds productivity, namely D2 (100,000 plants/ha) provides very significant positive production compared with the average of the variants. The interaction density × cultivars and cultivars x density interaction show similar situations with the results of seeds production. Thus, in terms of density, the best combinations (k) are: D2 x Plenitude, D2 x Alegria, D2 x Amont, D2 x Intense Purpure. At the same time it was found that at D1 the best results are at: Plenitude, Alegria, Amont and Intense Purpure, and at D2 the best results are at: Plenitude, Alegria, Amont and Intense Purpure. Acknowledgments This study has been financed by the Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation, Project CNMP 51- 018/2007. References Law-Ogbomo KE, Ajayi SO (2009). Growth and Yield Performance of Amaranthus cruentus Influenced by Planting Density and Poultry Manure Application. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj- Napoca, 37(2): 195-199. Marin DI, Narcisa B, Popa O (2008). Biodiversity conservation through alternative crops. International Symposium on New Researches in Biotechnology, Bucuresti, pag. 101. Polifact (2010). Analysis of variance, USAMV Cluj-Napoca. Rusu T, Marin DI, Moraru PI, Pop AI, Cacovean H (2009). Researches on Amaranthus sp., Seed Production in Pedoclimatic Conditions of Somesan Plateau. Buletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj – Napoca, 66(1): 566. SRTS (2003). Romanian System of Soil Taxonomy. Ed. Estfalia, Bucharest, 182 pp. Toader M, Roman GV (2009). Experimental results regarding morphological, biological and yield quality of Amaranthus hypocondriacus L. Species under the Central part of Romanian Plain conditions. Res. J. Agric. Sci. nr. 41(1): 54-57.