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Planting & Propagation
Seed rate: 1.5 to 2.0 kg/ha
Planting
Amaranth requires thorough land preparation and a well prepared bed for good growth.
Prepare the land by ploughing or digging followed by levelling. Amaranth is planted
either by direct seeding or transplanting. The choice of planting method depends
on availability of seed and labour and may also vary with the growing season. Direct
seeding is appropriate when plenty of seed is available, labour is limited,
and during the dry season when frequency of flooding is less. Transplanting
is preferred when there is limited amount of seed, plenty of labour, and during
the wet season when heavy rains and flooding are most likely to wash out seeds.
To shorten the crop duration in the field and to secure a better and more uniform
stand especially during the wet season, raising seedlings in a nursery followed
by transplanting to the field is preferred to direct seeding.
a) Transplanting
There are two steps to transplanting: seedling production and main field planting.
Seedling production:
Seedlings can be grown in a seedbed or divided seedling trays. The seedlings grown
in seedbed are pulled and bare-root transplanted, whereas container-grown seedlings
are lifted with the root ball intact and transplanted.
While raising the seedlings in a raised soil bed, the soil should be partially sterilized
by burning a 3-5 cm thick layer of rice straw or other dry organic matter on the
bed. This also adds minor amounts of P and K to the soil, which helps establish
the seedlings. Broadcast the seeds lightly in a seedbed and cover 1 cm
deep. Cover the seedbeds with an insect proof net, or sow the seeds inside a greenhouse
or screen house. This provides shade and protects seedlings from heavy rain and
pests. Water the seedlings thoroughly every morning or as needed (moist, but not
wet), using a fine mist sprinkler to avoid soil splash and plant damage.
The transplants can also be raised on plastic seedling trays. Seedling trays vary
in sizes. For amaranth, trays with cells 3-4 cm wide and deep are suitable. Fill
the seedling tray with a potting mixture that has good water-holding capacity
and good drainage such as peat moss, commercial potting soil, or a potting
mix prepared from soil, compost, rice hulls, vermiculite, or sand; a mixture of
66 % peat moss and 34 % coarse vermiculite being ideal. Sow two or three seeds
per cell at 0.5-1.0 cm depth and thin to one seedling at the two to three true leaf
stage.
If the seedlings have been grown in shade, harden them off by gradually exposing
them to direct sunlight during the 4-5 days just prior to transplanting.
On the first day, expose them to 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. Increase the duration
until they receive full sun on the fourth day. Seedlings are ready for transplanting
about three weeks after sowing or when transplants have five or six leaves.
Main field planting:
In the main field, make shallow trenches of width 30-35 cm at 30 cm apart. Well
rotten FYM is mixed with soil in the trenches. Transplant 20-30 day old seedlings
in the shallow trenches at a distance of 20 cm in two rows. During rainy season
planting shall be done on raised beds. Transplant in the late afternoon or on a
cloudy day to minimize transplant shock. Place each transplant in its hole and cover
the roots with soil and lightly firm. Irrigate immediately after transplanting to
establish good root-to-soil contact.
b) Direct seeding
When direct seeding is used, seeds are either broadcast or sown in rows on well-prepared
seedbeds. Broadcast seeds uniformly at the rate of 0.5 to 1.0 g/m2
of bed; there are about 1000 amaranth seeds per gram. Since amaranth seeds are very
small, mix seeds with sand at a ratio of 1 g seed to 100 g sand to make it easier
to sow the seed and obtain a uniform stand. Cover seed lightly with a layer of compost
or rice hulls immediately after broadcasting. When plants are to be grown in rows,
make furrows 0.5-1.0 cm deep and space rows 10 cm apart on the bed. Sow seeds
5 cm apart within the row and cover with a layer of compost or rice hulls.
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