Journal of Medicinally Active Plants Volume 9 Issue 3 Vol 9 Issue 3-African Indigenous Plants II. 9-24-2020 Performances of Vegetable Amaranth Entries in Yield and Nutrient Contents in Tanzania and Kenya, and Variety Release Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/jmap Part of the Plant Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Dinssa, Fekadu F.; Naman Nyabinda; David R. Byrnes; Christine Ndinya; Emily V. Merchant; and James E. Simon. 2020. "Performances of Vegetable Amaranth Entries in Yield and Nutrient Contents in Tanzania and Kenya, and Variety Release." Journal of Medicinally Active Plants 9, (3):181-194. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/jmap/vol9/iss3/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Medicinally Active Plants by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dinssa et al.: Performances of Vegetable Amaranth Entries in Yield and Nutrient Performances of Vegetable Amaranth Entries in Yield and Nutrient Contents in Tanzania and Kenya, and Variety Release Fekadu F. Dinssa1*, Naman Nyabinda2, David R. Byrnes3, Christine Ndinya4, Emily V. Merchant3,5 and James E. Simon3,5 1World Vegetable Center Eastern and Southern Africa, 10 Duluti, Arusha, Tanzania 2Academic Model Providing Access to Health Care, P. O. Box 4606, code: 30100, Eldoret, Kenya 3New Use Agriculture and Natural Plant Products Program, Department of Plant Biology, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA 4Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), P.O. Box 169, Postal Code 50100, Kakamega, Kenya 5Center for Agricultural Food Ecosystems, The New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, Rutgers University, 61 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA *Corresponding author: [email protected] Manuscript received: April 24, 2020 Keywords: Amaranthus cruentus, A. dubius, A. hypochondriacus, commercial variety, farmer’s selection, zinc content ABSTRACT previously released in Tanzania, were identified as promising in Kenya based on yield The importance of amaranth in the fight performance and preferences of farmers, and for nutrition security, especially in developing were registered as improved varieties in the countries, is increasing because of its high country in 2017/18. Differences among the nutritional quality and dual-purpose nature. evaluated entries in Zn, K and Na contents Interest for amaranth leaves as a vegetable and analyzed in leaf samples collected from trials seeds as grain is increasing in rural, per-urban conducted in Tanzania were significant or highly and urban areas in many countries in Africa. significant in both years. Four Amaranthus However, the number of improved varieties dubius entries were recognized for their grown by farmers is limited on the continent. consistent high Zn and Na contents in 2016 and Enhancing the access of improved varieties to 2017. The high nutrient content entries are farmers will increase productivity and useful for further evaluation and use in breeding production, and availability to consumers. The programs. Currently, nutrient contents are not objectives of this study were to evaluate considered in variety release procedures and vegetable amaranth entries for yield, should be something breeders push for in future horticultural and agronomic traits, and leaf variety release procedures. nutrient contents, and identify promising lines for release as commercial varieties. The INTRODUCTION materials were evaluated in Tanzania and Kenya in replicated trials in 2016 and 2017. Differences Amaranth belongs to the family among the entries were significant or highly Amaranthaceae and the genus Amaranthus. It is significant for yield and various agronomic traits believed to have been introduced into sub-Saharan in most of the trials conducted in both countries. Africa from its origins in South America and Two amaranth lines, Ex-Zim-Sel and AM 38-Sel, Central America (Sauer, 1950, 1967). The 181 Journal of Medicinally Active Plants Vol. 9, Iss. 3 [2020], popularity of amaranth comes from its high or season may not necessarily be the best in another nutritional quality and dual-purpose characteristic location or season, and therefore, the need for as a leafy vegetable and cereal like grain, and its selection in a target environment. At the same time, ability to grow in adverse environmental conditions their study also identified some genotypes adapted (Das, 2016). The crop grows from sea level to as across environments, i.e., widely adapted high as 3,200 m elevation although only few strive genotypes. above 2,500 m elevation (National Research Under the framework of the Feed the Future Council, 1984). The crop has become an important Innovation Lab for Horticulture Project Improving African leafy vegetable that is popular across the nutrition with African indigenous vegetables in continent. Demand for amaranth and other African Kenya and Zambia, amaranth variety evaluation traditional vegetables by city populations is activity was conducted in Tanzania, Kenya, and increasing (Chelang’a et al., 2013). Amaranth Zambia with project partners including WorldVeg germplasm improvement, however, is in the early (Tanzania), KALRO, Moi University/Academic stages with a need to develop improved varieties Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) that suit the various consumer demands. For Family Preservation Initiative (Kenya), Hantambo centuries, farmers have grown their own local women group (Zambia), and Purdue University and varieties mainly for home consumption or for sale Rutgers University (USA). Although the project, at in local markets. Only about 50% of the amaranth large, focused on a suite of African traditional production area in Kenya and 70% in Tanzania is vegetables, a major focus of the project was the grown from improved varieties (Ochieng et al., selection and improvement of amaranth. The study 2019). Recently, the World Vegetable Center objectives were to evaluate amaranth entries for (WorldVeg) and private and public sector horticultural and agronomic traits, leaf nutrient organizations have initiated amaranth improvement contents, and identify promising lines for release as programs on the continent. To date, only a few commercial varieties. This paper reports the results improved varieties have been released, mainly from of field performance and the nutrient contents of WorldVeg developed lines, for commercial use entries included in the study, and varieties (Dinssa et al., 2016). Organizations such as Kenya registered as the outcome of the study. Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Jomo Kenyatta University of MATERIALS AND METHODS Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Tanzanian Study location. The study was conducted in Agricultural Research Institute-Tengeru (TARI- northern Tanzania at the World Vegetable Center Tengeru), Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Eastern and Southern Africa, Arusha, Tanzania Research (EIAR), and other countries on the (hereafter referred as WorldVeg) with one trial continent are involved in germplasm evaluation and carried out from January to March 2016 (hot-dry variety release mostly based on initial lines obtained season) and another trial conducted from May to from WorldVeg. Local, regional, and multinational September 2017 (cool season), and in Western seed or breeding companies have started amaranth Kenya at Turbo in Eldoret region (hereafter referred seed marketing and some have initiated breeding as Turbo). Three trials were carried out at Turbo in programs. Kenya: (1) Trial-1 conducted during hot-dry season Breeding research is one of the activities (November 2016 – March 2017), (2) Trial-2 during conducted in amaranth improvement at the wet-cool season (April – August 2017) and (3) WorldVeg. Dinssa et al. (2019) described amaranth Trial-3 conducted during short rainy season with selection environments in Tanzania and identified at warm to hot temperature (September – December least two selection sites each for different target 2017). Differences in moisture and temperatures growing environmental conditions. They, moreover, among seasons, and between locations were reported that a genotype found best in one location considered as environmental differences. The 182 Dinssa et al.: Performances of Vegetable Amaranth Entries in Yield and Nutrient WorldVeg station is characterized by a well-drained rows, and 30 cm spacing between plants within row. clay loam soil with pH 6.5, CEC 34.7 meq/100g, Ten plants were grown per row, and the central 1.4% organic matter content, and is located at lat. eight plants per row were repeatedly harvested, 3.4°S, long. 36.8°E, and elevation 1235 m. The starting at 50 days after sowing, in all trials for Turbo location in Kenya is characterized by red soil marketable fresh vegetable yield (marketable yield with pH 5.7, CEC 14.2 meq/100g and 4.3% soil hereafter) determination. organic matter, and is located at lat. 0.37°N, long. Field management. Farrow, drip, or handheld hose 35.10°E and elevation 1789 m. irrigation was used as required. At WorldVeg, Plant materials. Seven amaranth entries – four fertilizer 20N–10P–10K at 200 kg.ha-1 rate was Amaranthus cruentus (UG-AM-40-Sel, AM 38-Sel, manually applied as a basal application one week AC-NL-Sel and Ex-Zim-Sel), two A. dubius (AM- after transplanting, and urea (46N-0P-0K) at the rate 45-Sel and Ex-Zan-Sel) and one