Amaranth Seed Sowing Methods, Seeding Rate per Mu, and Variety Introduction

Amaranth, also known as Joseph's coat, old youth, old-to-young, and tricolor amaranth, has soft, smooth stems and a rich vegetable flavor with a sweet, fragrant taste on the palate. It is cultivated throughout the country and is sometimes semi-wild. So how do you plant its seeds? Roughly how much is needed per mu? What methods are there? What varieties are there? Let's find out below.

Amaranth Cultivation Methods

I. Growth and Development and Requirements for Environmental Conditions

1. Temperature: Amaranth prefers warmth, has relatively strong heat tolerance, and is not cold-tolerant. The optimal growing temperature is 23-27°C; below 20°C growth is slow, and if the temperature is too high, the degree of stem fibrosis is high. At temperatures below 10°C, seed germination is difficult.

2. Light: Amaranth is a high-temperature, short-day crop, and under high-temperature, short-day conditions it easily flowers and sets seed. When cultivated in spring and summer with suitable temperatures and longer daylight, bolting is delayed, the quality is tender, and yields are high.

3. Soil, Water, and Nutrients: Amaranth has strong adaptability to soil, and grows better in slightly alkaline soil. Amaranth has relatively strong drought tolerance, but when water is sufficient, the leaves are tender and the quality is good. Amaranth is not waterlogging-tolerant and requires soil with drainage and irrigation conditions. In addition, fertile soil helps achieve high yields.

II. Conventional Cultivation Techniques

1. Cultivation Season and Methods: Amaranth is a warm-loving, heat-tolerant vegetable and can be cultivated throughout the frost-free period from spring to autumn. Spring-sown amaranth bolts and flowers relatively late, and its quality is tender. Summer and autumn sowings tend to bolt and flower more easily, and the quality is coarse and old. In North China and Northwest China, it is sown in the open field from late April to early September, harvested from late May to early October, with a growing period of 30-60 days.

2. Cultivation Techniques: Land preparation and bed making: For cultivating amaranth, choose a plot with flat terrain, convenient drainage and irrigation, and few weeds. For harvesting seedlings, tender stems, and leaves, broadcasting is generally used. Before sowing, plow to a depth of 15 cm and apply 1500-2000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu. The quality requirements for land preparation and bed making are relatively high; the soil on the bed surface must be finely broken and level, otherwise it will affect the emergence rate and the uniformity of emergence.

How much seed does amaranth need per mu?

Amaranth seeds are extremely small, and the seeding rate per mu is 0.25-0.5 kg. About 25 grams of seed can plant around 50 sq m.

What varieties of amaranth are there?

At present, amaranth is cultivated in various places in the north, and the seeds are mostly introduced from the south. There are many amaranth varieties in southern China. According to differences in leaf color, they are divided into 3 types: green amaranth, red amaranth, and colored amaranth.

(1) Green amaranth: The leaves and petioles are green or yellow-green. It has relatively strong heat tolerance, and when eaten its texture is harder than that of red amaranth. Representative varieties include Baimi amaranth from the suburbs of Shanghai, Liuye amaranth from the suburbs of Guangzhou, and Muer amaranth from the suburbs of Nanjing.

(2) Red amaranth: The leaves and petioles are purplish red. Its heat tolerance is moderate, and when eaten it is softer and more glutinous than green amaranth. Representative varieties include Dahongpao from the suburbs of Chongqing, red amaranth from the suburbs of Guangzhou, and red amaranth from the suburbs of Kunming, among which Chongqing Dahongpao is especially drought-tolerant.

(3) Colored amaranth: The leaf margins are green, and the area near the veins is purplish red. It is early-maturing, has slightly stronger cold tolerance, and its texture is softer and more glutinous than green amaranth. In the south it is mostly cultivated in spring. Representative varieties include Shanghai's Jianye Hongmi amaranth and Guangzhou's Jianye Huahong amaranth.

Appendix: Latest Amaranth Prices

Wuxi Chaoyang Co., Ltd. Agricultural Products Wholesale Market - amaranth price: 2.21 yuan/kg

Zhejiang Jinhua Agricultural Products Wholesale Market - amaranth price: 4.20 yuan/kg

Suzhou Nanhuanqiao Market Development Co., Ltd. - amaranth price: 3.20 yuan/kg

Beijing Dayanglu Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market - amaranth price: 5.00 yuan/kg