How to Grow Amaranth for High Yields? The Latest Cultivation Technique Tutorial
Amaranth originated in China, India and Southeast Asia. In our country it has been eaten as a wild vegetable since ancient times. Across southern China there are amaranth varieties with excellent quality and high nutrition. Because it is highly resistant, easy to grow, tolerant of drought, moisture and high temperatures, and because pests and diseases rarely occur, it has gradually become known both at home and abroad and has continued to develop. Now let us take a look at high-yield amaranth cultivation techniques!
Variety Selection
For amaranth cultivation, different varieties should be used according to the habits of the varieties in different seasons and local consumption habits. In winter and early spring, use red amaranth and huahong varieties with strong cold resistance; in other seasons, use huahong amaranth and all-green amaranth with strong resistance to pests and diseases. Generally, from late February to late March it is suitable to choose early-maturing, relatively cold-tolerant varieties such as pointed-leaf red rice amaranth and pointed-leaf huahong amaranth; from early April to late May it is suitable to choose varieties such as red amaranth, Dahongpao, white rice amaranth and willow-leaf amaranth; and from early June to early August, for summer and autumn cultivation, it is suitable to choose relatively heat-tolerant varieties such as white rice amaranth, willow-leaf amaranth and red amaranth.
Cultivation Time
Amaranth can be cultivated throughout the frost-free period from spring to autumn. Open-field cultivation can be sown from late March to early August, while cultivation under plastic tunnels and small arched sheds can be sown 20-30 days earlier, that is, starting in late February, and can reach the market about 30 days earlier. Apart from early spring cultivation, it generally reaches the market about 35 days after sowing.
1. Seed soaking and sprouting: Soak amaranth seeds in cold water for 24 hours. During soaking, rub and wash them several times to help them absorb water. In winter and early spring, scoop out the soaked seeds, rub and wash them clean with clear water, remove them and drain off the water, wrap them in gauze with good air permeability, then cover with a wet towel and place them at 15-20°C to sprout. When 30-50% of the seeds have sprouted white, they can be sown. In other seasons, direct sowing is used for cultivation.
2. Land preparation and fertilization: For amaranth cultivation, choose a plot with few weeds. Although amaranth is not strict about soil requirements, soil that is loose, fertile and good at retaining fertilizer and water is best, and amaranth prefers slightly alkaline soil. Apply 5000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 50 kg of 25% compound fertilizer per mu, cultivate carefully and intensively, and make raised beds 1-1.2 m wide, with ditches 0.3 m wide and 0.15-0.2 m deep.
3. Sowing method: Amaranth seeds are rather small, so mixing in some fine sand or fine soil when sowing can make sowing more even. The seeding rate is 0.25-0.5 kg per mu. Flat beds can be broadcast or drilled. For broadcast sowing, a four-tooth rake can be used to lightly rake or not rake; for drilling, it can be slightly deeper in spring and shallower in summer, with shallow soil covering, then pressed down, after which watering can begin and you wait for seedlings to emerge. In winter and early spring, add a thin layer of straw to retain moisture, then cover with a layer of plastic film to keep warm. In summer, add a sun-shade net.
Field Management
1. Temperature management: In winter and early spring, after amaranth seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film and covering. After watering, build a small arched shed inside the large tunnel to help keep warm. When the outside temperature is relatively low, add a layer of straw curtain over the small shed in the evening to keep warm. In summer, after seedlings emerge, promptly add a sun-shade net, covering it early and removing it late.
2. Water management: In winter and early spring, amaranth should be kept constantly moist, with frequent light watering, and watering should preferably be done in the morning on sunny days. After the seedlings are fully established, apply a 0.2% urea water solution once, and thereafter apply it every 7-10 days to promote growth. In summer, appropriately increase the amount of watering, generally watering in the morning and evening.
3. Reasonable topdressing: Amaranth requires multiple topdressings. Generally, the first topdressing is applied when the seedlings have 2 true leaves, the second after 10-12 days, and thereafter once after each harvest. The fertilizer type is mainly nitrogen fertilizer. Each time, 1500-2000 kg of thin human excrement and urine can be applied per mu, with 5-10 kg of urea added.
Pest and Disease Control
1. Amaranth white rust: The main disease of amaranth is white rust. At the seedling stage, spray leaves preventively with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 1000 times dilution or 77% Telike Keshade at 1500 times dilution. In the early stage of the disease, combine manual leaf removal with chemical control, but do not spray immediately on the same day after each harvest, so as not to affect commodity quality.
2. Stem base rot: Practice crop rotation. When crop rotation cannot be carried out, carefully clean the field after harvest, collect diseased and residual matter and burn it, then immediately plow and sun the soil. During land preparation before sowing, disinfect the soil (broadcast poisoned soil or drench with chemical solution). Immediately remove diseased plants when found. The chemical can be 40% triadimefon-carbendazim wettable powder at 1000 times dilution.
3. Root-knot nematode disease: In severely affected areas, promptly remove diseased and residual bodies after harvest, and rotation can also be carried out with Liliaceae vegetables or with paddy-upland rotation. At sowing or transplanting, apply 10% Limanku granules in furrows or holes at 75 kg per hectare. During the growing period, methyl isofenphos emulsion at 200 times dilution can also be used to drench the roots 1-2 times.