Germination response of Amaranthus caudatus L. to soil types and environmental conditions

Little attention is being paid to Amaranthus caudatus in the Eastern Cape Province and other parts of South Africa as a vegetable that has huge potentials in bridging nutritional gap between the rich and the poor. This work investigated germination response of the plant to environmental conditions and variation in its germination characteristics at various depths in different soil types with the intent of complementing limited data available on the general agronomy of the species. At the end of the study, the highest germination was recorded at 25 °C and under continuous dark conditions, although the seeds germinated well under a wide range of temperatures and other photoperiods. The species germinated under all seeding depths considered, though late emergence was observed at depths below 2 cm. In addition, a significant (P < 0.05) interaction in pattern of germination was observed in three out of the five soil types tested, whereas the control (unfractionated) soil showed a highly significant (P < 0.01) interaction with the silt clay loam and loam soil. This overlapping interaction further confirmed that the plant has wide surviving capabilities in various soils and environmental conditions, hence, for optimum seedling emergence, it is recommended that A. caudatus be planted in a loamy soil maintained at 25 °C in a continuous dark environment.