Yield of Amaranth (Amaranthus) Depending on the Cultivar in the Conditions of Ukrainian Western Forest-Steppe

Abstract

Amaranth is called the culture of the future due to its unique food, feeding and medicinal properties. The acreage of Amaranth in Ukraine is very small, which can be explained by the lack of adaptive cultivation technologies, especially for growing this crop for grain. The purpose of the research was to establish the most productive cultivars for growing in the conditions of excessive and sufficient moisture in the western forest-steppe on dark grey soil. For this purpose, field research was conducted in the experimental field of Lviv National Agrarian University. The total area of the site was 30 m2, recording – 20 m2. The studies were conducted in three repetitions. The authors studied seven of the most common cultivars of Amaranth in Ukraine: Kharkivskyi 1, Lera, Sam, Studentskyi, Polishchuk, Aztec, Ultra. It was established that the yield of amaranth considerably depended on the hydrothermal conditions of the year. It was lower in years with excessive rainfall in the first half of vegetation (2019 and 2020). The highest grain yield (2.46-4.35 t/ha) was formed in 2021 when the amount of precipitation in May, June and July was within the normal range. A strong inverse correlation was established (r=-0.82–r=-0.95) between the yield of amaranth cultivars and the amount of precipitation. The highest grain yield (4.03 t/ha) among the studied amaranth cultivars was obtained in Kharkivskyi 1. The lowest yield was formed in the Ultra cultivar (1.97 t/ha), which is less than in the Kharkivskyi 1 cultivar by 2.06 t/ha. The study of elements of the yield structure showed that the height of the plant had a positive effect (r=0.63) on the level of amaranth grain yield, while average relationship was observed between panicle length and yield (r=-0.36). The weight of 1000 seeds in the cultivars ranged from 0.74-0.88 g. The low mass of seeds per plant had the greatest impact on yield (r=0.99). The highest yield of amaranth of the Kharkivskyi 1 cultivar was formed with the following ratio of the main elements of the crop structure: the number of plants – 21 p/m2 and the mass of seeds from the plant – 19.2 g. To obtain a high stable yield of amaranth grain, additional research is required to clarify the main elements of cultivation technology for these soil and climatic conditions