Evaluation of Seed Germinability and Seedlings Performance in Amaranthus Accessions Collected in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Mpaballeng Ramangoele, Simphiwe Mhlontlo, Tembakazi Silwana and Retief Celliers

Background and Objective: Amaranthus is among the most popular consumed indigenous leafy vegetables in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa that can be domesticated. It is propagated from seed annually; however, lack of quality seed is one factor that prohibits its domestication. This study aimed to investigate seed viability and seedling vigour of Amaranthus accessions and their influence on early seedling establishment. Materials and Methods: Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine seed viability and seedling vigour of seeds from four Amaranthus accessions. In laboratory experiment, 25 seeds of each accession were used to determine germination while in the greenhouse experiment, emergence percentage and seedling vigour were established. Both experiments were arranged in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) and replicated four times. Data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using Genstat^® 14th edition. Results: In summer and autumn, the highest final germination percentage was observed from Amaranthus retroflexus 2 (85%) while Amaranthus hypochondriacus produced the highest seedling vigour (2.00) in the laboratory experiment. A high positive correlation between seed weight and germination was observed in summer (R² = 0.91) and autumn (R² = 0.92). In the greenhouse experiment, the emergence percentage (93%) and seedling vigour (1.24) were significantly higher in A. hypochondriacus in summer. A negative correlation in summer (R² = 0.58) and autumn (R² = 0.62) was observed between seed weight and seedling vigour. Conclusion: The A. retroflexus 2 and A. hypochondriacus are recommended owing to their significant response in germination, emergence and seedling vigour.

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