A Comparative Study on Growth of Amaranthus Cultivars in Light and Shade Environments
Abstract
The growth and phytochemical constituents of Amaranthus cruentus L. and Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats. under light and shade conditions were studied. It was found that growth of plants in light results in more height, number of leaves, and biomass. It was also noticed that plants grown in shade accumulate less soluble protein, sugar, phenolics, anthocyanin, and malonyldialdehyde. However, more accumulation of photosynthetic pigments was found in plants grown in shade. The results show that Amaranthus varieties grown in open field will have better vegetative growth, biomass productivity, and phytochemical constituents. Therefore, an optimised light management practice should be adopted to ensure the successful cultivation of Amaranthus cultivars in vertical farming.