Red amaranth can grow in most soil types as long as there is no stagnant water. It has a lifespan of 30-45 days for leaves/plants and 125-140 days for seed production. It can be sown year-round either by broadcasting seed at 2-2.5 kg/ha or in lines at 1-1.5 kg/ha. Fertilization includes cow dung, compost, and chemical fertilizers. The crop requires irrigation through flooding or by draining water into beds. Pests like mealy bugs are controlled using insecticides while diseases like rust are treated with fungicides. The average yield is 5-7 tons per hectare or 20-25 kg per decimal

1. Dr Abul Hasnat M Solaiman
Red amaranth in Bangladesh

2. Red Amaranth
• Amaranthus tricolor, Amaranthaceae
• Soil: Without stagnant of water, any kind of
soil might be taken for its cultivation.
• Cultivars:
• Altapeti
• Life span:
• Leaves/plants- 30-45 days after sowing
• Seed: 125-140 days

3. Sowing:
• Year-round
• Line to line: 1-1.5
kg/ha
• Broadcasting: 2-2.5
kg

4. Method of sowing
• Add 1 part seed + 9 part ash or sand and
broadcast. Level it and give a light irrigation.
• Line- 15-20cm, make/draw lines of 1.5 – 2.0 cm
deep with stick and then cover with soil followed
by leveling.
• Bedding methods:
• Bed:-
• L x b: as land x 300cm
• Drains: Breadth-30, height/depth-20cm

5. Fertilization:
• Cowdung- 10 t/Vericompost-4 t/packed organic like ACI
Polly Joibo Sar- 200kg
• Urea:
• Basal- At the end of last ploughing- 30kg
• top dressed- 7-days after germination-30 kg
• TSP/DAP:
• Basal- 60 kg
• MP/ -(If it is needed)
• Basal-50 kg, At the end of last ploughing
• MOC-Basal-250kg, At the end of last ploughing, 20 days
fermentation needed, when bad odor found.

6. • Irrigation:
• Bed sowing: Irrigation in drain
• Broadcasting: Flood irrigation

7. Drain
Irrigation water
coming
Open Farthest drains first then sequentially come
nearest lines
1 2
Irrigation water Coming in
Closed line

8. Water draining out
3
Drain out
Closed
line

9. • Weeding,Thinning, Mulching
• After irrigation soil surface becomes hard,
loose soil breaking the crust to maintain the
moisture; Mulching enhanced.
• For good quality leaves; after 7 days of
germination maintain 5-7.5cm distance of
plant. In broadcasting keep 100-150 plants per
square meter.

10. • Plant Protection:
• IPM- Sticky traps, sticking, spraying at early
stage
• Insect: Mealy bug- Sucking; Malathion-57EC,
Roxion-40EC- 1.5 li in 1000 liter water for 1
hectare.
• Disease- Rust- whitish or yellowish spot in
leaves; turns reddish and look like rust.
Diathen M -45- 1.5gm in 1 liter water.

11. • Yield: 5-7 ton; 20-25 kg/decimal.

13. Sources