Response of Amaranthus cruentus cv Mexicano to nitrogen fertilization under irrigation in the temperate, semiarid climate of North Patagonia, Argentina

ZUBILLAGA, MARÍA FANY; CAMINA, RICARDO; ORIOLI, GUSTAVO ADOLFO; BARRIO, DANIEL ALEJANDRO

JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION

TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC

Año: 2019 vol. 42 p. 99 - 110

0190-4167

This article explores the response of three genotypes of Amaranthus to different sowing date and to different doses of nitrogen (N) fertilization. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three replicates for cultivars, planting date and fertilization per treatment. Mexicano sown in early December had the best yield (5285 kg ha-1) with highly significant differences (p < 0.001) respect to Dorado and Antorcha. To assess the N fertilization Mexicano cultivar was sown at the end of spring (1 December). Morphophysiological variables increased as the N fertilization dose was raised. Higher doses of N fertilizer resulted in greater economic yields this was mainly due to the increase in grain number rather than that of a 1000 grain weight. The results of this investigation suggest that sowing Amaranthus cruentus cv Mexicano on 1 December with 150 kg N ha−1 favors its general development and allows to obtain high economic and biological yields with an appropriate protein content.