NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF GRAIN AMARANTHS (AMARANTHUS L.) COMPARED TO PUTATIVE MUTANT LINES

Abstract

Amaranth, an alternative crop, is attracting researcher’s attention mainly because of high nutritional quality of seeds, which can be slightly changed also by induced mutagenesis. In this paper 15 grain amaranth genotypes including 8 putative mutation-derived lines have been studied. The average total seed protein content in mutation-derived amaranth lines was about 2.00 % higher than in non-treated amaranth genotypes. The significantly highest content of albumins and globulins was detected in line C 26 and C 27. The highest coefficient of nutritional quality had Amaranthus hypochondriacus Plainsman and putative mutant lines C 82 and C 15. Detailed analyses of biochemical traits in mutation-derived lines showed improved nutritional quality over the non-treated control varietes, therefore this plant material might be a good matrix in the amaranth further breeding programme.