Botany

Botany

    • Amaranthus is self pollinated crop and flowers are protogynous with stigma in pistillate flowers becoming receptive several days before opening of staminate flowers.
    • Arrangements and sequence of anthesis favours a combination of self and cross pollination viz., the maturation takes place from bottom to top.
    • The transfer of pollen among the cymes of same inflorescence is favoured by wind leading to self fertilization.
    • The dehiscence of anthers and release of pollen grains are maximum between 11a.m to 1p.m.
    • Since it is a monoecious plant bearing both male and female flowers on the same inflorescence and hence it was very important that emasculation was done before anthesis to avoid setting of the female parent in hybridization programme.
    • After emasculation, the flower heads are bagged with butter paper bags.
    Inflorescence of amaranthus
    Figure 1. Inflorescence of amaranthus

Last modified: Monday, 25 June 2012, 4:54 AM