Origin, Domestication, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetics and Cytogenetics, Genetic Diversity, Breeding of Amanranths (Amaranthus spp.)

Amaranthus is a genus of food plants (Amaranthus) belonging to the family Amranthaceae. Amaranthus spp. or known as amaranth is a genus belonging to Amaranthaceae that includes 60–75 species. It is distinguished as the grain, vegetable, and weed or weedy types. The Amaranthacea comprise over 60 genera, which include around 800 species of dicotlyledonous, herbaceous plants, of either annual or perennial growth. The genus Amaranthus comprises 70 species. It shows a wide variety of morphological diversity among and even within certain species. The genus Amaranthus is rather unique in having species which are used for grain, vegetable and ornamental purposes. Amaranth is one of the few plants whose leaves are eaten as a vegetable while the seeds are used in the same way as cereals; there is no distinct separation between the vegetable and grain types since the leaves of young plants grown for grain can be eaten as both human and animal food. There are two basic types of amaranths: 1) Leaf amaranths/ greens amaranths: Some are very attractive, looking like Coleus. The crop is ready in 50 days after sowing. The foliage is very nutritional- high in vitamin A, C, iron, calcium and protein. Harvests vary widely depending on variety and growing conditions. Generally speaking, “greens” means vegetable leaves that are eaten cooked. 2) Grain/ seed amaranths: They closely resemble a cereal-type grain and can be treated as such. Amaranth grain is high in protein and other nutrients and can be harvested and cooked like rice or popped like popcorn. Although amaranth has only recently gained popularity as a health food, this ancient grain has been a dietary staple in certain parts of the world for millennia. It has an impressive nutrient profile and been associated with a number of impressive health benefits. The crop is widely distributed in India. It is cultivated in seventeen states of India viz., Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, North Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Tripura, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. Information on the statistics on area and production of Amaranth in India is lacking. To date, the genetic improvement of amaranths has primarily involved the application of conventional selection methods. But advances in genomics and biotechnology have dramatically enriched the potential to manipulate the amaranth genome, especially improving the amount and availability of nutrients. In this Review Article Origin, Domestication, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetics and Cytogenetics, Genetic Diversity, Breeding, Uses, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Amanranths (Amaranthus spp.) are dicussed.