Growth, yield productivity, and oil composition of two Amaranthus species grown under two different environmental conditions in Egypt

Amaranthus plants are very rich in nutritional benefits with significant traditional uses especially against inflammations. Herein, the growth productivity, oil quality, and compositions of the two promising novel food resources, Amaranthus caudatus and Amaranthus tricolor, were evaluated in two different locations in Egypt (El-Sharkia and El-Minia) which have different geographical regions. Analyses of geographic positions, climatic data, and soil characteristics of the two locations were evaluated. Plant heights, number of branches/plant, seed yield, and inflorescence length of the two plant species were studied in both locations. Additionally, the seed oil yields along with their gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) profiles were characterized. The findings revealed a significant difference between the two locations, with a strong correlation between the yields and the climate conditions. The two plant species cultivated in El-Minia showed significant records of overall growth indicators than El-Sharkia. A worthy variability in the oil yields and composition of El-Minia samples exhibited higher contents of dry matter in both plants (89.01 and 89.03 g/100 g dry tissues, respectively) than those of El-Sharkia. Amaranthus caudatus cultivated in El-Sharkia showed higher lipids components (7.02 g/100 g dry seeds) and saturated (19.13 g/100 g dry seeds) and unsaturated fatty acids (61.32 g/100 g) than those of El-Minia site. In addition, A. tricolor cultivated in El-Sharkia contained higher lipids contents (6.87 g/100 g) and unsaturated fatty acids (61.75 g/100 g dry seeds) than El-Minia with the supremacy of El-Minia samples in saturated fatty acids (19.03 g/100 g dry seeds). A strong correlation between the lipids and fatty acids of A. caudatus and A. tricolor was determined, and the cultivation locations and conditions were found based upon the GC-MS analysis as well as statistical significance.