Growth, Oxalate and Vitamin C Content of Red Amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) Treated with Salicylic Acid

Chlarissa Bella Asy Shyfa,Kumala Dewi

doi:10.4308/hjb.28.1.23

Abstract

Red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) contains phytochemicals that are important for human health, however it also contains oxalate that may cause uric acid problem in human health. This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA) on growth, oxalate, chlorophyll, and vitamin C contents in red amaranth. Red amaranth seeds were germinated in a plastic pot containing a mixture of top soil and organic fertilizer. Three week-old seedlings were applied with SA of 0 M (control), 10-8, 10-6, 10-4 or 10-2 M. Five replicates were prepared for each treatment. Growth parameters observed were plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight of plant. The Ca-oxalate crystals density was determined by observing stem section under the microscope. Chlorophyll and oxalic acid content were determined by spectrophotometer method, whereas vitamin C content was determined by titration method. The results showed that plant height and root length were tend to decline by SA application, however SA of 10-6 M signiﬁcantly increased chlorophyll, carotenoid and vitamin C content. All concentrations of SA applied were able to reduce oxalic acid content and Ca-oxalate crystal’s density in stem. It can be inferred that application of SA generally enhances nutrient quality of red amaranth.

Highlights

Red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) is one of vegetables that has been widely cultivated in Indonesia
The results showed that plant height and root length were tend to decline by salicylic acid (SA) application, SA of 10-6 M significantly increased chlorophyll, carotenoid and vitamin C content
Growth of Red Amaranth In general, application of SA up to 10–4 M through foliar spraying in red amaranth caused a slight reduction on the average of plant height, whereas the highest concentration of SA applied in this research (10-2 M) inhibitted vegetative growth of red amaranth

Summary

Introduction

Red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.) is one of vegetables that has been widely cultivated in Indonesia. Amaranth foliage contains high nutritive value and is an excellent source of bio-available iron and vitamin A (Funke 2011). It has been reported by Peter et al (2014) that in fresh leaves of A. cruenthus, β-carotene, iron and zinc content was 5.75±0.04, 8.47±0.05, and 3.18±0.04 mg/100 g, respectively. Amaranth leaves and seeds are good source of protein. According to Andini et al (2013) the average protein content in leaves of cultivated A. cruentus L. and A. tricolor L. were about 16%. Beside its nutritive contents, amaranth leaves and grain contain oxalate. From analysis of 30 genotypes amaranth’s grain, the average concentration

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