Identifying and promoting climate-resilient crops is a pressing issue for the Republic of Moldova. After the first experiences with sorghum, Kirsan Agro decided to test another, less-known crop today but with strong potential – amaranth.
“For Moldova, amaranth is not a new crop, but rather a forgotten one. This year, we are testing it on experimental plots totaling 6 hectares. We want to better understand the cultivation technology, because it is quite a challenging crop. The seeds are very small – about 0.8 grams per thousand grains, meaning nearly 1,200 seeds per gram. For one hectare, if we sow 200,000 seeds, we need only 150–200 grams of seed. Being so tiny, the land needs excellent preparation, often even vegetable crops do not require such precise agronomy,” says Dumitru Cojocari, consultant at Kirsan Agro.
Amaranth is a cultivated form of the wild pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus), the weed everyone knows and farmers struggle with. The issue is that there are no herbicides dedicated to cultivated amaranth.
Kirsan Agro sowed two varieties of amaranth this year. One was planted at the Technical University’s experimental station in Criuleni, but without success. The second plot was planted in Zârnești, Cahul.
“The crop performed quite well, but with challenges. There were problems with technology, soil preparation, sowing, and equipment adaptation. Our goal is to adapt the production technology for field crops and integrate amaranth into the technological cycle for farmers. Our equipment is not designed for such a crop, it must be adjusted. For example, with rapeseed seeds (among the smallest crops currently grown), the disc hole is one millimeter, but for amaranth we need 0.3–0.4 mm. We had to modify the discs, adjust the seeders – it was an interesting experience, and in the end it was successful.
Another difficulty was related to rainfall: after rains, a crust forms on the soil surface, making emergence harder. Plus, there is a lack of knowledge about suitable herbicides. We tested mechanical, chemical, and even manual methods – but manual work was extremely labor-intensive. Nevertheless, the results exceeded our expectations,” notes Dumitru Cojocari.
As a heat-loving crop, amaranth is sown together with maize, and the grain harvest takes place in the second half of September.
The crop is more drought-resistant than maize. Amaranth is valuable as a protein source – up to 20% of dry matter. If one hectare yields 10 tons of dry matter, this would mean 1.5–2 tons of protein.
Currently, there are no amaranth producers in Moldova. Products such as amaranth flour or oil are imported.
“We are now trying to develop a program for utilizing the harvest. We don’t want to focus only on grain, but also on green mass, for silage or processing. Still, grains are the easiest to market, including on international exchanges. Processing also interests us – whether for oil or flour. Flour can even be used in baking, as an additive to enrich wheat flours with protein,” stresses Dumitru Cojocari.
Next year, the company will sow the varieties it already knows, but will also identify better ones, because those tested so far do not meet all agronomic requirements.
“Since I come from the field of plant breeding and genetics, I would like us to initiate our own breeding program and also collaborate with specialized institutions to obtain the best varieties for Moldova’s conditions and the concrete needs of producers and consumers. It is important to approach farmers with a complete technology – from cultivation to marketing. We don’t want to recommend 100 or 1,000 hectares and then in autumn have nowhere to sell the harvest. That’s why we are working on a program that covers the entire value chain,” said Dumitru Cojocari.
Amaranth cultivation, combined with other crops, can become a sustainable solution for agriculture and the agri-food sector as a whole.
Amaranth is widely grown in Latin American countries. Ukraine also has vast experience in producing this crop.
“In the real conditions of the region, amaranth can be a real opportunity for Moldova’s agriculture, if research, producers, and processors work together,” believes the Kirsan Agro representative.