CHOLAI (AMARANTHUS tricolour L) - A NUTRIENT POWER HOUSE – PRODUCTION, PROCESSING AND VALUE ADDITION FOR RURAL EMPLOYMENT

Amaranths is a leafy vegetable grown throughout the year in whole India. Amaranths is a source of key vitamins. antioxidents and minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron).

1. CHOLAI (AMARANTHUS tricolour L) - A NUTRIENT POWER HOUSE –
PRODUCTION, PROCESSING AND VALUE ADDITION FOR RURAL
EMPLOYMENT

Dr Jai Singh (ARS)
M. Tech Ph D
Retd Director ICAR – CIPHET
Mob: [phone], E-Mail:[email protected]
Amaranths is a leafy vegetable grown throughout the year in whole India. It
belongs to the family Amarantaceae. It is locally known as Batu, Bhabhri,
Cholai, Ganhar, Harave, Keere, Maarsu, Marsha, Pung – Keerai,
Rajakeera, Ramdana, Sawal , Sil, Thotakura ( Telgu),, Mulai ( Keral),
Cheera (Malayalam), Harive (Karnataka), Rajgeera (Marathi), Rajagaro
(Gujrat). Amaranths is a source of key vitamins. antioxidents and minerals
(calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron). It is gluten free,
contains protein more than other grains, provides essential lysine, lowers
cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease, betters digestion and
diabetic patients.
Varieties : IARI - Badi Chauli, IARI - Chhoti Chauli, CO – 1 (A. dubius),
CO – 2 ( A. tricolor), CO – 3 (A. tritis), CO – 4 (A. hypochondriacus), CO –
5, Lal saag, Pusa Kiran, Pusa Lal Chaulai, Pusa Kirti, IIHR Arka suguna,
IIHR Arka arunima, ICAR- NBPGR Suvarn, Annapurna, Durga and KBGA-
1. There are many more varieties.
Seed Rate : For direct sowing 2 kg / ha and for transplanting 01 kg / ha.
Drilling of seed at 20 – 25 cm row to raw spacing. Transplanting 30 cm raw
to raw and 30 cm plant to plant spacing. In Northern India it is sown form
middle March to end June and throughout the year in Southern India.
Soils : Slightly acidic to slightly basic (pH 6.5 to 7.5).

2. Seedbed Preparation: Seeds are hull less and very small (1.0 – 1.5 mm
diameter). Therefore a fine pulverised firm surface seed bed is required.
Add 30 - 50 tonnes / ha FYM. N : P : K - 50 : 50 : 20 kg / ha basal . Seeding
depth should not be more than 12 mm. Seeds are broadcasted on fine
seed bed and cultipacked. Press wheel planters, precision planters, seed
broadcasting equipment can also be used. On sloppy land, planting should
be done on side of firm shallow furrows 30 – 35 cm c/c to avoid washing
away of seeds. Nursery grown 20 – 30 day old seedlings are transplanted
at 30 cm raw to raw. During rainy season raised bed planting is preferred.
If crusting takes place, break it using IGFRI – Weeder Mulcher or hand
rake.
Harvesting: In North harvest starts from September and in South from
August – September. First cutting after 21 – 30 days and thereafter at 7 –
10 days interval. For seed purpose whole plant are harvested at maturity
manually or by ICAR – CIAE reaper.
Threshing: Threshing is done by hand rubbing of ear heads or by stick
beating or by threshing machines. Trash is removed by winnowing. Seed
sieving is done using 2 mm sieve.
Yield : Green leaves 9 - 10 tonnes / ha. Seed yield is about 200 kg / ha.
Seed Drying : Seeds are dried to 6 % moisture in sun on clean tarpaulins.
Important Types of Cholai Seeds:

Govardhan Cholai

Rajgeera cholai

Lal cholai

Green cholai

Types of Cholai Plants: The colour of leaves vary from purple to red and
green to gold.

3. Green

Red

Himalyan food grain cholai

Purple

Red - Green

Bee Attractor

Valvet

Grantham

Fercita

Tricolour

Bleeding

Virdis

Biltum

Prince feather

Poweli

ICAR -CCARI

CHOLAI (AMARANTHUS) PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
Fine cultivated field for
sowing

Field roller to firm and
level the seed bed

Amaranthus (Cholai)
seed

Tiny seed broadcaster

4. Tiny seed broadcaster

Broadcasted seeds

Hand seed
broadcasting. Mix 100
kg sand / kg seed

Use hand rake in case of
soil crust

Precisoin seed planter
Hand seed drill – cum
furrow packer


Hand seed drill – cum
furrow packer

Tiny seed placer
in field

Cultipacker after seed
broadcast

Firm and shallow
furrows made by
Cultipacker

Manual six row seeder

Raised seed bed

Shallow furrow for side
seeding on slopy land

Cholai nursery plot –
ICAR - CCARI

Cholai nursery seeds
covered by straw. Give
fine mist

Cholai nursery

Cholai seedlings planted
in field – ICAR - CCARI

Cholai ready for leaves
harvest

Cholai crop ready for
leaves harvest

Cholai fresh leaves and
stem harvested to ell for
saak bhaji

5. Cholai Leaves for market

Use zero energy cool
chambers for a week
safe storage when
market glut

Hydroponic technik to
grow cholai

Cholai seedling for sale

POST HARVEST AND HARVEST MAAGEMENT OF GREEN CHOLAI
The entire plant is cut 8 – 10 cm above ground level. Plants re-sprout and
produce 2
nd
to 4
th
or more cuts. Fresh harvest need to be thoroughly
cleaned, washed and sorted. It can be preserved by drying and powdering.
Number of food and commercial products are produced in India.

Harvest Cholai

Harvesting Cholai – ICAR -
CCARI

Washing Cholai in basket

Cholai washing and
cleaning machine

Sorting and draining
wash water

Making consumer bundles

Making plastic packs foe
easey handling

Market sale fresh
cholai leaves

Open sun drying

Solar drying

Dried Cholai consumer
packs

Cholai powder

Cholai Food and Commercial Products:

6. Processed from Amaranth seeds flour is being used in tortillas,
breads, cookies, pasta, nutritional beverages, and marzipan.
Sabji, Bhaji, Raita, Paratha, Kheer, Puri, Sag, Cholai paneer, Soup,
Cookies, Biscuits, Flakes, Cake, Pastry, Crackers, Ice crème, Lysine rich
baby foods, Leaves protein concentrates, Seed oil, Cholai pigment,
Lubricant for computer discs,

Cholai laddoo

Cholai patti

Cholai biscuits

Cholai chikki

Puffed cholai

Roasted cholai
Snacks


Noodles


Amaranth candy ICAR -
NBPGR

Rusk – icar - nbpgr

Popped cholai chikki

Energy bars icar –
nbpgr

Cholai powder

Cholai Juice

Cholai seed oil

Cholai flakes

Cholai flour

Cholai/Ramdana/Rajgira/Amara
nth

7. Cholai Seed Harvesting and Processing:
For seed purpose, cholai crop is harvested when plants turn yellow or deep
brown in colour. Cut individual plant panicles on maturity and lay on cement
floor/tarpaulin/plastic sheet for drying. The seed is then threshed winnowed
and collected in containers for storage. Seeds are threshed with pliable
bamboo sticks / rolling by roller / threshing machine. The seeds are
winnowed and sieved through 2 mm sieve. Moist chaff is removed to avoid
mold formation in stock.

Cholai seed crop ready to
harvest

Cholai seed crop ready
to harvest

Cholai seed crop ready
to harvest

Cholai crop ready to
harvest

Check maturity – rubbing
spikelets and seed separation

Sickle harvesting

Field drying

Raeper harvester

Combine harvester

Threshing by stick
beating

Winnowing

Open sun drying

Pedal cholai thresher

ICAR – CIAE Cholai
pedal thresher

Threshing, winnowing
and seed sieving

Grain chute and
sieving unit of
thresher

8. ICAR – CIAE Thresher

Pedal cholai cleaner

Cholai seed cleaner
grader

Cholai destoner

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