| Resume |
In the past 20 years, very little progress has
been achieved in reducing food insecurity, child
malnutrition and hunger in Africa. Under-nutrition
and micronutrients deficiencies are widespread and
affect mainly women and children. To address these
problems, increased consumption of African leafy
vegetables is promoted as sources of both micronutrients
and bio-active compounds. Widely promoted
African leafy vegetables include Amaranthus spp., a
taxonomic group cultivated worldwide. Species of this
genus are used as pseudo-cereals in Europe and
America, and are mostly planted as vegetables in
Africa. Amaranthus has been rediscovered as a promising
food crop mainly due to its resistance to heat,
drought, diseases and pests, and the high nutritional
value of both seeds and leaves. Leaves are rich in
proteins and micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc,
vitamin C and vitamin A. All parts of the plant are used
as medicine to heal many diseases in African communities.
This paper focuses on leafy amaranths traditionally
utilized on the continent. It briefly reviews the
current knowledge on taxonomy, ecology, nutritional
and nutraceutical value, production and cultivation
systems, reproductive biology, genetic resources and
breeding of amaranths. Species of interest include: A.
blitum, A. caudatus, A. cruentus, A. dubius, A. hypochondriacus,
A. spinosus, A. thunbergii, A. tricolor,
and A. viridis. Research and development opportunities
on nutritive and nutraceutical properties, production
and commercialization, taxonomic evaluation and
breeding perspectives were explored. |