First report of Alternaria alternata causing discoloration on Amaranthus seeds in Argentina

Abstract

Alternaria alternata is recorded as the causal agent of seed discoloration of Amaranthus caudatus ssp. mantegazzianus for the first time in Argentina.

Effect of amaranth flour (Amaranthus mantegazzianus) on the technological and sensory quality of bread wheat pasta

“…As expected, WAF crude fiber was higher than BWF value, since amaranth flour is wholemeal type, compared to refined BWF (Table 1). Except for fat content, the other values of WAF were slightly higher than those reported by Kaur et al (2010) for Amaranthus caudatus (which, in accordance with some authors (Costea et al, 2001; USDA (GRIN), 2003 [Online Database]; Noelting et al, 2011), is considered synonymous with Amaranthus mantegazzianus) due to the larger aperture size of the sieve used to obtain the flour.…”

“…The genus Amaranthus belongs to the family Amaranthaceae and includes more than 60 species, of which three viz., Amaranthus hypochondriacus , A. cruentus and A. caudatus , are the essential grain species (Kaur et al., 2010). Some authors identify the A. mategazzianus Pass as a fourth cultivated species, but genetic studies do not seem to warrant recognition of this group (Huerta-Ocampo and Barba de la Rosa, 2011), but rather A. mantegazzianus is considered as synonymous of A. caudatus (Costea et al., 2001; Noelting et al., 2011; USDA (GRIN), 2003 [Online Database]).…”

Discoloured seeds of amaranth plant infected by Alternaria alternata: physiological, histopathological alterations and fungal secondary metabolites associated or registered

“…In order to induce the completed discolouration of seeds with A. alternata, a deep-freeze technique was adapted and modified a difference of the previous technique (Noelting et al 2011). Amaranth seeds with healthy appearance were disinfected in 3% sodium hypochlorite for 5 min, rinsed three times with sterile distilled water and dried between filter papers.…”

“…Recently, a new disease that affects amaranth seeds, associated mainly with A. alternata, was reported in Argentina (Noelting et al 2011). This disease causes a change in the colour of seeds, decreases germination and increases the number of abnormal plants.…”

“…However, no data on the discolouration of amaranth seeds by A. alternata is available. This scarce information (Noelting et al 2011) may be due to the difficulty in detecting the infection that goes unnoticed to naked eye because of the small size of the seeds (an average diameter 1 mm).…”