Singh Anurudh K (2017) Early History of Crop Introductions into India: II. Amaranthus (L.) spp. Asian Agri-History 21(4): 319-324

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Etibritta (in Bengali). Academic Enterprise,
Kolkata. India.
Kishun R, Tandon DK, Verma A, and
Kap oor B P (Eds .). 1 9 98. T he Man go
(Extension Bulletin No. 2). Central Institute of
Subtropical Horticulture (ICAR), Lucknow,
India. 1pp.
Lambou r n G . 191 8 . Beng a l Dist r i c t
Gazetteers-Malda. The Bengal Secretariat
Book Depot, Calcutta.
Majumdar PK and Sharma DK. 1990.
Mango. In: Fruits: Tropical and Subtropical.
Calcutta, India. pp.1 62.
Mukherjee SK. 1967. History, Origin and
Botany. In: The Mango A Handbook. Indian
Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
pp.1 13.
Mu k h e r j e e S K a n d L i t z R E. 2 00 9 .
Introduction: Botany and Importance. In: The
Mango, 2nd Edition: Botany, Production and
Uses . CA B In te rnational , Lo nd on, UK .
pp.1 18.
Nene YL. 2001. Mango through Millennia.
Asian Agri-History 5(1): 39 67.
Pandey SN and Dinesh MR. 2010. Mango.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New
Delhi.
Popenoe W. 1920. Manual of Tropical and
Subtropical Fruits. The Macmillan Company,
New York.
Sengupta JC. 1969. Bengal District
Gazetteers- Malda. Calcutta.
Tripathy AK. 2011. The Five Jewels of
Laxmana Sena. Orissa Review. pp.18 20. 
doi:http://odisha.govt.in/e-magazine/Orissa
Review/2011/may/eng pdf/18 20.pdf
fuel and thereby earn some money which
further helps the farmers to purchase
necessary inputs, such as fertilizer and
pesticides etc.; this practice is specially
found in Ritual-II block (Khara, 2013).
Conclusion
Malda d istrict has long h istorical
association with mango cultivation that
started since Pala and Sena Dynasty. The
method of cultivation has undergone some
changes since 1970s but its conventionality
still persists and growers have limited
propensities to adopt the advanced orchard
management strategy due to several socio-
economic causes. However, this traditional
commercial exotic fruit crop is still being
conventionally cultivated with mother's
care, and it is the part and parcel of people's
life in Malda.
References
Butani DK. 1993. Mango: Pest Problems.
Periodical Expert Book Agency, Delhi, India.
3pp.
Carter M. 1938. Final Report on the Survey
and Settlement Operation in the District of
Malda. Bengal Government Press, Alipore.
History: Sena Era. Retrieved August 12,
2 0 1 6, fro m h t t p :/ /m urs h i da ba d. ne t:
hp://murshidabad.net/history/murshidaba
d.htm
Khara SN. 2012. Adhunik Padhatite Aam
Chash O Prakriakaran (in Bengali). Mehnoti
Prakashani, Hugli, India. pp.2 3.
Khara SN. 20 13 . M al da her A am -O -Tar
Mango cultivation in Malda district
Early History of Crop Introductions into India:
II. Amaranthus (L.) spp.
2924, Sector-23, Gurugram 122 017, Haryana, India (email: anurudhksingh@gmail.com)
Date of acceptance: 6 August 2017
Anurudh K Singh
Amaranthus is a cosmopolitan genus of
annual or short-lived perennial species.
Approximately 60 to 70 species have been
described. They show a wide variety of
morphological diversity among and even
within certain species, for this reason the
genus has been considered difcult.
Species are differentiated on the basis of
even chromosome number classied into
three groups. Group 1 with 2n=32 includes
A. caudatus and A. edulis with weedy A.
quitensis from Andean region of South
America. Species from Central and North
America form the other two groups. Group
2 w it h 2 n = 3 2 c on s i s ti n g o f A .
hypochondriacus and the wild A. hybridus,
while Group 3 with 2n=34 includes
cultivated A. cruentus and wild A.
powellii. Index Kewensis has the following
synonym i e s : A . c a u d a t u s , s y n . A.
paniculatus, syn. frumentaceus, and A.
hypochondriacus, syn. A. leucocarpus.
Cultivated species are primarily grown for
grains used as pseudo-cereals, leafy
vegetables, and ornamental plants. Grain
amaranths are nutritionally rich and
provide a complete diet of amino acids.
Because of predominant occurrence of 56
wild Amaranthus species (Mujica and
Jacobsen, 2003), and that the wild and
ancestral relatives of the cultivated grain
amaranth species are strictly American, it
has become clear that the cultivated species
are certainly of ancient American (New
World) origin, particularly, the grain
amaranths. Amaranthus cruentus (=A.
paniculatus) ori ginated in southern
Guatemala, south of Mexico and Central
America; A. h ypochondriacus (= A.
leucocarpus, A. frumentaceus, etc. in
northern Mexico; and A. caudatus (= A.
mantegaxxianus, A. edulis) in Andes. No
comparable wild or feral ancestors for the
grain amaranths are known from Asia.
The earliest record of pale-seeded grain
amaranth crop comes from Tehuacan,
Pu ebl a, Mexic o, whe re A. cruentus
appeared about 4000 BC and was joined by
A. hypochondriacus about 500 AD. Pale-
seeded A. hypochondriacus appeared later
in prehistoric cliff dwellings in Arizona
and rock-shelters in the Ozarks (Fritz,
1984). In Mesoamerica, the cultivation of a
grain amaranth began as early as 4000 BC
(García-Bárcena, 2000). The earliest
records of A. caudatus is from 2000-year
old tombs in north-western Argentina
(Hunzik e r and Planchuelo, 1971),
Short communication
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017 (319-324)
318 319

strikingly similar. In both areas, the crop
shows a special afnity for the highlands.
The seeds are rst parched or popped; then
they are either made into balls like
popcorn, with a syrup binder, or they are
ground to meal, which is stirred into a drink
or baked into little cakes. Anderson (1960)
has demonstrated beyond all reasonable
doubt that Asiatic and American
amaranths are identical.
Grain amaranths
Several annual species are cultivated for
amaranth grains in the Americas and Asia.
Ancient grain amaranth still used includes
the three species, Amaranthus caudatus, A.
hypochondriacus, and A. cruentus.
Amaranthus c a u d a t u s (L . ) . M o s t
evidences suggest Andean region for the
ori gin of A. caud atus . I t proba bly
originated by domestication of A. quitensis
as an ancient Andean grain crop (Sauer,
1967). The Asian forms of the plant are
clearly within the norms for A. caudatus of
the Americas. In India, the grain of A.
ca udat us has b een rec overed at an
archaeological s i t e a t the N a r h a n
(1000800 BC) (Saraswat et al., 1994).
Also, it has a Sanskrit name, rajagiri
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson,1999)
corroborating its early cultivation and use.
The food uses to which the grain is put are
the same both in the Himalayan area
(India) and Middle America. This species
was probably carried from South America
to Asia/India, when Sanskrit was still an
active language (by AD 1000). It presumed
to have probably occurred through early
transoceanic contact via sailing or trading
conrming the American domestication
and center of origin of these species. This is
also corroborated by the records of Spanish
Conquest of South and Central America.
In Asia, they appear to have come from
different locations i n the Americas.
Amaranthus hypochondriacus
(=leucocarpus) and A. caudatus, both are
found to be grown throughout East,
Southeast and South Asia. Sauer (1950)
concluded the re i s a great, vaguely
delimited grain amaranth region stretching
all the way from Manchuria through
interior China and the Him alaya to
Afghanistan, Persia, and hills of India.
S a u e r ( 19 50 ) w a s i m p r e s s e d by
Bretschneider (1896) presentation what
seems to be a clear reference to a grain
amaranth in a Chinese Materia Medica.
Mode of cultivation and use of amaranth
crops both in the New and Old Worlds are
Because of predominant
occurrence of 56 wild Amaranthus
species (Mujica and Jacobsen
2003), and that the wild and
ancestral relatives of the cultivated
grain amaranth species are strictly
American, it has become clear that
the cultivated species are certainly
of ancient American (New World)
origin, particularly, the grain
amaranths.
No comparable wild or feral
ancestors for the grain amaranths
are known from Asia.
Amaranthus spp. in India
voyages (Sorenson and Johannessen, 2004).
Amaranthus cruentus (L.). Originated
and domesticated in Guatemala or in
southern Mexico (Sauer, 1967), it is
widesp r e a d t h roughout Asia to b e
speculated to have been introduced in early
times of agricultural history, possibly three
or more millennia BP. Its introduction is
quite mysterious, which extends to the
tropical and warm temperate parts of
Asia/India. Only circumstantial evidence,
such as Buddhist priests in eastern Bhutan
perform an annual eucharist-like service
involving popped amaranth seed of this
species mixed with honey, support its early
cultivation.
Amaranthus hypochondriacus (L.). A.
h y p o c h o n d r i a c u s , m o st p ro ba b l y
originated in highland Mexico. This is
another Amaranth species cultivated in
India. Like A. caudatus, it has an extended
distribution in Asia. Again, food uses are
similar. All specimens examined from
Nepal appear to be identical to common
Latin American's grains. It was probably
introduced to Indian subcontinent three or
mo re mil len nia a go (BP), probably
through human transoceanic movement, as
speculated by Sorenson and Johannessen
(2004) and Singh and Nigam (2017).
Leafy amaranths
Many amaranth species are cultivated and
consumed as leafy vegetables in many
parts of the world, including India.
Amaranth species grown particularly in
southern India are Amaranthus tricolor, A.
dubius, and A. cruentus as leafy vegetables
for soup or boiled salad greens (potherbs).
However, there is no evidence on their
ancient cultivation and use.
Wild amaranths
Amaranthus spinosus (Linn. Roxb.). The
thorny amaranth is a very troublesome
weed found all over southern India and
Burma. It is also one of the commonest
weedy amaranths in the New World in
tropical lowlands, where it presumably
originated (Sauer, 1967). Its multiple
Sanskrit names, tandaluya, kataib, chaulai
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson, 1999) and
discovery of its seeds at Narhan, district
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (Saraswat
et al., 1994) indicate that it probably grew
wild in pre-Columbian times as well.
These facts attest its presence in India at
least two or more millennia ago; that also
agr e e s w i t h it s wi d e d i s t r ibutio n
throughout southern India and beyond.
Amaranthus spinosus seeds probably
accidentally accompanied grain amaranths
Anderson (1960) has
demonstrated beyond all
reasonable doubt that Asiatic and
American amaranths are identical.
Several annual species are
cultivated for amaranth grains in
the Americas and Asia. Ancient
grain amaranth still used includes
the three species, Amaranthus
caudatus, A. hypochondriacus
and A. cruentus.
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017 (163-180)
320 321

strikingly similar. In both areas, the crop
shows a special afnity for the highlands.
The seeds are rst parched or popped; then
they are either made into balls like
popcorn, with a syrup binder, or they are
ground to meal, which is stirred into a drink
or baked into little cakes. Anderson (1960)
has demonstrated beyond all reasonable
doubt that Asiatic and American
amaranths are identical.
Grain amaranths
Several annual species are cultivated for
amaranth grains in the Americas and Asia.
Ancient grain amaranth still used includes
the three species, Amaranthus caudatus, A.
hypochondriacus, and A. cruentus.
Amaranthus c a u d a t u s (L . ) . M o s t
evidences suggest Andean region for the
ori gin of A. caud atus . I t proba bly
originated by domestication of A. quitensis
as an ancient Andean grain crop (Sauer,
1967). The Asian forms of the plant are
clearly within the norms for A. caudatus of
the Americas. In India, the grain of A.
ca udat us has b een rec overed at an
archaeological s i t e a t the N a r h a n
(1000800 BC) (Saraswat et al., 1994).
Also, it has a Sanskrit name, rajagiri
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson,1999)
corroborating its early cultivation and use.
The food uses to which the grain is put are
the same both in the Himalayan area
(India) and Middle America. This species
was probably carried from South America
to Asia/India, when Sanskrit was still an
active language (by AD 1000). It presumed
to have probably occurred through early
transoceanic contact via sailing or trading
conrming the American domestication
and center of origin of these species. This is
also corroborated by the records of Spanish
Conquest of South and Central America.
In Asia, they appear to have come from
different locations i n the Americas.
Amaranthus hypochondriacus
(=leucocarpus) and A. caudatus, both are
found to be grown throughout East,
Southeast and South Asia. Sauer (1950)
concluded the re i s a great, vaguely
delimited grain amaranth region stretching
all the way from Manchuria through
interior China and the Him alaya to
Afghanistan, Persia, and hills of India.
S a u e r ( 19 50 ) w a s i m p r e s s e d by
Bretschneider (1896) presentation what
seems to be a clear reference to a grain
amaranth in a Chinese Materia Medica.
Mode of cultivation and use of amaranth
crops both in the New and Old Worlds are
Because of predominant
occurrence of 56 wild Amaranthus
species (Mujica and Jacobsen
2003), and that the wild and
ancestral relatives of the cultivated
grain amaranth species are strictly
American, it has become clear that
the cultivated species are certainly
of ancient American (New World)
origin, particularly, the grain
amaranths.
No comparable wild or feral
ancestors for the grain amaranths
are known from Asia.
Amaranthus spp. in India
voyages (Sorenson and Johannessen, 2004).
Amaranthus cruentus (L.). Originated
and domesticated in Guatemala or in
southern Mexico (Sauer, 1967), it is
widesp r e a d t h roughout Asia to b e
speculated to have been introduced in early
times of agricultural history, possibly three
or more millennia BP. Its introduction is
quite mysterious, which extends to the
tropical and warm temperate parts of
Asia/India. Only circumstantial evidence,
such as Buddhist priests in eastern Bhutan
perform an annual eucharist-like service
involving popped amaranth seed of this
species mixed with honey, support its early
cultivation.
Amaranthus hypochondriacus (L.). A.
h y p o c h o n d r i a c u s , m o st p ro ba b l y
originated in highland Mexico. This is
another Amaranth species cultivated in
India. Like A. caudatus, it has an extended
distribution in Asia. Again, food uses are
similar. All specimens examined from
Nepal appear to be identical to common
Latin American's grains. It was probably
introduced to Indian subcontinent three or
mo re mil len nia a go (BP), probably
through human transoceanic movement, as
speculated by Sorenson and Johannessen
(2004) and Singh and Nigam (2017).
Leafy amaranths
Many amaranth species are cultivated and
consumed as leafy vegetables in many
parts of the world, including India.
Amaranth species grown particularly in
southern India are Amaranthus tricolor, A.
dubius, and A. cruentus as leafy vegetables
for soup or boiled salad greens (potherbs).
However, there is no evidence on their
ancient cultivation and use.
Wild amaranths
Amaranthus spinosus (Linn. Roxb.). The
thorny amaranth is a very troublesome
weed found all over southern India and
Burma. It is also one of the commonest
weedy amaranths in the New World in
tropical lowlands, where it presumably
originated (Sauer, 1967). Its multiple
Sanskrit names, tandaluya, kataib, chaulai
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson, 1999) and
discovery of its seeds at Narhan, district
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (Saraswat
et al., 1994) indicate that it probably grew
wild in pre-Columbian times as well.
These facts attest its presence in India at
least two or more millennia ago; that also
agr e e s w i t h it s wi d e d i s t r ibutio n
throughout southern India and beyond.
Amaranthus spinosus seeds probably
accidentally accompanied grain amaranths
Anderson (1960) has
demonstrated beyond all
reasonable doubt that Asiatic and
American amaranths are identical.
Several annual species are
cultivated for amaranth grains in
the Americas and Asia. Ancient
grain amaranth still used includes
the three species, Amaranthus
caudatus, A. hypochondriacus
and A. cruentus.
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017 (163-180)
320 321

(India) from time immemorial, inferring
prehistoric introduction to Asia, including
India. However, the question how did the
Amaranthus species reached Asia and
India, remained inconclusive, and has been
debated in several publications. Whether
the crop reached Asia before the European
expansion has not been answered with
certainty. Both Central American A.
hypochondriacus and South American, A.
caudatus h ave been s e e n in w i d e
cultivation in Asia over l arge a reas
ex tend ing fro m Manc huria thr ough
interior China and the Himalayas to India,
Afghanistan, and Iran. Travelers have
reported seeing red and yellow patches of
amaranths on the hillsides "tinging with
ame of the bare mountain slopes." In the
Himalayas, it is a common food, used for
brea d , a n d c a kes among peasa n t s .
Amaranthus caudatus found in northern
India has common names rajgira ("king
seed"), ramdana ("seed sent by God"), and
keerai. Indians pop the grain and make it
into confections (called laddoos) with
honey or syrup, just the same way as the
Aztec and Maya of Guatemala, Mexico,
and Central and South Americans did
centuries ago. Among Hindus, popped
amaranth grain soaked in milk is now used
on certain festival or fasting days, when
eating traditional cereals is forbidden. All
specimens examined from Nepal appear to
be identical to common Latin American
forms. Local names reported are: marcha
in northwest Nepal, nana in central Nepal
in general, pilim among Sherpa of central
Nepal, and latav in Katmandu. These facts
suggest that grain amaranth, particularly A.
species from America.
Introduction to Asia and India
The spread of American (New World)
domesticated amaranths species to the Old
World have been suggested by European
his toria ns via Europ e. It has been
t h
visualized that by 19 century A.
hypochondriacus with A. caudatus as an
occasional minor associate has been
adopted as staple food grain in the Nilgiri
Hills of South India and in the Himalayas.
From where, they have spread to wide
regions extend ing from Pakistan t o
interiors of China to Manchuria and
Eastern Siberia (Sauer, 1995). Also, it has
been suggested that the amaranth plants
were introduced from Brazil to India by
early Portuguese traders (Merrill, 1954).
However, this visualization is not at all
satisfying, because there is no evidence
that amaranths were ever cultivated for
grain in Brazil or any other Portuguese
areas of the New World.
Many investigators, from De Candolle to
Merrill have concluded that the amaranth
crop has certainly been cultivated in
southern Asia from time immemorial and
even probably originated there (as quoted
by Sauer, 1950). Joshi and Rana (1991)
corroborated this presumption based on
direct and indirect evidence. Sorenson and
Johannessen (2004) in their detailed article
on Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Voyages
discussing all available evidences has
concluded that there is no evidence to
prove that all the grain amaranths are not of
New World (American) origin, and that
they were not cultivated in southern Asia
Amaranthus spp. in India
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017 (163-180)
hypoch o n d r i a c u s and A . c a u d a t u s
underwent a remarkable migration to Asia.
As inferred by Sorenson and Johannessen
(2004) and Singh and Nigam (2017), most
probably, they were transported by humans
fr om the Am eri cas to Asia through
seafaring transoceanic movement using
rafts or watercrafts for which new
evidences have emerged in recent past
(Bellwood, 2015).
The support to corroborate this hypothesis
of introduction and early cultivation of
amaranths are found in early literary and
archeological records from India. Seeds of
A. caudatus, along with A. spinosus, the
thorny weed common to India has been
discovered at the archaeological site of
Narh a n, G orakhp u r, Uttar Prad e s h
(Saraswat et al. 1995). They date to the
1000800 BC, a time at which they also
grew in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
(Sauer, 1967). Additionally, Sanskrit name
did exist for grain and weedy amaranths
indigenous to Southeast Asia and India
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson, 1999).
References
Anderson Edgar. 1960. The evolution of
domestication in Evolution after Darwin, vol.
2: The Evolution of Man, Sol Tax, ed., 7684.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Bellwood P. (Ed.) 2015. The Global Prehistory
of Human Migration, Wiley-Blackwell. 448 pp.
Bretschneider E. 1896. Botanicon Sinicum.
Notes on Chinese Botany from Native and
Western Sources. Part II. The Botany of the
Chinese Classics, with Annotations, Appendix
and Index by Rev. Ernst Faber. Shanghai:
Printed by Kelly & Walsh, Ltd.
Chopra RN, Nayar SL, and Chopra IC.
1956. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants.,
Council of Scientic and Industrial Research,
New Delhi. 330 pp.
Fritz GJ. 1984. Identication of cultivated
amaranth and chenopodes from the rock shelter
sites in North America. Arkansas. American
Antiq 49: 558572.
García-Bárcena Joaquín. 2000. Tiempo
Mesoamericano II: Preclásico Temprano (2500
a. C.1200 a. C.), Arqueología Mexicana 8 (41,
Jul.-Ag.): 12-7.
Hunziker AT and Planchuelo AM. 1971.
Sobre un nuevo hallazgo de Amaranthus
caudatus entumbasindigenas de Argentina.
Kurtziana 6:6367.
Jo shi BD and Rana RS. 1 991. G rain
Amaranths: the future Food Crop: National
Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi,
India. 152 pp.
Merrill ED. 1954 . The beauty of cook's
vovages. Chronica Bot.14(5/6) : 161384.
The spread of American (New
World) domesticated amaranths
species to the Old World have been
suggested by European historians
via Europe. It has been visualized
that by 19th century A.
hypochondriacus with A.
caudatus as an occasional minor
associate has been adopted as
staple food grain in the Nilgiri Hills
of South India and in the
Himalayas. From where, they have
spread to wide regions extending
from Pakistan to interiors of China
to Manchuria and Eastern Siberia.
322 323

(India) from time immemorial, inferring
prehistoric introduction to Asia, including
India. However, the question how did the
Amaranthus species reached Asia and
India, remained inconclusive, and has been
debated in several publications. Whether
the crop reached Asia before the European
expansion has not been answered with
certainty. Both Central American A.
hypochondriacus and South American, A.
caudatus h ave been s e e n in w i d e
cultivation in Asia over l arge a reas
ex tend ing fro m Manc huria thr ough
interior China and the Himalayas to India,
Afghanistan, and Iran. Travelers have
reported seeing red and yellow patches of
amaranths on the hillsides "tinging with
ame of the bare mountain slopes." In the
Himalayas, it is a common food, used for
brea d , a n d c a kes among peasa n t s .
Amaranthus caudatus found in northern
India has common names rajgira ("king
seed"), ramdana ("seed sent by God"), and
keerai. Indians pop the grain and make it
into confections (called laddoos) with
honey or syrup, just the same way as the
Aztec and Maya of Guatemala, Mexico,
and Central and South Americans did
centuries ago. Among Hindus, popped
amaranth grain soaked in milk is now used
on certain festival or fasting days, when
eating traditional cereals is forbidden. All
specimens examined from Nepal appear to
be identical to common Latin American
forms. Local names reported are: marcha
in northwest Nepal, nana in central Nepal
in general, pilim among Sherpa of central
Nepal, and latav in Katmandu. These facts
suggest that grain amaranth, particularly A.
species from America.
Introduction to Asia and India
The spread of American (New World)
domesticated amaranths species to the Old
World have been suggested by European
his toria ns via Europ e. It has been
t h
visualized that by 19 century A.
hypochondriacus with A. caudatus as an
occasional minor associate has been
adopted as staple food grain in the Nilgiri
Hills of South India and in the Himalayas.
From where, they have spread to wide
regions extend ing from Pakistan t o
interiors of China to Manchuria and
Eastern Siberia (Sauer, 1995). Also, it has
been suggested that the amaranth plants
were introduced from Brazil to India by
early Portuguese traders (Merrill, 1954).
However, this visualization is not at all
satisfying, because there is no evidence
that amaranths were ever cultivated for
grain in Brazil or any other Portuguese
areas of the New World.
Many investigators, from De Candolle to
Merrill have concluded that the amaranth
crop has certainly been cultivated in
southern Asia from time immemorial and
even probably originated there (as quoted
by Sauer, 1950). Joshi and Rana (1991)
corroborated this presumption based on
direct and indirect evidence. Sorenson and
Johannessen (2004) in their detailed article
on Pre-Columbian Transoceanic Voyages
discussing all available evidences has
concluded that there is no evidence to
prove that all the grain amaranths are not of
New World (American) origin, and that
they were not cultivated in southern Asia
Amaranthus spp. in India
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017 (163-180)
hypoch o n d r i a c u s and A . c a u d a t u s
underwent a remarkable migration to Asia.
As inferred by Sorenson and Johannessen
(2004) and Singh and Nigam (2017), most
probably, they were transported by humans
fr om the Am eri cas to Asia through
seafaring transoceanic movement using
rafts or watercrafts for which new
evidences have emerged in recent past
(Bellwood, 2015).
The support to corroborate this hypothesis
of introduction and early cultivation of
amaranths are found in early literary and
archeological records from India. Seeds of
A. caudatus, along with A. spinosus, the
thorny weed common to India has been
discovered at the archaeological site of
Narh a n, G orakhp u r, Uttar Prad e s h
(Saraswat et al. 1995). They date to the
1000800 BC, a time at which they also
grew in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
(Sauer, 1967). Additionally, Sanskrit name
did exist for grain and weedy amaranths
indigenous to Southeast Asia and India
(Chopra et al., 1956; Torkelson, 1999).
References
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domestication in Evolution after Darwin, vol.
2: The Evolution of Man, Sol Tax, ed., 7684.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Bellwood P. (Ed.) 2015. The Global Prehistory
of Human Migration, Wiley-Blackwell. 448 pp.
Bretschneider E. 1896. Botanicon Sinicum.
Notes on Chinese Botany from Native and
Western Sources. Part II. The Botany of the
Chinese Classics, with Annotations, Appendix
and Index by Rev. Ernst Faber. Shanghai:
Printed by Kelly & Walsh, Ltd.
Chopra RN, Nayar SL, and Chopra IC.
1956. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants.,
Council of Scientic and Industrial Research,
New Delhi. 330 pp.
Fritz GJ. 1984. Identication of cultivated
amaranth and chenopodes from the rock shelter
sites in North America. Arkansas. American
Antiq 49: 558572.
García-Bárcena Joaquín. 2000. Tiempo
Mesoamericano II: Preclásico Temprano (2500
a. C.1200 a. C.), Arqueología Mexicana 8 (41,
Jul.-Ag.): 12-7.
Hunziker AT and Planchuelo AM. 1971.
Sobre un nuevo hallazgo de Amaranthus
caudatus entumbasindigenas de Argentina.
Kurtziana 6:6367.
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Amaranths: the future Food Crop: National
Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi,
India. 152 pp.
Merrill ED. 1954 . The beauty of cook's
vovages. Chronica Bot.14(5/6) : 161384.
The spread of American (New
World) domesticated amaranths
species to the Old World have been
suggested by European historians
via Europe. It has been visualized
that by 19th century A.
hypochondriacus with A.
caudatus as an occasional minor
associate has been adopted as
staple food grain in the Nilgiri Hills
of South India and in the
Himalayas. From where, they have
spread to wide regions extending
from Pakistan to interiors of China
to Manchuria and Eastern Siberia.
322 323

Sauer JD. 1995. Grain Amaranths Amaranthus
spp. (Amaranathaceae) In: Evolution of Crop
Plants (Smartt J and Simmonds NW eds.),
Longman Group UK, pp. 810.
Singh Anurudh K and Nigam SN. 2017.
Ancient alien crop introductions integral to
Indian agriculture: An Overview Proceedings
of Indian National Science Academy, 83(3):
549-568 DOI: 10.16943/ptinsa/2017/48970
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Sc ien ti c Evidence f or Pr e-C olu mbian
Transoceanic Voyages. Sino-Platonic Papers, p
273, Department of East Asian Languages and
Civilizations. University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, USA.
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Medicine A-Z. Vol. IV. The Cross-Name Index
to Medicinal Plants. CRC Press Boca Raton
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res o u r ces of Ande a n grain a m a ranth s
(Amaranthus caudatus L., A. cruentus L. and A.
hypochondriacus L.) in America.  Plant
Genetic Resources Newsletter 133: 4144.
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1994. Plant economy at ancient Narhan (ca.
1300 BC-300/400 AD) In: Excavations at
Narhan (1984-1989) (Singh P. ed.), Banaras
Hindu University Varanasi, pp. 255346.
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of their history and classication, Sources. Part
II. The Botany of the Chinese Classics, with
Annotations, Appendix and Index by Rev.
Ernst Faber. Shanghai: Printed by Kelly &
Walsh, Ltd.
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Amaranthus spp. in India
Asian Agri-History Vol. 21, No. 4, 2017
Brief report of National Workshop on “Innovations in Traditional Agriculture for
Sustaining Humanity organized by Uttarakhand Chapter of (AAHF-UC)
A National workshop on 'Innovation in
Traditional Agriculture for Sustaining
Humanity' was held at GB Pant University on
August 29-30, 2017. The workshop was
graced by the presence of Dr. YL Nene, former
Deputy Director General, International Crops
Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT), Hyderabad, Chairman Emeritus
of Asian Agri-History Foundation (AAHF)
and renowned Plant Pathologist, as Chief
Guest. The inaugural session was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor & Patron UCAAHF,
Dr. J Kumar. The speakers of the four technical sessions included Dr. Y L Nene, Dr. SPS
Beniwal, founder trustee of the foundation (AAHF) and freelance international consultant in
agricultural research, innovation systems and development; Padam Shri Subhash Palekar,
Advisor to Government of Andhra Pradesh for Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF); Shri
Vijay Jardhari, veteran activist of Beej Bachao Andolan from Uttarakhand; Shri Gadde
Satish Babu, an outstanding organic farmer using traditional agriculture practices in Andhra
Pradesh; Shri Tara Chand Belji, a progressive experienced farmer of Madhya Pradesh,
disseminating innovative techniques of traditional agriculture at a large scale; and Dr. Swami
Bhoomanand Saraswati, Director, Centre for Tradition Knowledge Research Application
(CTKRA) AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh.
During the workshop, strengths and relevance of ancient knowledge and of traditional
agriculture in the present context of modern agriculture were discussed with the objective of
ensuring sustainability and livelihood security. Dr. Nene discussed different types of organic
farming practices which are prevalent and need to be promoted in India. He highlighted the
methodology and significance of different organic systems like biodynamic Agriculture,
Vermiculture, and Natuecoculture, Zero budget natural farming, Rishi-Krishi techniques,
Agnihotra, Panchgavyas etc. He summarized the methods of organic crop farming with their
future as well as their potential to contribute to food security of India. As per his opinion
useful knowledge of old generation must be validated and be used in the present-day
agriculture and their experience (ITK) must be documented. Dr. Beniwal presented the
chronological records of Asian History of Agriculture Heritage from 30,000 BCE to 2000 CE
in a systematic manner. He highlighted the importance of Kunapajala and emphasized the
need to initiate research work on herbal Kunapajala. Shri Satish Babu Gadde , an
experienced and outstanding farmer of Andhra Pradesh, has been awarded the Best Farmer
Dignitaries on Dias
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