Augmentation of leaf color parameters, pigments, vitamins, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidant activity in selected Amaranthus tricolor under salinity stress

Amaranthus tricolor genotype VA13 was evaluated under four salinity stress in terms of color parameters, leaf pigments, β-carotene, vitamin C, TPC, TFC, TAC, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Salinity stress significantly increases all the studied traits. The increments of all these compounds were high under moderate and severe salinity stress compared to control condition. In this study, trans-cinnamic acid was newly identified phenoic acid in A. tricolor. Salicylic acid, vanilic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, isoquercetin and m-coumaric acid were the most abundant phenolic compounds of amaranth that increased with the severity of salinity stress. A. tricolor leaves are good source of pigments, β-carotene, vitamin C, bioactive compounds, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidants. In salt-stressed amaranth, correlation studies revealed strong antioxidant activity of leaf pigments, β-carotene, vitamin C, TPC, TFC. These bioactive compounds played a vital role in scavenging ROS and could be beneficial to human nutrition by serving as a good antioxidant and antiaging source in human health benefit. A. tricolor cultivated under salinity stress conditions can contribute a high quality of the final product in terms of leaf pigments, bioactive compounds, phenolic acids, flavonoids and antioxidants. It can be a promising alternative crop in saline-prone areas.