Abstract
With the growth of world population and climate changes, food safety will be a problem. Portulaca is a wild edible plant adapted to warm climate and resistant to drought. The aim of this work was to evaluate 18 accessions of Portulaca species under two different seasons in order to identify the most stable accession for better exploitation in breeding programs. The experiment was conducted in an entirely randomized design, with three replicates (three plants/accession), following the factorial scheme 2 seasons × 18 accessions, based on nine quantitative traits. The interaction between seasons and accessions was significant for the number of leaves (p ≤ 0.01). It is possible to observe that all the genotypes evaluated showed stability, except for the genotype PH01, which presented a smaller number of leaves in the winter season. The accessions PU02 and PU10 presented major plant height and leaf measurements. The accessions PU04, PU03, PU07 and PU39 (P. umbraticola) presented greater number of leaves and showed stability between seasons, and, regarding morphological traits, they were superior to the P. oleracea species. They should be used in hybridization programs in order to insert desirable genes to produce new productive vegetable crops, providing new species options in order to replace conventional plants.
1. Introduction
The projected world population is 10 billion inhabitants by the year 2050, increasing food demand. The majority of the world’s contemporary cropland has yields well below their potential, and agricultural expansion has serious long-term implications for the ecosystems [1].
We often do not explore the full food potential available in local biodiversity, keeping ourselves restricted to a small group of options. Wild edible plants (WEP) or nonconventional edible plants (NCEP) can enrich and enhance culinary preparations in several ways [2,3]. Employing a more efficient nutrient use worldwide provides a promising path to more environmentally sustainable agricultural intensification and more equitable global food supplies [1].
Portulaca genus has multiple uses, for example, as an ornamental, vegetable and a medicinal plant, as well as a plant used for phytoremediation. P. grandiflora and P. umbraticola are the species most used as ornamental due to their range of flower color [4,5]. On the other hand, P. oleracea is consumed as a wild vegetable or animal feed in many regions. This species is a valuable WEP species, spread worldwide, and is a promising alternative to substitute conventional crops in harsh conditions due to its resilience to adverse conditions [3,6,7]. Through extreme weather, climate change will disturb food security and crop production [8]. P. oleracea, also known as common purslane, has in its composition all the essential minerals, vitamins and proteins, in addition to having the highest vitamin content among green leafy vegetables [9]. Its use as medicinal plant is based on the amount of different components reported by several research groups. Phytochemical studies have shown that common purslane is one of the richest terrestrial sources of ω-3 and ω-6 fatty acids [10,11]. Additionally, it is a rich source of ascorbic acid, tocopherols, glutathione and β-carotene, suggesting its nutraceutical potential. It is also an important source of specialized metabolites, such as alkaloids, catecholamines, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, lignans, terpenoids and betalains [6]. This makes purslane a potential new source of nutritive food for both humans and animals [11]. These scientific reports on its chemical compounds show that this common weed has potential use as a nutraceutical and pharmacological vegetable, making it one of the potentially important crops for the future [6,12]. Besides this, they can also be a source of features of direct importance to agriculture, such as phytoremediation, allelopathy and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress [7,13,14].
Despite all the benefits shown by these species, in several countries, it is seen only as a weed, and its cultivation as a food crop is rarely exploited [3]. This cosmopolitan genus is widespread in Brazil, where it is consumed for ornamental purposes and as an NCEP [5,13]. Few studies have focused on the cultivation and domestication of different Portulaca species, and efforts must be taken to exploit its genetic variability for local agronomic programs based on the availability and suitability of Portulaca accessions/species [4].
Genetic variations are crucial in plant breeding programs to produce new superior cultivars and better selection efficiency [15]. This can be determined through genealogical analysis using a variety of methods, including molecular markers, protein markers and morphological characteristics [16]. Quantitative traits, such as the yield and yield components, of many crops are affected by Genotypic (G) × Environmental (E) interactions, which are a concern to plant breeders [17]. G × E interactions reduce the correlation between genotype and phenotype and may contribute to the instability of accessions when grown in different environments, using different planting dates and cultural practices. Knowing how these factors impact plant growth and development would reduce yield losses. As far as we are concerned, only one study was made to determine the effect of planting date and its interaction with different genotypes on common purslane yield and yield components [18].
This study was conducted to provide a more accurate investigation of the performance of 18 different accessions of Portulaca species in two different seasons (planting date) in order to identify the most stable accession for better exploitation in breeding programs.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Plant Material, Cultivation and Experimental Location
Eighteen accessions of Portulaca spp. belonging to the Vegetable Germplasm Bank of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Federal University of Paraiba (Table 1 and Figures S1–S3) were studied. The accessions were propagated through cuttings. The experiment was based on a previous work [11]. Three cuttings of each accession were arranged in different pots with 2.0 L of capacity filled with coconut fiber substrate, previously autoclaved.
Table 1.
Accession name and species of 18 accessions evaluated in this study.
The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding of the Center of Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of Paraíba, located on Areia City, Paraíba State, northeast of Brazil (6°58′18″ S 35°43′16″ W), at an altitude of 510 m above ocean level.
Two experiments were carried out: the first one in summer, from 17 October 2022 to 23 January 2023, and the second one in winter, from 1 May 2023 to 7 August 2023.
Weather conditions among the eight months of experiments were collected in Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia [19] (Table 2).
Table 2.
Weather conditions of conducted experiments during two seasons.
2.2. Morpho-Agronomic Characterization and Statistical Analysis
The characterization was made at the flowering stage, 45 days after propagation, based on nine quantitative traits: canopy width (cm), plant height (cm), stem diameter at the base (cm), internode distance (cm), leaf width (cm), leaf length (cm), flower diameter (cm), number of leaves and number of branches. All data were obtained using a digital caliper (LOTUS PLUS®, Hong Kong, China), graduated ruler and counting. They were submitted to the best agronomic practices including irrigation, fertilization and application of pesticides for pest and plant disease control. Fertilizer was supplied once a week in the dosages recommended for vegetables. The plants received a daily water supply until they reached field capacity in the pots, through micro-sprinklers installed on the greenhouse benches. They were also in full sunlight at the location 6°58′18.7″ S 35°43′15.0″ W.
The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 × 18 factorial scheme (2 seasons and 18 accessions), with three replicates. The obtained data were subjected to a model III analysis of variance [20], with subsequent grouping of means using the Skott–Knott test (p ≤ 0.01). All statistical analyses were performed in the GENES Software, Version 1990.2025.90 [21].
3. Results
3.1. Analysis of Variance
There were no significant differences for interaction between seasons × accession factors for all evaluated traits (p ≤ 0.01), except for number of leaves. Accession factors showed significance for all the evaluated traits (p ≤ 0.01). On the other hand, season factor presented significance for all traits, except for internode distance, leaf width, flower diameter and number of leaves (Table 3). The heritability values varied from 72.58 (internode distance) to 98.04 (flower diameter).
Table 3.
Summary of analysis of variance for nine quantitative variables of 18 accessions of Portulaca spp.
3.2. Unfolding Seasons × Accessions Interaction
Unfolding seasons × accession interactions for number of leaves, it was possible to group the accessions into three classes in summer and two classes in winter (Table 4). The accession PH1 presented the highest leaf number and the accessions PG01, PW1, PO01 and PO02 presented the lowest averages of leaf number. In winter, in addition to the genotypes PG01, PW1, PO01 and PO02, the genotype PA01 presented lower averages, and the others presented higher average values. Analyzing the seasons within the accessions, it was possible to observe that all the evaluated accessions remained stable except for the genotype PH01, which presented a smaller number of leaves in winter (Table 4).
Table 4.
Comparison of means for number of leaves between two seasons and 18 accessions.
3.3. Effect of Accession Factor
It was possible to group the accessions from two to five distinct classes for the analyzed variables (Table 5).
Table 5.
Comparison of eight quantitative variables among 18 purslane accessions.
The accessions were grouped into two distinct classes for canopy width. Accessions PH01, PG01, PW1, PO01, PA01 and PO02 presented the lowest averages for this trait, and the other genotypes obtained the highest averages (Table 5).
Regarding the plant height, the accessions were joined into four distinct classes. PU02 and PU10 presented the highest average, and the other ones presented lower averages (Table 4).
The stem diameter presented two distinct classes, and the accessions PH01, PG08, PG01, PO01 and PA01 presented the smallest average values (Table 4).
The internode distance was divided into two classes. The lowest average values were found in the accessions PH01, PG08, PG01, PW01, PO01 and PA01 (Table 4).
The accessions were grouped into four classes for leaf width. PH1, PG08 and PG01 presented the lowest mean values. On the other hand, PU01, PU04, PU05, PU06, PU07, PU08, PU09 and PU10 presented the largest leaves. (Table 5)
Flower diameter presented the highest number of classes, and the accession PW01 showed the highest average value for this trait. PW01 accession flowers were twice as big as the other evaluated accessions (Table 5).
For the number of branches characteristic, two groups were formed. The group with the highest number of branches ranged from 29 to 47 branches. The group with the least number of branches presented from 7.833 to 24.33 (Table 5).
3.4. Effect of Seasons
All evaluated characteristics presented the highest averages in summer, except leaf length (Table 6).
Table 6.
Means values for eight evaluated traits of Portulaca spp. in two different seasons.
4. Discussion
Portulaca yield components can vary with the cropping system, the edaphoclimatic conditions and the input applied by the growers [3,11,22]. The highly significant S × A interaction for number of leaves presented in this work suggests a differential response of genotypes (accessions) across testing environments (seasons) (Table 1). Significant interaction between planting date and genotypes for yield and yield components was found in different accessions of Portulaca spp. [18]. Differential yield was found among six Portulaca genotypes, highlighting the importance of selecting a proper ecotype for food products, since the fresh leaves and stems are the consumed parts [23]. Among all studied accessions, PH01 presented the highest number of leaves, but it did not show stability between the cultivation seasons. On the other hand, PU04, PU03, PU07 and PU39 (P. umbraticola) were stable over the seasons and produced a considerable number of leaves, varying from 710.33 to 1078.66. These accessions had a greater number of leaves than the accessions belonging to P. olearacea, such as PO01 and PO02 (Table 2). It is important to highlight the fact that P. olearacea is the most cultivated and studied species as a non-conventional edible plant (NCEP) or a wild edible plant (WEP) [3,24]. Crossbreeding among these two species should lead to new cultivars with interesting traits for ornamental and vegetable purposes. Our findings enable us to extend the use of P.umbratícola as a vegetable, since, according to [11], the ornamental purslane is safe for human consumption.
Regarding canopy width, the accessions PH01, PG01, PW1, PO01, PA01 and PO02 presented the lowest averages, from 22.15 to 32.81 cm. The other genotypes obtained the highest averages, varying from 45.13 to 66.40 cm (Table 5). The majority of scientific works about purslane did not evaluate this trait [11,22,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. The range of canopy width measurements reported in this work was greater than the values presented for P. umbraticola (33.0 to 65.0 cm) [5]. This is expected, since we worked with six different species of Portulaca (Table 1). It is important to evaluate canopy width and plant height, since purslane is a leafy vegetable commercialized in bunches [32].
The highest accessions ranged from 41.16 to 45.2 cm, while the lowest one was 14.41 cm high. Two more groups were formed in between these extreme groups: one with height from 29.55 to 34.46 cm, and the other ranging from 22.65 to 25.51 cm [Table 5]. In a study with 20 accessions of P. oleracea [11], inferior heights were found (21.13–34.3 cm). Another research group working with 45 accessions of P. oleracea reported heights varying from 20.6 to 40.8 cm [22] The same behavior was observed in another study with five commercial cultivars of P. oleracea (8.92–19.55 cm) [30]. Other authors evaluated the plant height of cultivated and wild purslane (P. oleracea) in five different harvests and soilless substrates, showing similar results for plant height in the first harvest independent of the used substrate [28]. The values of plant height were superior to our results only when the plants were older, from second to fifth harvest. On the other hand, great variability in plant height within common purslane cultivars (P. oleracea) (17–70 cm) was presented 45 days after propagation according to [27]. The findings of these authors demonstrate the existence of genetic diversity within species, corroborating our data.
The group with the highest values of stem diameter, from 0.569 to 0.766 cm (Table 5), was superior to those described by [11] for P. oleracea cultivated in pots (0.224–0.321 cm), and by [22] (0.212–0.380 cm). P. umbraticola cultivated in pots presented thinner stem (0.28–0.38 cm) according to [5]. On the other hand, P. oleracea cultivated in a field had thicker stem (0.75–1.9 cm) [16]. Thicker stems provide better sustenance for the plant and facilitate plant vegetative propagation by cuttings [5].
Internode distance ranged from 0.639 to 1.608 cm (Table 5). These values were higher than the values of P. oleracea [11,27]. On the other hand, no significant differences were found in P. umbraticola for this trait [5].
The highest leaf width and length, (1.303–1.588 cm) and (2.643–3.039 cm), respectively (Table 5), were smaller than the values found by [31] for P. oleracea (1.15–3.46 cm) width and (2.28–6.65 cm) length. The leaf length presented in this work was bigger than those found in different genotypes of Portulaca sp. (1.45–1.57 cm) [30] and P. umbraticola (0.864–1.38) [5]. Other authors indicate long leaf blades as a characteristic for an ideal genotype or ideotype in purslane [25].
Flower diameter was the characteristic with the highest number of classes and ranges, from 0.582 to 5.791 cm (Table 5). In an ornamental plant-breeding program, it is important to select accessions with larger flowers [33]. In this way, the accession PW01 should be used as a genitor to insert this trait in a recurrent genitor, since it shows flowers twice as big as the others evaluated accessions (Table 5).
The number of branches varied from 7.833 to 47 (Table 5). These numbers were higher than the values reported for P. umbraticola (7–11) by [5]. Inferior values of number of branches per plant (9.89–13.52) were reported in another study [30]. On the other hand, no significance for number of branches was found in P. oleracea [16]. The number of branches is an important trait to evaluate, similar to canopy width and plant height, since purslane is a leafy vegetable commercialized in bunches [32].
Portulaca species developed better in summer for all evaluated traits except leaf length. The summer season was characterized by higher temperatures and lower moisture and precipitation compared with the winter season (Table 2). Other research groups highlight the importance of high temperatures on common purslane production [3,25]. According to [3], dry conditions are also necessary to increase yield in common purslane. Our work showed no major effect of temperature, since the difference between summer and winter was around 1 °C. On the other hand, moisture was higher in winter, ranging from 84.3 to 92.7, contrasting with the summer moisture (76.5–85.9).
5. Conclusions
In general, the results of this study revealed significant variation in morphological traits among and within Portulaca species/accessions.
The accessions PU02 and PU10 presented the highest plant height and leaf measurements. On the other hand, accessions PU04, PU03, PU07 and PU39 presented greater number of leaves and showed stability between the two seasons of production. These outstanding accessions, belonging to the P. umbraticola species, were superior to the P. oleracea. They should be used in the hybridization program in a recurrent selection scheme in order to insert desirable genes into P. oleracea to produce new productive vegetable crops. On the other hand, P. umbraticola accessions are a ready-to-eat vegetable, being a new species option that can replace conventional plants.
Supplementary Materials
The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/horticulturae11091107/s1, Figure S1. Eleven accessions of Portulaca umbraticola. Figure S2. Accessions of four species from genus Portulaca. Figure S3. Accessions of genus Portulaca.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R.; methodology, all authors; validation, E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R.; formal analysis, E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R.; investigation, N.d.S.P., M.G.d.S., N.B.F.d.S. and A.C.D.; resources, E.R.d.R.; data curation, E.R.d.R.; writing—original draft preparation, N.d.S.P., M.G.d.S., N.B.F.d.S. and A.C.D.; writing—review and editing, E.R.d.R. and A.M.d.S.P.; visualization, E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R.; supervision, E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R.; project administration, E.R.d.R.; funding acquisition, E.R.d.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by The National Council for Scientific and Technological Development-Brazil (CNPq) grant number 442104/2019-7.
Data Availability Statement
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge Doctor Thaíla Vieira A. Santos for the Portulaca species designation. The authors E.R.d.R. and M.M.d.R. are grateful for the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development-Brazil (CNPq) for supporting their scholarship of funding number 310184/2022-3 and 309843/2022-7, respectively.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
References
- Tilman, D.; Balzer, C.; Hill, J.; Befort, B.L. Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2015, 108, 20260–20264. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kinupp, V.F.; Lorenzi, H. Plantas Alimentícias Não Convencionais (PANC) no Brasil: Guia de Identificação, Aspectos Nutricionais e Receitas Ilustradas, 2nd ed.; InstitutoPlantarun de Estudos de Flora: Nova Odessa, Brazil, 2021. [Google Scholar]
- Carrascosa, A.; Pascual, J.A.; Ros, M.; Petropoulos, A.S.; Alguacil, M.D.M. Agronomical practices and management for commercial cultivation of Portulaca oleracea as a crop: A review. Plants 2023, 12, 1246. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Kumar, A.; Sreedharan, S.; Singh, P.; Achigan-Dako, E.G.; Ramchiary, N. Improvement of a traditional orphan food crop, Portulaca oleracea L. (Purslane) using genomics for sustainable food security and climate-resilient agriculture. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 2021, 5, 711820. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- da Silva Souza, J.; do Rêgo, E.R.; Freitas, N.D.S.S.; dos Santos Pessoa, A.M.; Silva, P.D.; do Rêgo, M.M. Phenotypical characterization of Portulaca umbraticola: A non-conventional edible ornamental crop. Acta Sci. Agron. 2024, 46, e62326. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kumar, A.; Sreedharan, S.; Kashyap, A.K.; Singh, P.; Ramchiary, N. A review on bioactive phytochemicals and ethnopharmacological potential of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.). Heliyon 2022, 8, e08669. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Ferreira, T.M.M.; Salgado, F.F.; Souza, O.C.A.; Silva, R.V.; Silva, V.N.B.; Oliveira Molinari, P.A.; Junior, M.T.S. Genetic engineering of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.). In Medicinal Plants-Chemical, Biochemical, and Pharmacological Approaches; IntechOpen: London, UK, 2023. [Google Scholar]
- Varzakas, T.; Smaoui, S. Global food security and sustainability issues: The road to 2030 from nutrition and sustainable healthy diets to food systems change. Foods 2024, 13, 306. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Srivastava, R.; Srivastava, V.; Singh, A. Multipurpose benefits of an underexplored species purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.): A critical review. Environ. Manag. 2023, 72, 309–320. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Sultana, A.; Rahman, K. Portulaca oleracea Linn. A global Panacea with ethno-medicinal and pharmacological potential. Int. J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci. 2013, 5, 33–39. [Google Scholar]
- Alam, M.A.; Juraimi, A.S.; Rafii, M.Y.; Hamid, A.A.; Aslani, F.; Mohsin, G.M.A. Comparison of Yield Potential and Cultivar Performance of 20 Collected Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) Accessions Employing Seeds vs. Stem Cuttings. J. Agr. Sci. Technol. 2014, 16, 1633–1648. [Google Scholar]
- Uddin, K.; Juraimi, A.S.; Hossain, S.; Nahar, M.A.U.; Ali, E.; Rahman, M.M. Purslane weed (Portulaca oleracea): A prospective plant source of nutrition, omega-3 fatty acid, and antioxidant attributes. Sci. World J. 2014, 2014, 951019. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Albuquerque, I.M.C.; Coelho, A.A.O.P.; Melo, J.I.M. Flora da Paraíba, Brasil: Portulacaceae Juss. e Talinaceae Doweld. Hoehnea 2022, 49, e702021. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Barroso, T.L.C.T.; de Barros Alexandre, J.; da Cruz, E.P.; Dias, A.R.G.; Forster-Carneiro, T.; Bastos, C.P. An updated on applications and future perspectives for the valorization of purslane (Portulaca oleracea): A comprehensive review and bibliometric analysis. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 2024, 250, 1285–1306. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Kedarnath; Imamsahe, S.J.; Hanchinamani, C.N. Genetic Plasticity Studies in Portulaca (Portulaca oleracea L.). Biol. Forum-Int. J. 2021, 13, 122–127. [Google Scholar]
- Talei, D.; Naji, A.M.; Labbaf, N. Genetic diversity of purslane populations of Iran based on some morphological and biochemical traits. J. Med. Plants By-Prod. 2020, 2, 227–234. [Google Scholar]
- Poehlman, J.M. Breeding Field Crops; Springer Science & Business Media: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- Elmi, A.A.; Mebrahtu, T.; Omara-Alwala, T.R.; Ezekwe, M. Environmental Effects on Yield and Agronomic Traits. Va. J. Sci. 1997, 48, 3. [Google Scholar]
- INMET—Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Banco de Dados Meteorológicos Para Ensino e Pesquisa; Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia—INMET: Brasília, Brazil, 2024.
- Zar, J.H. Biostatistical Analysis; Pearson Education India: Bengaluru, India, 1999. [Google Scholar]
- Cruz, C.D. Programa Genes (Versão Windows): Aplicativo Computacional em Genética e Estatística; UFV: Viçosa, Brazil, 2018. [Google Scholar]
- Alam, A.; Juraimi, A.S.; Yusop, M.R.; Hamid, A.A.; Hakim, A. Morpho-physiological and mineral nutrient characterization of 45 collected Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) accessions. Bragantia 2014, 73, 426–437. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Petropoulos, S.A.; Karkanis, A.; Fernandes, Â.; Barros, L.; Ferreira, I.C.; Ntatsi, G.; Khah, E. Chemical composition and yield of six genotypes of common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.): An alternative source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 2015, 70, 420–426. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jia, S.; Yan, Z.; Wang, Y.; Wei, Y.; Xie, Z.; Zhang, F. Genetic diversity and relatedness among ornamental purslane (Portulaca L.) accessions unraveled by SRAP markers. 3 Biotech 2017, 7, 241. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Egea-Gilabert, C.; Ruiz-Hernández, M.V.; Parra, M.Á.; Fernández, J.A. Characterization of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) accessions: Suitability as ready-to-eat product. Sci. Hortic. 2014, 172, 73–81. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mulry, K.R.; Hanson, B.A.; Dudle, D.A. Alternative strategies in response to saline stress in two varieties of Portulaca oleracea (purslane). PLoS ONE 2015, 10, e0138723. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Karkanis, A.C.; Petropoulos, S.A. Physiological and growth responses of several genotypes of common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) under Mediterranean semi-arid conditions. Not. Bot. Horti Agrobot. 2017, 45, 569–575. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Alu’Datt, M.H.; Rababah, T.; Alhamad, M.N.; Al-Tawaha, A.; Al-Taw/aha, A.R.; Gammoh, S.; Kubow, S. Herbal yield, nutritive composition, phenolic contents and antioxidant activity of purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) grown in different soilless media in a closed system. Ind. Crops Prod. 2019, 141, 111746. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sdouga, D.; Branca, F.; Kabtni, S.; Bella, M.C.; Trifi-Farah, N.; Marghali, S. Morphological Traits and Phenolic Compounds in Tunisian Wild Populations and Cultivated Varieties of Portulaca oleracea L. Agronomy 2020, 10, 948. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pasha, M.F.K.; Ali, S.; Ahmed, A. Impact of agro-climatic conditions of Faisalabad on growth performance of Portulaca genotypes. Pure Appl. Biol. 2021, 10, 770–780. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mohebodini, M.; Khalili-Baseri, I.; Farmanpour-Kalalagh, K.; Sabaghnia, N. Morphological characterization of some collected native purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) genotypes. Contrib. Bot. 2024, 59, 7–20. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Mahr, S. Common Purslane, Portulaca oleraceae. Wisconsing Horticulture. Available online: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/common-purslane-portulaca-oleracea/ (accessed on 29 August 2025).
- Datta, S.K. Breeding of ornamentals: Success and technological status. Nucleus 2021, 65, 107–128. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. |
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).