production technology of portulaca

1. PORTULACA
• Scientific name: Portulaca olerceae
• Family: Portulacaceae
• 2n= 54 (hexaploid)
• Economic part: Leaves and young shoot. They possess
pleasant falvour.
• Common name: Portulaca, purslane.

2. • Rich in ascorbic acid (26.6 mg) and carotene (1.9mg) but due
to oxalic acid and nitrate content, its excessive consumption is
not recommended .
• It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
• It possess several medicinal properties and is included in the
WHO’s list of most used medicinal plant.
• Origin: it is a cosmopolitan weed and it is cultivated and wild
species in South-East Asia.
• Mexico and Australia are considered as center of diversity.

3. • Botany: Portulaca is a succulent and well branched
herb, leaves are spirally arranged , flowers yellow,
stamens 7-10, style with 5 arms, fruit ovoid, capsule,
seed numerous, tiny and black in colour.
• Soil: It grown well in loam heavy loam soils,
containing good amount of organic matter.
• Land preparation: two to three ploughing, followed
by planking are required for field preparation. After
planking, beds of convenient size are made in the
field depending on the method of irrigation.
• Seed rate- 1.5 kg seeds per hectare. As seeds are very
small, they require some filler like sand etc.

4. • Harvest: Crop becomes ready for harvest after 4-5 weeks after
sowing. First harvesting is done when plants attain height of
12-15 cm. After each cutting, top dressing of nitrogenous
fertilizer enhances the growth of new flush.
• Yield: 15-20 tonnes per hectare.
• Storage: it can be stored for 3-5 days at 0-1˚ C and higher
relative humidity.
• Reference:
1. Underutilized Vegetable crops by A. K. Pandey
2. Underutilized and Underexploited Horticultural Crops by K.
V. Peter

5. Question bank
1. Scientific name of portulaca is _______
a) Rheum raphanticum b) Pisum spp c) Portulaca olerceae
d)None of the above
2. portulaca belongs to the family
a) Malvaceae b) Portulacaceae c)leguminaseae d)
Brassicaceae
3. Economic part of portulaca is
a) Roots b)stems, leaves c)fruits d) None of the above
4. Portulaca is rich in
a) Lycopene b) anthocyanin c) ascorbic acid d)xanthophyll
5. Propagation of portulaca is by
a) Stems b) seeds c) tubers d) rhizome