Varietal differences in yield and fatty acid composition of purslane in greenhouse conditions

Ebel, Roland 1 ; Walterskirchen, Josephine1

Published Jan 30, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3ffbg79zw

Data files

Jan 30, 2026 version files 21.64 KB

Biomass.sav

3.85 KB
FA_Profile.sav

1.82 KB
Height_Diameter.sav

12.11 KB
README.md

3.85 KB

Abstract

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is a leafy green, distinguished by its elevated α-linolenic acid (ALA) content. Although cultivated commercially in parts of Asia, Europe, and Mexico, purslane is often treated as a weed among conventional farmers. Greenhouse production of purslane is essential to ensure a year-round supply, yet varietal research has been limited. We evaluated five commercially available purslane varieties (‘Red Gruner Microgreen Seed’, ‘Green Purslane’, ‘Scarlet’, ‘French Green Leaf’, and ‘Heirloom Verdolaga’) for growth, biomass, and fatty acid profiles under greenhouse conditions. We had 3 replications of each treatment (variety). Each replication was grown in a separate tray. Harvest occurred 52 days after seeding. Dry biomass was quantified from ten aboveground samples per replication. Plant height and diameter (measured every three days) were integrated into a z-score growth index to assess temporal growth dynamics. For fatty acid profiling, the above-ground tissue of three plants per replication (nine per treatment) was harvested, shredded, and pooled to obtain one composite sample per treatment. Samples were immediately frozen and ground to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle prior to analysis. The fatty acid content of each variety was analyzed externally by Creative Proteomics (Shirley, NY, USA) using their standard GC-FID protocol: samples were extracted using a modified Folch method. This dataset includes dry weight, z-score, and fatty acid profile data.

Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3ffbg79zw

Description of the data and file structure

The datsdrt comprises three files related to a greenhouse experiment on purslane variety and their yield performance and fatty acid profile. The experiment was conducted in 2024 and 2025 at the Plant Growth Center of Montana State University.

Files and variables

For all 3 files, "R" stands for purslane variety "Red Gruner," "S" for "Heirloom Verdolaga" (by breeder Survival Garden), "T" for "Scarlet," "F" for "French Green," and "E" for "Green."

File: Height_Diameter.sav

Description: SPSS data file containing repeated vegetative growth measurements. Measurements were collected every three days across the growing period for five varieties, with three biological replications per variety at each sampling date. Variable definitions:

Variety (string): Variety identifier (R = ‘Red Gruner’, S = ‘Heirloom Verdolaga’, T = ‘Scarlet’, F = ‘French Green’, E = ‘Green’).
Treatment (numeric): Replication identifier (1–3), representing one of three independently measured samples per variety at each sampling date.
DAS (numeric): Days after sowing; measurements were taken at 3-day intervals.
Diameter (numeric, mm): Plant diameter measured as the span of the apical meristem leaves using a digital caliper.
Height (numeric, mm): Plant height measured from the substrate surface to the apical bud.
Z_Diam (numeric): Standardized z-score of plant diameter calculated across all observations (varieties × dates × replications).
Z_Height (numeric): Standardized z-score of plant height calculated across all observations.
Z (numeric): Composite, dimensionless growth index calculated as the mean of Z_Diam and Z_Height.

File: Biomass.sav

Description: SPSS data file containing above-ground dry biomass measurements of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) grown under greenhouse conditions. Biomass was assessed for five varieties using three independent replications per variety, with ten plants sampled per replication. Variable definitions:

Variety (string): Variety identifier (R = ‘Red Gruner’, S = ‘Heirloom Verdolaga’, T = ‘Scarlet’, F = ‘French Green’, E = ‘Green’).
Replication (numeric): Replication identifier (1–3), representing independent experimental units per variety.
Plant (numeric): Plant identifier (1–10) within each replication.
Biomassg (numeric, g): Above-ground dry biomass per plant, measured in grams.

File: FA_Profile.sav

Description: SPSS data file containing fatty acid composition data of five purslane varieties. Fatty acid concentrations are reported for one composite sample per variety, with each sample consisting of pooled above-ground tissue from nine plants (three plants per replication). Fatty acid concentrations are expressed as micrograms per milligram of fresh tissue (µg mg⁻¹). Variable definitions:

FA (string): Fatty acid name or identifier.
R (numeric, µg mg⁻¹): Fatty acid concentration for variety ‘Red Gruner’.
S (numeric, µg mg⁻¹): Fatty acid concentration for variety ‘Heirloom Verdolaga’.
T (numeric, µg mg⁻¹): Fatty acid concentration for variety ‘Scarlet’.
F (numeric, µg mg⁻¹): Fatty acid concentration for variety ‘French Green’.
E (numeric, µg mg⁻¹): Fatty acid concentration for variety ‘Green’.

Code/software

SPSS 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) or later version.

Access information

Other publicly accessible locations of the data:

Data was derived from the following sources:

Measurement spreadsheets in Excel