Evaluation of some characteristics of the fourth generation of common purslane ‎‎(Portulaca oleracea L.) mutated from treatment with dimethyl sulfate ‎

Mutation induction is an important method for generating genetic diversity. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) has unique medicinal uses due to its high content of beneficial antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. In this study, the genetic diversity of 24 mutant lines of fourth-generation (M4) purslane obtained from dimethyl sulfate treatment together with the control was investigated in a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. The differences among the lines were significant in traits including plant height, leaf length, leaf width, stem dry weight, and leaf chlorophyll in the 30-day-old plant. The principal coordinates and cluster analyses divided the lines into two separate clusters. The lines in cluster 1 had a significant advantage over the lines in cluster 2 for most traits such as stem fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, and number of capsules per plant. The number of leaves was significantly correlated with stem fresh weight, leaf fresh weight, plant fresh weight, number of capsules per plant and the ratio of plant dry weight to plant fresh weight. In sequential path analysis, stem fresh weight in the first order was the only trait affecting number of capsules per plant, and in the second-order, leaf fresh weight and plant height were the most important traits that had an effect on number of capsules per plant through the direct effect of stem fresh weight. L18 mutant line had a significant advantage over the control in some agronomic traits such as plant height, leaf length and number of capsules per plant, that can be used for future research, especially for cultivation, commercialization and extensive planting for uses as vegetables, oil extraction, and medicinal applications.