Most palm oil currently available in global markets is sourced from certified large-scale plantations. Comparatively little is sourced from (typically uncertified) smallholders. We argue that sourcing sustainable palm oil should not be determined by commercial certification alone and that the certification process should be revisited. There are so-far unrecognized benefits of sourcing palm oil from smallholders that should be considered if genuine biodiversity conservation is to be a foundation of 'environmentally sustainable' palm oil production. Despite a lack of certification, smallholder production is often more biodiversity-friendly than certified production from large-scale plantations. Sourcing palm oil from smallholders also alleviates poverty among rural farmers, promoting better conservation outcomes. Yet, certification schemes - the current measure of 'sustainability' - are financially accessible only for large-scale plantations that operate as profit-driven monocultures. Industrial palm oil is expanding rapidly in regions with weak environmental laws and enforcement. This warrants the development of an alternative certification scheme for smallholders. Greater attention should be directed to deforestation-free palm oil production in smallholdings, where production is less likely to cause large scale biodiversity loss. These small-scale farmlands in which palm oil is mixed with other crops should be considered by retailers and consumers who are interested in promoting sustainable palm oil production. Simultaneously, plantation companies should be required to make their existing production landscapes more compatible with enhanced biodiversity conservation.
In many regions around the world, there are issues associated with groundwater resources due to human and natural factors. However, the relation between these factors is difficult to determine due to the large number of parameters and complex processes required. In order to understand the relation between land use allocations, the intrinsic factors of the aquifer, climate change data and groundwater chemistry in the multilayered aquifer system in Malaysia's Northern Kelantan Basin, twenty-two years hydrogeochemical data set was used in this research. The groundwater salinisation in the intermediate aquifer, which mainly extends along the coastal line, was revealed through the hydrogeochemical investigation. Even so, there had been no significant trend detected on groundwater salinity from 1989 to 2011. In contrast to salinity, as seen from the nitrate contaminations there had been significantly increasing trends in the shallow aquifer, particularly in the central part of the study area. Additionally, a strong association between high nitrate values and the areas covered with palm oil cultivations and mixed agricultural have been detected by a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), which implies that the increasing nitrate concentrations are associated with nitrate loading from the application of N-fertilisers. From the process of groundwater salinisation in the intermediate aquifer, could be seen that it has a strong correlation the aquifer lithology, specifically marine sediments which are influenced by the ancient seawater trapped within the sediments.
Imports are the only source of food supply to Singapore. Such condition offers a very attractive proposition for agricultural oriented countries. The dependence on type of food imports is determined by consumer demand. This study intends to do an exploratory study on the current conditions of Singaporean food consumption and expenditures with implications on Malaysia as an important agricultural exporting country to Singapore. It is identified that Singaporean consumers tend to demand for high quality poultry, pork, seafood, vegetables, and fruits in future, particularly in response to income growth. At the mean time, Malaysia is seemingly rich in the production of these food commodities and commits to exports for the excess of the supplies. While facing competition from various countries, Malaysia still possesses various competitive advantages over the other countries.
This study was performed to observe the variation in the distribution of 210Po,210Pb and 210Po/210Pb activity ratio throughtheir vertical profile of the sediment cores takenat surrounding Sungai Linggi estuary. Five sediment cores were takenin February 2011 and were cutto an intervalof 2 cm layer. Activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb were determined using alpha radiochemical analysis and gamma direct measurement, respectively. Generally, the measured activity of 210Po, 210Pb and 210Po/210Pbwere in the ranges of 22.73 –139.06 Bqkg-1dw., 37.88 –176.24 Bqkg-1dw.and 0.23 –1.34, respectively. The variation in the distribution profile for the radionuclides are believed to be influencedby human activities such as agriculture, fertilizer, vehicles, burned fuel fossil and forest, industrialand others via river input from land-base.Other factor is due to organic mattercontent played importantrole as the geochemical carrier to transportthose radionuclides at study area. It was provedthat hasa strong correlation between the radionuclide distribution and the sedimentcomposition of organic matter.Furthermore, in those rangesreflectedthat 210Pb activities were higher than210Po with an activity ratio average of 0.79. This is probably due to dramatic increase of excess 210Pb supplied from atmospheric deposition, in situ decay of 226Ra and as a result of diagenetic remolibilazationof 210Pbin deeper layesof the sediment column. Thus, thosefactors are majorcontributions on thevariation of 210Po and 210Pb in the sediment core at surrounding Sungai Linggi estuary.
Native species that forage in farmland may increase their local abundances thereby affecting adjacent ecosystems within their landscape. We used two decades of ecological data from a protected primary rainforest in Malaysia to illutrate how subsidies from neighboring oil palm plantations triggered powerful secondary 'cascading' effects on natural habitats located >1.3 km away. We found (i) oil palm fruit drove 100-fold increases in crop-raiding native wild boar (Sus scrofa), (ii) wild boar used thousands of understory plants to construct birthing nests in the pristine forest interior, and (iii) nest building caused a 62% decline in forest tree sapling density over the 24-year study period. The long-term, landscape-scale indirect effects from agriculture suggest its full ecological footprint may be larger in extent than is currently recognized. Cross-boundary subsidy cascades may be widespread in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems and present significant conservation challenges.
This study aims to investigate the positive effects of the combined use of Enterobacter cloacae and biochar on improving nitrogen (N) utilization. The greenhouse pots experimental results showed the synergy of biochar and E. cloacae increased soil total N content and plant N uptake by 33.54% and 15.1%, respectively. Soil nitrogenase (NIT) activity increased by 253.02%. Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and nitrate reductase (NR) activity associated with nitrification and denitrification decreased by 10.94% and 29.09%, respectively. The relative abundance of N fixing microorganisms like Burkholderia and Bradyrhizobium significantly increased. Sphingomonas and Ottowia, two bacteria involved in the nitrification and denitrification processes, were found to be in lower numbers. The E. cloacae's ability to fix N2 and promote the growth of plants allow the retention of N in soil and make more N available for plant development. Biochar served as a reservoir of N for plants by adsorbing N from the soil and providing a shelter for E. cloacae. Thus, biochar and E. cloacae form a synergy for the management of agricultural N and the mitigation of negative impacts of pollution caused by excessive use of N fertilizer.
Drought is considered one of the costliest natural disasters that result in water scarcity and crop damage almost every year. Drought monitoring and forecasting are essential for the efficient management of water resources and sustainability in agriculture. However, the design of a consistent drought prediction model based on the dynamic relationship of the drought index with its antecedent values remains a challenging task. In the present research, the SVR (support vector regression) model was hybridized with two different optimization algorithms namely; Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO) for reliable prediction of effective drought index (EDI) 1 month ahead, at different locations of Uttarakhand State of India. The inputs of the models were selected through partial autocorrelation function (PACF) analysis. The output produced by the SVR-HHO and SVR-PSO models was compared with the EDI estimated from observed data using five statistical indicators, i.e., RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), MAE (Mean Absolute Error), COC (Coefficient of Correlation), NSE (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency), WI (Willmott Index), and graphical inspection of radar-chart, time-variation plot, box-whisker plot, and Taylor diagram. Appraisal of results indicates that the SVR-HHO model (RMSE = 0.535-0.965, MAE = 0.363-0.622, NSE = 0.558-0.860, COC = 0.760-0.930, and WI = 0.862-0.959) outperformed the SVR-PSO model (RMSE = 0.546-0.967, MAE = 0.372-0.625, NSE = 0.556-0.855, COC = 0.758-0.929, and WI = 0.861-0.956) in predicting EDI. Visual inspection of model performances also showed a better performance of SVR-HHO compared to SVR-PSO in replicating the median, inter-quartile range, spread, and pattern of the EDI estimated from observed rainfall. The results indicate that the hybrid SVR-HHO approach can be utilized for reliable EDI predictions in the study area.
This paper assesses the Environmental Kuznets curve based on quantile behavior of the relationship between economic growth, forest area, agriculture production, renewable energy, and environmental degradation. The current literature generally used a single indicator to address environmental issues; however single indicator neither measures overall environmental conditions nor does specify that the environment issue is generally diminishing. Our study is the first one that used ecological footprint (EF) as an indicator to test environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for Pakistan by employing recent approach of quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) initiated by Cho et al. (J Econ 188(1):281-300, 2015). The result of this study validates the EKC hypothesis for Pakistan and shows quantile-dependent relationship, and in that case, using the conventional methods may somewhat lead to biased results. Moreover, the rejection of the null hypothesis of parameter constancy is also confirmed by Wald test. In the long run, the findings of renewable energy consumption and forest area show significant negative effects on ecological footprints, which indicates that by increasing renewable energy usage and forest area, ecological footprints can be minimized. Interestingly, the short-term effects of agricultural production findings on EF show statistically negative results. This illustrates that EF can also be reduced in the agriculture sector by adopting environment-friendly technologies. In order to create efficient policies for environment deterioration, the empirical findings of the current analysis can be used as a guideline for policy implications.
The global demand for palm oil has grown rapidly over the past several decades. Much of the output expansion has occurred in carbon- and biodiversity-rich forest lands of Malaysia and Indonesia (M&I), contributing to record levels of terrestrial carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. This has led to a variety of voluntary and mandatory regulatory actions, as well as calls for limits on palm oil imports from M&I. This paper offers a comprehensive, global assessment of the economic and environmental consequences of alternative policies aimed at limiting deforestation from oil palm expansion in M&I. It highlights the challenges of limiting forest and biodiversity loss in the presence of market-mediated spillovers into related oilseed and agricultural commodity and factor markets, both in M&I and overseas. Indeed, limiting palm oil production or consumption is unlikely to halt deforestation in M&I in the absence of active forest conservation incentives. Policies aimed at restricting palm oil production in M&I also have broader consequences for the economy, including significant impacts on consumer prices, real wages, and welfare, that vary among different global regions. A crucial distinction is whether the initiative is undertaken domestically, in which case the M&I region could benefit, or by major palm oil importers, in which case M&I loses income. Nonetheless, all policies considered here pass the social welfare test of global carbon dioxide mitigation benefits exceeding their costs.
Advanced sensor technology, especially those that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), has been recognized as increasingly important in various contemporary applications, including navigation, automation, water under imaging, environmental monitoring, and robotics. Data-driven decision-making and higher efficiency have enabled more excellent infrastructure thanks to integrating AI with sensors. The agricultural sector is one such area that has seen significant promise from this technology using the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. This paper describes an intelligent system for monitoring and analyzing agricultural environmental conditions, including weather, soil, and crop health, that uses internet-connected sensors and equipment. This work makes two significant contributions. It first makes it possible to use sensors linked to the IoT to accurately monitor the environment remotely. Gathering and analyzing data over time may give us valuable insights into daily fluctuations and long-term patterns. The second benefit of AI integration is the remote control; it provides for essential activities like irrigation, pest management, and disease detection. The technology can optimize water usage by tracking plant development and health and adjusting watering schedules accordingly. Intelligent Control Systems (Matlab/Simulink Ver. 2022b) use a hybrid controller that combines fuzzy logic with standard PID control to get high-efficiency performance from water pumps. In addition to monitoring crops, smart cameras allow farmers to make real-time adjustments based on soil moisture and plant needs. Potentially revolutionizing contemporary agriculture, this revolutionary approach might boost production, sustainability, and efficiency.
By 2050, the global population is projected to exceed 9.5 billion, posing a formidable challenge to ensure food security worldwide. To address this pressing issue, mutation breeding in horticultural crops, utilizing physical or chemical methods, has emerged as a promising biotechnological strategy. However, the efficacy of these mutagens can be influenced by various factors, including biological and environmental variables, as well as targeted plant materials. This review highlights the global challenges related to food security and explores the potential of mutation breeding as an indispensable biotechnological tool in overcoming food insecurity. This review also covers the emergence of CRISPR-Cas9, a breakthrough technology offering precise genome editing for the development of high-yield, stress-tolerant crops. Together, mutation breeding and CRISPR can potentially address future food demands. This review focuses into these biotechnological advancements, emphasizing their combined potential to fortify global food security in the face of a booming population.
The use of pheromone traps can minimize the excess application of synthetic insecticides, while can also benefit the environment. The use of pheromone traps has been promoted and suggested to vegetable farmers of Bangladesh for widespread adoption. However, the majority of farmers have continued to spray insecticides instead of using pheromone traps. The present study investigated the factors influencing farmers' adoption, dis-adoption, and non-adoption behavior of pheromone traps for managing insect pests. Primary data were collected from 438 vegetable growers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. About 27% of the farmers abandoned the technique shortly after it was adopted as it was time-consuming to manage insect pests. Marginal effect analysis revealed that the likelihood of continued adoption was 34.6% higher for farmers who perceived that pheromone traps were useful in controlling insect pests. In contrast, the likelihood of dis-adoption was 16.5% and 10.4% higher for farmers who maintained communication with private pesticide company agents and neighbor farmers, respectively. Extension services by government extension personnel might be encouraged and maintained as a key component in increasing farmer awareness regarding the use of pheromone trap. Strategies to promote pheromone traps in vegetable production should highlight the positive impacts to farmers and the environment, as this would most likely lead to their continued and widespread use after initial adoption.
Increased use of nitrogenous (N) fertilizers in agriculture has significantly altered the global N-cycle because they release nitrogenous gases of environmental concerns. The emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes to the global greenhouse gas accumulation and the stratospheric ozone depletion. In addition, it causes nitrate leaching problem deteriorating ground water quality. The nitrate toxicity has been reported in a number of studies showing the health hazards like methemoglobinemia in infants and is a potent cause of cancer. Despite these evident negative environmental as well as health impacts, consumption of N fertilizer cannot be reduced in view of the food security for the teeming growing world population. Various agronomic and genetic modifications have been practiced to tackle this problem. Some agronomic techniques adopted include split application of N, use of slow-release fertilizers, nitrification inhibitors and encouraging the use of organic manure over chemical fertilizers. As a matter of fact, the use of chemical means to remediate nitrate from the environment is very difficult and costly. Particularly, removal of nitrate from water is difficult task because it is chemically non-reactive in dilute aqueous solutions. Hence, the use of biological means for nitrate remediation offers a promising strategy to minimize the ill effects of nitrates and nitrites. One of the important goals to reduce N-fertilizer application can be effectively achieved by choosing N-efficient genotypes. This will ensure the optimum uptake of applied N in a balanced manner and exploring the molecular mechanisms for their uptake as well as metabolism in assimilatory pathways. The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the interrelations which exist in the terrestrial ecosystems between the plant type and characteristics of nutrient uptake and analyze the global consumption and demand for fertilizer nitrogen in relation to cereal production, evaluate the various methods used to determine nitrogen use efficincy (NUE), determine NUE for the major cereals grown across large agroclimatic regions, determine the key factors that control NUE, and finally analyze various strategies available to improve the use efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen.
Nickel hyperaccumulator plants play a major role in nickel recycling in ultramafic ecosystems, and under agromining the nickel dynamics in the farming system will be affected by removal of nickel-rich biomass. We investigated the biogeochemical cycling of nickel as well as key nutrients in an agromining operation that uses the metal crop Phyllanthus rufuschaneyi in the first tropical metal farm located in Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia). For two years, this study monitored nine 25-m2 plots and collected information on weather, biomass exportation, water, and litter fluxes to the soil. Without harvesting, nickel inputs and outputs had only minor contributions (<1 %) to the total nickel budget in this system. The nickel cycle was mainly driven by internal fluxes, particularly plant uptake, litterfall and throughfall. After two years of cropping, the nickel litter flux corresponded to 50 % of the total nickel stock in the aerial biomass (3.1 g m-2 year-1). Nickel was slowly released from the litter; after 15 months of degradation, 60 % of the initial biomass and the initial nickel quantities were still present in the organic layer. Calcium, phosphorus and potassium budgets in the system were negative without fertilisation. Unlike what is observed for nickel, sustained agromining would thus lead to a strong depletion of calcium stocks if mineral weathering cannot replenish it.
There are limited data for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from smallholder agricultural systems in tropical peatlands, with data for non-CO2 emissions from human-influenced tropical peatlands particularly scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify soil CH4 and N2 O fluxes from smallholder agricultural systems on tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia and assess their environmental controls. The study was carried out in four regions in Malaysia and Indonesia. CH4 and N2 O fluxes and environmental parameters were measured in cropland, oil palm plantation, tree plantation and forest. Annual CH4 emissions (in kg CH4 ha-1 year-1 ) were: 70.7 ± 29.5, 2.1 ± 1.2, 2.1 ± 0.6 and 6.2 ± 1.9 at the forest, tree plantation, oil palm and cropland land-use classes, respectively. Annual N2 O emissions (in kg N2 O ha-1 year-1 ) were: 6.5 ± 2.8, 3.2 ± 1.2, 21.9 ± 11.4 and 33.6 ± 7.3 in the same order as above, respectively. Annual CH4 emissions were strongly determined by water table depth (WTD) and increased exponentially when annual WTD was above -25 cm. In contrast, annual N2 O emissions were strongly correlated with mean total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in soil water, following a sigmoidal relationship, up to an apparent threshold of 10 mg N L-1 beyond which TDN seemingly ceased to be limiting for N2 O production. The new emissions data for CH4 and N2 O presented here should help to develop more robust country level 'emission factors' for the quantification of national GHG inventory reporting. The impact of TDN on N2 O emissions suggests that soil nutrient status strongly impacts emissions, and therefore, policies which reduce N-fertilisation inputs might contribute to emissions mitigation from agricultural peat landscapes. However, the most important policy intervention for reducing emissions is one that reduces the conversion of peat swamp forest to agriculture on peatlands in the first place.
South and Southeast Asia is by far the most populous region in Asia, with the greatest number of threatened species. Changes in habitat are a major contributor to biodiversity loss and are more common as a result of land-use changes. As a result, the goal of this study is to use negative binomial regression models to investigate habitat change as one of the important drivers of biodiversity loss in South and Southeast Asian countries from 2013 to 2018. According to the negative binomial estimates, the findings for the habitat change measures are quantitatively similar for the impacts of agricultural land and arable land on biodiversity threats. Agricultural and arable land both have a positive impact on biodiversity loss. We found that, contrary to our expectations, the forest area appears to have an unexpected direct influence on the number of threatened species. A higher number of threatened species is associated with rising per capita income, human population and a low level of corruption control. Finally, the empirical findings are consistent across taxonomic groups, habitat change measures and Poisson-based specifications. Some policy implications that could mitigate biodiversity loss include educating and promoting good governance among the population and increase the conservation effort to sustain green area and national forest parks in each country.
Cold plasma (low pressure) technology has been effectively used to boost the germination and growth of various crops in recent decades. The durability of these plasma-treated seeds is essential because of the need to store and distribute the seeds at different locations. However, these ageing effects are often not ascertained and reported because germination and related tests are carried out within a short time after the plasma-treatment. This research aims to fill that knowledge gap by subjecting three different types of seeds (and precursors): Bambara groundnuts (water), chilli (oxygen), and papaya (oxygen) to cold plasma-treatment. Common mechanisms found for these diverse seed types and treatment conditions were the physical and chemical changes induced by the physical etching and the cold plasma on the seeds and subsequent oxidation, which promoted germination and growth. The high glass transition temperature of the lignin-cellulose prevented any physical restructuring of the surfaces while maintaining the chemical changes to continue to promote the seeds germination and growth. These changes were monitored over 60 days of ageing using water contact angle (WCA), water uptake, electrical conductivity, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The vacuum effect was also investigated to separate its effect from cold plasma (low pressure). This finding offers a framework for determining how long agricultural seeds that have received plasma treatment can be used. Additionally, there is a need to transfer this research from the lab to the field. Once the impact of plasma treatment on seeds has been estimated, it will be simple to do so.
The use of nanometal oxides in nanoagronomy has garnered considerable attention due to their excellent antifungal and plant growth promotion properties. Hybrid nanometal oxides, which combine the strengths of individual nanomaterials, have emerged as a promising class of materials. In this study, nanomagnesium oxide (n-MgO) and hybrid magnetic nanomagnesium oxide (m/n-MgO) were successfully synthesized via the ultrasound-mediated sol-gel method. Characterization results, including TGA, XRD, VSM, and FTIR, confirmed the successful synthesis of m/n-MgO. Both n-MgO and m/n-MgO underwent antifungal assays and plant growth promotion ability studies, benchmarked against the conventional fungicide-copper oxychloride. This study bridges a significant gap by simultaneously reporting the antifungal properties of both n-MgO and m/n-MgO and their impact on plant growth. The disc diffusion assay suggested that the antifungal activity of n-MgO and m/n-MgO against F. oxysporum was inversely related to the particle size. Notably, n-MgO exhibited superior antifungal performance (lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)) and sustained efficacy compared with m/n-MgO, owing to distinct antifungal mechanisms. Nanorod-shaped MgO, with a smaller size (8.24 ± 5.61 nm) and higher aspect ratio, allowed them to penetrate the fungal cell wall and cause intercellular damage. In contrast, cubical m/n-MgO, with a larger size (20.95 ± 9.99 nm) and lower aspect ratio, accumulate on the fungal cell wall surface, disrupting the wall integrity, albeit less effectively against F. oxysporum. Moreover, in plant growth promotion studies, m/n-MgO-treated samples exhibited a 15.7% stronger promotion effect compared to n-MgO at their respective MICs. In addition, both n-MgO and m/n-MgO outperformed copper oxychloride in terms of antifungal and plant growth promoting activities. Thus, m/n-MgO presents a promising alternative to conventional copper-based fungicides, offering dual functionality as a fungicide and plant growth promoter, while the study also delves into the antifungal mechanisms at the intracellular level, enhancing its novelty.
This research highlights the ways by which processes of caring for our environments can contribute to health and well-being for the minded body. Drawing upon rich ethnographic accounts of urban cultivation practices and experiences, this research unfolds in the birthplace of the 'Healthy City' concept-Kuching, Malaysia-which is an ethnically diverse city home to Chinese, Malay, Indigenous and other groups. Building from situated political ecologies-and more specifically, emotional political ecology and the political ecology of religion-I examine the relational values produced through practices of urban cultivation and related benefits for mind-body-environments. I find spirituality, religion, gender, generation, class, and ethnicity are embodied in socionatural relationships facilitated through urban agriculture. Through affective encounters with non-human animals, spiritual meanings inferred from the materiality of plants, and strengthened socionatural relationships with friends, family, even strangers, and the divine, practices of urban cultivation can nurture minds, bodies, and environments in deeply interconnected ways. This adds to a growing literature that reveals the importance of relational values for well-being and argues that socionatural relationships of care can contribute to a meaningful life. With a careful attention to relational dynamics and differentiated embodied experiences, I show that cultivators engage in the production of ecologies of care that confront neoliberal modes of interacting with themselves and others. Recognizing that care is embodied, situated and political can foster more nuanced understandings of the politics of socioecological transformation.
Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea), also known as pigweed, fatweed, pusle, and little hogweed, is an annual succulent herb in the family Portulacaceae that is found in most corners of the globe. From the ancient ages purslane has been treated as a major weed of vegetables as well as other crops. However, worldwide researchers and nutritionists have studied this plant as a potential vegetable crop for humans as well as animals. Purslane is a nutritious vegetable with high antioxidant properties and recently has been recognized as the richest source of α-linolenic acid, essential omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, ascorbic acid, glutathione, α-tocopherol and β-carotene. The lack of vegetable sources of ω-3 fatty acids has resulted in a growing level of attention to introduce purslane as a new cultivated vegetable. In the rapid-revolutionizing worldwide atmosphere, the ability to produce improved planting material appropriate to diverse and varying rising conditions is a supreme precedence. Though various published reports on morphological, physiological, nutritional and medicinal aspects of purslane are available, research on the genetic improvement of this promising vegetable crop are scant. Now it is necessary to conduct research for the genetic improvement of this plant. Genetic improvement of purslane is also a real scientific challenge. Scientific modernization of conventional breeding with the advent of advance biotechnological and molecular approaches such as tissue culture, protoplast fusion, genetic transformation, somatic hybridization, marker-assisted selection, qualitative trait locus mapping, genomics, informatics and various statistical representation have opened up new opportunities of revising the relationship between genetic diversity, agronomic performance and response to breeding for varietal improvement. This review is an attempt to amalgamate the assorted scientific information on purslane propagation, cultivation, varietal improvement, nutrient analyses, medicinal uses and to describe prospective research especially for genetic improvement of this crop.