2. Introduction
The world major producer: India
Other countries:
• China, Philippine, Burma, Korea, Thailand, Sri
Lanka, Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya,
Tanzania, Somalia, Uganda, Nigeria, Mexico,
Venezuela, USA and Australia
3. • Belongs to the family Pedaliaceae
• “Queen of oil seeds”
• Quality of its oil
– Fatty acid composition
– Resistance to oxidation and rancidity even when
stored at ambient air temperatures
4. Uses of Sesame
• Edible oil
• Industrial uses of oil – paint, soap, perfume,
insecticides, medicine
• Residue after extraction of oil – animal feed
• Immature flush – use in preparation of soups
• Ayurveda treatment
• In food industry
6. Composition of the residue after extraction of oil
Used as an animal feed
Type Amount (%)
Protein 20.14
Fat 20.76
Calcium 1.38
Phosphorous 0.50
Iron 0.015
Carbohydrate 16.59
7. Crop establishment and management
Climatic requirement
• Grows under rain-fed or irrigated systems in Maha
and Yala
• Prefers a warm, dry climate
• Rainfall 500-600 mm
• Light rains in early stages of growth
• Can tolerate a short period of drought
• Intolerant to water logging
8. Areas
• Northern, Eastern, NCP, NWP
• The crop requires fairly hot condition during growth
to produce higher yields
• Temperature of 25-27oC
– Encourage rapid germination
– Initial growth
– Flower formation
9. • Temperature < 20 oC – germination inhibited
• Temperature < 18 oC – severely retard growth
• Low temperature at flowering result in
– Production of sterile pollen
– Premature flower fall
• Temperature > 40 oC at flowering
– negatively affect the fertilization
– Hence, reduce capsules set
10. Wind
• Strong winds enhance
– Lodging
– Seed shattering
Light
• Short day plant
• 10 h light/day
• > 12 h light delay the time to
– flower initiation
11. Soils
• Thrives best on sandy loams
• Performs reasonably well on poor soils if they are
well-drained.
• Very sandy and alkaline soils are not suitable
• pH 5.3 – 8.0
Land preparation
• Soil should be worked to fine tilth because the
sesame seeds are very tiny
• Seed germination is positively correlated with soil
tilth
12. Variety Seed colour Oil content
(%)
Maturation
time (days)
MI-1 Black 45 80-90
MI-2 Black 45 80-85
MI-3 White 48-49 85-90
Uma White 50 70-75
Malee Light brown 53 80-85
Recommended varieties
13. Seed rate
Broadcast : 7 kg/ha
Row-sown : 5 kg/ha
Time of planting
Yala : mid March - early April
Maha : early November
Spacing
Inter row - 30 cm.
Within row - 15 cm (at 3-4 leaf stage thin plants)
14. Growth stages
Four distinct phases
• Establishment stage - 0- 12 DAS* (12 days)
• Vegetative stage – 13-36 DAS (24 days)
• Reproductive stage – 37-60 DAS (24 days)
– Flowering, flower set and capsule development are
continuous and overlapping
• Ripening stage – 61-84 DAS (25 days)
*DAS – days after sowing
15. Cropping systems
1. Crop rotation
Maha Yala
Lowlands Paddy
maize/sorghum,
finger millet
Sesame
Uplands Finger millet,
maize,cowpea, green
gram, chilli
Sesame
17. Fertilization
• Under chena cultivation - no fertilizer is used.
• Application of fertilizer increase seed yield.
Time of
application
Amount (kg/ha)
Urea TSP MOP
Basal dressing 50 120 60
Top dressing
(4 WAP)
60 -- --
18. Irrigation management
• A fairly drought tolerant crop
• Seedling stage extremely susceptible to moisture
stress
• Optimum rainfall distribution
Germination to first bud formation 35%
First bud to main flowering 45%
Main flowering to maturity 20%
19. Irrigation cont:
• Extremely susceptible to water logging conditions
• Heavy rain at flowering – drastically reduce yields
• Rainfall at the time of harvesting
– Retard the rate of capsule maturity
– High fungal diseases
20. Weed management
• Keep the crop free of weeds for at least 1
month
• The first weeding - 2 WAP*
• Thinning of excess plants
• Second weeding - 4 WAP
*WAP – weeks after planting
21. Insect management
Pod borer (Antigastra catalaunalis)
Damage
symptoms on leaf
(A and B),
capsules (C) and
stem (D)
Control:
Apply
recommended
insecticide
23. Symptoms
Flower buds are
changed to leaf
buds
Disease Management
Caused by a
mycoplasma like
organism transmitted by
leaf hoppers
Phyllody
24. Control
• Cultivation at the correct time
• Uproot and burn diseased plants
• Control plant hoppers
25. Harvesting
• Physiological maturity occurs around 40 - 45 days
after flowering
• At this stage 1000 grain weight will be 2 to 3.5 g
and 26% grain moisture content
• Harvesting should be done when capsule have
turned brown and leaves have dropped
• Harvesting early – results in low oil yields
• Delaying in harvesting - cause seed shattering due
to splitting of the capsules
28. Harvesting and primary processing
• Cut stems at the base.
• Place bundles vertically with heads together for about 1 week to
facilitate drying
• Spread them on a threshing floor and allow to dry 3 days
• Shake plants and 75% seed can be separated
• Dry plants for one more day and shake again
• Winnow seeds
• Dry seeds for 3 days
• Optimum Seed MC* – 4 - 5%
*MC – moisture content
29. Stacking harvested sesame plants one over the other in a
circle
Humidity and temperature increase and seed get
uniform maturity in 3-5 days
30. • Yield 600 kg – 1000 kg/ha
• Yield obtain in dry zone of Sri Lanka 1250 kg/ha
• Selling price Rs.130.00/kg
• Income per ha = 130.00 x 1250 kg
= Rs.162,500
