Effect of seed pelleting on the growth and yield performance of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivation

Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an underutilized oilseed crop that has greater potential to serve as alternative food and feed source. However, sesame cultivation is limited due to the small seed size with poor rates of germination, which has a substantial impact on crop field establishment. Hence, the present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of artificial seed coating (pelleting) on crop establishment via conventional and mechanization means. Here, six different treatments (T1 (Pelleted seeds+Seeder), T2 (Pelleted seeds+Row planting), T3 (Pelleted seeds+Broadcasting), T4 (Naked seeds+Seeder), T5 (Naked seeds+Row planting), and T6 (Naked seeds+Broadcasting)) were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The results showed that the germination, root, and yield characteristics of sesame plants were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the treatments. The germination indices were significantly higher in naked seeds compared to pelleted seeds. The highest root width (15 cm) and volume (6.11 cm3) were recorded in T3 while the lowest was in T5 (7.7 cm) and T6 (1.71 cm3) respectively. The highest number of capsules per plant (63) was in T3 while T4 had the lowest (18). The number of seeds per capsule was higher in T1 (53) while the lowest was in T5 (31) and T6 (32). T1 resulted in the highest total yield (1404 kg/ha) conversely, T3 gave the lowest (253 kg/ha). Thereby, pelleted seeds sown using seeders enabled successful crop establishment and yield performances compared to other treatments.