Bangladesh Agron. J. 2023, 26(1): 28-31 PERFORMANCE OF ROW SPACING ON THE YIELD OF SESAME VARIETIES Mohammad Ayub Hossain Khan1* and Maminul Islam2 1Agronomy Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh 2Department of Agricultural Extension, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh *Corresponding author, Email: ayubagronomy@yahoo.com (Received: 14 May 2023, Accepted: 11 September 2023) Keywords: Sesamum indicum L., capsule, seed yield Abstract The experiment was carried out during kharif-I season of 2020 in the experimental field of Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Cumilla to evaluate the optimum plant spacing of sesame varieties. There were four plants spacing S1 (30 ××5 cm2), S2 (30×× 10 cm2), S3 (40 ××5 cm2) and S4 (40×× 10 cm2) and two sesame varieties of V1 (BARI Til 3) and V2 (BARI Til 4) were included in the experiment. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with three replications. The highest seed yield (1646 kg ha-1) was found from BARI Til 4 but the highest number of capsule plant- 1 and number of branches plant-1 were obtained from BARI Til-3. The maximum seed yield (1913 kg ha-1) was achieved in the interaction of S4V2 (40 ××10 cm2 and BARI Til 4) that was identical to S2V2 (30 x 10 cm2 and BARI Til 4). Introduction Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) commonly known as til in Bengali, belongs to the Sesamum genus of the Pedaliaceae family. It is the second largest source of edible oil in Bangladesh. The crop is grown in both summer and winter. It is grown mainly for seeds that contain 46% - 64% oil and 20% protein (Raja et al., 2007). Sesame oil contains good quality poly- unsaturated fatty acids viz., 47% oleic and 39% linoleic acid. We can get a very good quality edible and medicinal oil, from sesame and it can be conserved for a long time. Til oil cake serves as a beneficial feed for various animals including poultry, fish, cattle, goats, and more. As sesame drought tolerant oilseed crop is grown successfully in the early summer in Bangladesh under rain fed condition. The crop is cultivated either as a pure stand or as a mixed crop with aus rice, jute, groundnut, millets, and sugarcane. In Bangladesh, sesame occupies a remarkable area under production and contributes second-ranked production after rapeseed and mustard. Although at present about 21,347 hectares of land are under sesame cultivation with a production of 19795 metric tons (BBS, 2020) but land area and production under sesame cultivation is decreasing day by day. In our country the yield of sesame is very poor compared to India and other sesame growing countries of the world. To increase the productivity of sesame, various improved technologies are needed and among them, various agro-techniques, isolating location-specific varieties assumes greater significance. In particular, variety, sowing time, population density and or plant spacing, and fertilizer management are very important. Plant spacing is one of the most important factors for getting higher yield. The optimum plant spacing depends on some factors including growing environment, planting system and cultivar used. Recommended plant spacing for sesame is not enough for normal growth and development for recently released high yielding sesame varieties. Keeping this point in mind, this experiment was undertaken to evaluate the performance of sesame varieties under different plant spacing for getting higher yield. Effect of row spacing on sesame 29 Materials and Methods The experiment was conducted at the research field of RARS, BARI, Cumilla, Bangladesh during the Kharif I season, 2020. The soil of the experimental plot was sandy loam. The experiment was conducted using a split- plot design with three replications. The unit plot size was 3.6 m × 2.0 m. Four spacing were arranged in main -plot and two varieties in sub- plots. The spacing of the experiment were; S1 = 30 × 5 cm2, S2 = 30 × 10 cm2, S3 =40 × 5 cm2 and S4 =40 × 10 cm2 and the varieties were V1= BARI Til 3 and V2 = BARI Til 4. The seeds were sown on 17 March, 2020. The seed rates were used @ 8 kg ha−1 and after 25 days after emergence the spacing were maintained according to the treatment. Seeds were placed 2 to 3 cm depth in rows and seeds were covered with loose soil properly. Fertilizers were applied @ 50, 30, 25,20,1.8 and 1.8 of N-P-K-S-Zn & B kg ha−1 respectively. Half urea and all other fertilizers were applied as basal dose; remaining urea was top dressed at 25 days after sowing (DAS). Thinning and weeding were done at 20 and 40 days after emergence. Irrigation was given two times at 30 days after sowing (before flowering) and 60 DAS. Ripcord was given three times @ 3g L−1 of water for controlling the infestation of sesame hairy caterpillar. Bavistin was sprayed @ 2 g L−1 of water for controlling the stem rot disease. At maturity stage, before harvesting ten randomly selected plants were uprooted to collect data on plants m2, plant height, branches plant−1, capsules plant−1, seeds capsule−1, and 1000-seed weight and yield m2. Data were analyzed statistically and treatments means were compared by least significant difference (LSD) test. Results and Discussion Effect of Spacing The maximum number of branches plant-1 (4.30) was found in treatment S4 (40 × 10 cm) which was identical with S2 (30 × 10 cm) and S3 (40 × ×5 cm2) and the lowest (3.30) in S1 (30 ××5 cm2). The maximum capsules plant-1 (65.20) was observed in S4 (40××10 cm2) which was identical with S3 (40 ××5 cm2) and S2 (30 × 10 cm2) and the lowest in S1 (30 × 5 cm2). The highest seeds capsule-1 (82.2) was found in S2 (30 × 10 cm2) and the lowest (72.3) in S1 (30 × 5 cm2). The maximum 1000 -seed weight (2.80 g) was achieved in S1 (30×5 cm2) followed by S3 (40×5 cm2) and the lowest (2.60g) in S2 (30 × 10 cm). The maximum seed yield (1817 kg ha-1) was obtained in S4 (40 ×10 cm2) that was statistically identical with S2 (30 × 10 cm2) and the lowest yield (1234 kg ha-1) in S1 (30 × 5 cm2). Enhanced exploitation of resources viz., solar radiation, nutrients, and water etc. may have favored 40 cm×××10 cm spacing in obtaining the maximum grain yield. The finding was in agreement with Shinde et al., 2011 and Yadav et al., 2007. Table1. Effect of spacing on yield and yield attributes of sesame during kharif–I, 2020 in RARS, BARI, Cumilla Treatment Plant height (cm) Branches plant−1 (no.) Capsules plant−1 (no.) Seeds capsule−1 (no.) 1000-seed weight (g) Seed yield (kg ha−1) S1(30×5 cm2) 123.50 3.30 51.20 72.30 2.80 1234 S2(30×10 cm2) 120.20 4.10 58.50 82.20 2.60 1735 S3(40×5 cm2) 123.80 3.60 59.30 75.70 2.80 1457 S4(40×10 cm2) 124.70 4.30 65.20 78.20 2.70 1817 LSD(0.05) NS 0.97 12.83 NS NS 180.9 CV (%) 3.50 12.68 10.96 9.45 8.18 5.80 30 Khan & Islam Effect of Variety The highest Plant height (124.20 cm), seeds capsule−1 (78.70) and seed yield (1646 kg ha−1) were achieved in var. BARI Til 4 and the lowest in BARI Til 3. The highest branches plant−1 (4.0), capsule plant (61.1) and 1000- seed weight (2.80g) was obtained in BARI Til 3 and the lowest in BARI Til 4. Similar results on 1000- seed weight was also found by Kokilavani et al. 2007, and Riaz et al. 2002 indicated that the number of capsules plant-1 differed significantly by different varieties. Chongdar et al. 2015 also observed variation in the number of seeds capsule−1 due to different varietal performance. Suryabala et al. (2008) opined that different Sesamum cultivars showed a significant variation in seed yield. Table 2. Effect of varieties on yield and yield attributes of sesame during kharif-I, 2020 in RARS, BARI, Cumilla Treatment Plant height (cm) Branches plant−1 (no.) Capsules plant−1 (no.) Seeds capsule−1 (no.) 1000-seed weight (g) Seed yield (kg ha−1) Variety V1 (BARI Til 3) 121.9 4.00 61.10 75.50 2.80 1475 V2 (BARI Til 4) 124.2 3.70 56.00 78.70 2.70 1646 Level of significant NS * * NS NS * Interaction effect between spacing and varieties of sesame Table-3 showed that different spacing and varieties had significant effect on branches plant-1, capsule plant-1 and seed yield (kg ha−1). Table 3. Interaction effect of spacing and variety on yield and yield attributes of sesame varieties during Kharif-I 2020 in RARS, BARI, Cumilla Treatment (Spacing× Variety) Plant height (cm) Branches plant−1 (no.) Capsules plant−1 (no.) Seed capsule−1 (no.) 1000-seed weight (g) Seed yield (kg ha−1) S1V1 121.70 3.70 55.30 71.00 2.70 1257 S1V2 125.30 3.00 47.00 73.70 2.90 1211 S2V1 120.30 4.30 61.00 79.70 2.60 1614 S2V2 120.00 3.90 56.00 84.70 2.60 1856 S3V1 122.00 4.00 65.00 75.70 3.00 1309 S3V2 125.70 3.30 53.70 75.70 2.80 1605 S4V1 123.70 4.10 63.00 75.70 2.80 1720 S4V2 125.70 4.50 67.30 80.70 2.70 1913 CV (%) 4.42 8.34 4.83 8.31 7.24 5.04 LSD(0.05) NS 0.60 5.325 NS NS 148 S1=30×5 cm, S2=30×10 cm, S3=40×5 cm, S4=40×10 cm; V1= BARI Til 3, V2= BARI Til 4 The maximum branches plant-1 (4.50) was observed in the interaction of S4V2 (40 × 10 cm2 spacing and variety BARI Til 4) which was identical to the interaction of S2V1 (30 ××10 cm2 ×BARI Til 3), S4V1 (40 ××10 cm2 × BARI Til 3), S3V1 (40 ××5 cm2 × BARI Til 3), S2V2 (30 ××10 cm ×BARI Til 4) and the lowest branches plant−1 (3.0) of S1V2 (30 ××5 cm and BARI Til 4). The maximum number of capsule plant−1 (67.3) was obtained in S4V2 (40 ××10 cm2 and variety BARI Til 4) which was statistically identical to S3V1 (40 ××5 cm and BARI Til 3) and S4V1 (40 ××10 cm2 and BARI Til 3) and the lowest capsule plant−1 (47.0) of S1V2 (30×××5 cm and BARI Til 4). The maximum seed yield (1913 kg ha-1) was achieved in the interaction of S4V2 (40 ××10 cm and BARI Til 4) that was identical to S2V2 (30 ××10 cm and BARI Til 4) and the lowest yield (1211 kg ha−1) in the interaction of S1V2 (30×××5 cm and BARI Til 4). The finding of Ozturk (2012) showed Effect of row spacing on sesame 31 that the highest seed yield was obtained from the narrow row spacing (30 cm) whereas the lowest seed yield from widest row spacing (70 cm). The highest plant height (125.7 cm) was observed of S4V2 (40×××10 cm and BARI Til 4) and S3V2 (40×5 cm2 and BARI Til 4) and the lowest plant height (120.0 cm) of S2V2 (30×××10 cm2 and BARI Til 4). The highest seeds capsule-1 (84.7) was obtained of S2V2 (30 × 10 cm and BARI Til 4) and the lowest (71.0) was obtained of S1V1 (30 ××5 cm2 and BARI Til 3). The highest 1000- seed weight (3.00 g) was achieved of S3V1 (40 × 5 cm2 and BARI Til 3) and the lowest (2.60 g) in S2V1 (30 × 10 cm2 and BARI Til 3) followed by S2V2 (30×××10 cm and BARI Til 4). Conclusion From the study, it may be concluded that 40 ××10 cm2 or 30×××10 cm2 would be the optimum spacing for sesame var. BARI Til 4 or BARI Til 3. These results indicate that 40 × 10 cm2 and 30 × 10 cm2 could be the optimum row spacing of sesame under the agro-ecological conditions of the experimental location. References BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics). 2020. Statistical pocketbook of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Statistics division, Ministry of Planning. Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Chongdar, S., B. Chhetri, S. Mahato and A. Saha. 2015. 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Effect of spacing and sulphur levels on productivity of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under summer condition. J. Maharastra Agric. Univ. 36(1): 28-31. Suryabala, Y., A.B. Abidi, R.P. Singh and S. Anju. 2008. Response of sulphur nutrition on nutritional characteristics of oil and cake of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties. J. Oilseeds Res. 25(1): 38- 40. Yadav, R.A., M. Akhilesh and D. Singh. 2007. Response of sesame cultivars under various plant spacing and seed rates. Plant Arch. 7(1): 287-288.