Effect of irrigation and fertilization on yield and its components in sesame (Sesamum indicum)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during summer seasons of 1988 and 1989 on Vertisol to study the response of sesame (Sesamum indicwn L)to irrigation, nitrogen and phosphorus. Irrigation scheduling was based on me ratio between irrigation water applied (60 mm) and cumulative pan evaporation. Irrigation water: cumulative pan-evaporation ratio of 0.9 showed beneficial effect on growth and yield components, and increased me seed yield (1152 and 1 165 kg/ha in 1988 and 1989 respectively), total dry matter (2 511 and 2 239 kg/ha in 1988 and 1989 respectively) and water-use efficiency (25.9 and 26.0 kg/ha-cm for seed yield and 56,4 and 50.0 kg/ha-cm in 1988 and 1989 respectively). An increase in the frequency and total
depth of water under 1.2 irrigation water: cumulative  pan-evaporation ratio significantly reduced the yield
components, yield and water-use efficiency. It was caused by induced plant-water deficit developed and apparent reduced ability of roots to absorb water under highly wet condition, primarily due to reduced aeration. Application of 80 kg N/ha and 13 kg P/ha promoted both yield and yield components. The
magnitude of response to N was higher than to P. Similar trend was noticed with water-use efficiency. The response of crop yield to water was quadratic in nature. About 36Cm water spread over 6 irrigation schedules of 6 em each (1 at pre-plant stage and the remaining 5 at vegetative, flowering, capsule-formation,
capsule-development and seed-formation stages), 80 kg N/ha and 13 kg P/ha were required to realize the lowest acceptable yield (800 kg/ha) wilh a highest water-use efficiency of 1.0 kg/ha sesame seed for 4 m³ water.