Production potential for sesame in the forest-savanna transition zone of south-west Nigeria

Abstract

The performance of fourteen sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivars was evaluated at the Teaching and Research farm of University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (7° 15′ N, 3° 25′ E) in the forest – savanna transition zone of south west Nigeria during the late cropping seasons of 1999 and 2000. Data were collected on phenology, growth characteristics, grain yields and yield components of sesame. The results revealed that the sesame varieties flowered, produced capsules and matured at 49-60, 58-74 and 96-106 days after planting (DAP), respectively. Number of branches and capsules per plant ranged between 2-4 and 13-37, respectively. The sesame entries recorded grain yields that ranged between 374.0 (Domu) and 899.46 kg ha-1 (530-3). All the varieties except Yandev 55 (a local variety used as check in the study) (448.94 kg ha-1) and Domu (374.94 kg ha-1) produced grain yields higher than the current Nigerian average yield of 487 kg ha-1. Grain yield was highly associated (P<0.01) with number of nodes and capsules per plant. The overall performance of these varieties in this study is similar to results reported for sesame generally in the southern Guinea savanna region of Nigeria. Consequently, this study confirmed the suitability of the forest – savanna transition zone for sesame production. The distribution of rainfall and temperature during the two late cropping seasons and their relevance to the productivity of the sesame varieties is discussed.