Effect of Nitrogen Levels on the Growth and Yield Performance of Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) Varieties

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the Field Laboratory, Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, during February to May 2008 with a view to study the effect of nitrogen on the growth and yield performance of sesame varieties. The experiment consisted of three varieties (Botiaghata Local Til, BARI Til-2 and BARI Til-3) and four nitrogen levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 kg N ha⁻¹). The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The result showed significant variations among the varieties for all the crop characters viz. plant height, number of leaves, number of branches plant⁻¹, number of capsules plant⁻¹, capsule length, number of seeds capsule⁻¹, 1000-seed weight, dry matter content, days to first flowering, days to harvest, stover yield (t ha⁻¹), seed yield (t ha⁻¹) and harvest index. The highest seed yield (1.58 t ha⁻¹) was recorded from BARI Til-2, followed by the yield (1.10 t ha⁻¹) from BARI Til-3 and the lowest yield (0.95 t ha⁻¹) from the Botiaghata Local Til. Nitrogen had significant effect on all parameters studied. The highest seed yield (1.51 t ha⁻¹) was recorded from the 75 kg N ha⁻¹ and the lowest seed yield (0.95 t ha⁻¹) was recorded from the control. The interactions of variety with nitrogen exerted its significant effect on all parameters studied except capsule length and 1000-seed weight of sesame. The highest seed yield was obtained from the combination of BARI Til-2 with 75 kg N ha⁻¹.