Response of Sesame Cultivars to Plant Density and Nitrogen in the Sudan Central Rainlands PDF

Keywords

cultivar, nitrogen, seed yield

Abstract

Field experiments were conducted for 3 years to determine the effects of cultivar, nitrogen and plant population on seed yield and other plant characteristics under the conditions of limited water supply in rain fed areas of the central Sudan. Seed yield and its components were adversely affected by delayed sowing and inadequate water supply. Cultivar, unlike nitrogen and inter-row spacing, had a significant effect on seed yield, plant height and number of capsules plant- I under favourable environments (i.e. early sowing and adequate moisture). In the dry season, cultivars differed significantly in days to flowering whereas nitrogen significantly increased number of days to onset of flowering and increased number of capsules plant-I. Cultivar x nitrogen and cultivar x spacing interactions varied with the season and the plant parameter but they were both significant for number of plant ha- I in the dry and moderate seasons. Interactions of cultivar x nitrogen were also significant for seed yield in both favourable and moderate seasons and for number of capsules and plant height in the fonner. In the favourable environment cultivars UCR 76202 (1388 kg ha-1 ) and UCR 75370 (979 kg ha -1) had their highest seed yields (71 and 56% over the control) at 40 kg N ha -1; whereas the local cultivars A/5/9 (1183 kg ha-1) and A/1/9 (1057 kg ha-1) had their highest yields (22 and 14% over the control) at 20 and 80 kg N ha--1, respectively.