Effect of Fertilizer Micro-dosing on Seed Yield of Four Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Cultivars

Abstract

The manuscript addresses the need for efficient and economical fertiliser management in sesame production. Fertiliser micro-dosing involves applying small, targeted quantities of nutrients close to the root zone, which can improve nutrient-use efficiency and reduce fertiliser losses.  This approach may support sustainable sesame production, particularly in nutrient-deficient and low-input farming systems, by optimising fertiliser use, reducing unnecessary input costs and improving productivity. An experiment was conducted under rain-fed conditions during the 2016/17 season at Abu Gebeha, eastern South Kordofan, Sudan. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of NPK (15-15-15) fertiliser micro doses (0.9 g/hole: 0.6 g/hole: 0.0 g/hole) on the yields of four sesame cultivars: Promo, Umshagra, Abukhatra and Alimahadi. The experiment comprised twelve treatments. The treatments were arranged in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. The results showed that the highest seed yield was obtained from Abukhatra cultivar (69.38 g plant-1), Alimahdi (58.87 g plant-1) whereas a lower yield was obtained from Promo (29.77 g     plant-1). The 0.9 g NPK micro-dose produced the highest number of branches per plant (5.2), the highest number of capsules per plant (107.8), the highest number of seeds per capsule (130) and the highest seed yield (56.1 g plant-1), compared with the other treatments. The results indicated that the 0.9 g NPK fertiliser micro-dose produced the highest seed yield under rain-fed conditions in South Kordofan, Sudan. Furthermore, the study recommended the Abukhatra cultivar for sesame farmers in South Kordofan to attain higher grain yields.