Abstract:
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an underutilized
oilseed crop that has greater potential to serve as alternative food
and feed source. However, sesame cultivation is limited due to the
small seed size with poor rates of germination, which has a substantial impact on crop field establishment. Hence, the present study was
carried out to evaluate the effects of artificial seed coating (pelleting)
on crop establishment via conventional and mechanization means.
Here, six different treatments (T1 (Pelleted seeds+Seeder), T2
(Pelleted seeds+Row planting), T3 (Pelleted seeds+Broadcasting),
T4 (Naked seeds+Seeder), T5 (Naked seeds+Row planting), and
T6 (Naked seeds+Broadcasting)) were arranged in Randomized
Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. The results
showed that the germination, root, and yield characteristics of
sesame plants were significantly (p<0.05) affected by the treatments.
The germination indices were significantly higher in naked seeds
compared to pelleted seeds. The highest root width (15 cm) and
volume (6.11 cm3) were recorded in T3 while the lowest was in
T5 (7.7 cm) and T6 (1.71 cm3) respectively. The highest number of
capsules per plant (63) was in T3 while T4 had the lowest (18).
The number of seeds per capsule was higher in T1 (53) while
the lowest was in T5 (31) and T6 (32). T1 resulted in the highest
total yield (1404 kg/ha) conversely, T3 gave the lowest (253 kg/ha).
Thereby, pelleted seeds sown using seeders enabled successful crop
establishment and yield performances compared to other treatments.
