Impact of phosphorus and sulphur levels on growth and productivity of summer sesame

Abstract

India imports edible vegetable oil to fulfil the domestic requirement and there is a need for enhancement of productivity of oilseeds in the country. Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), a short duration oilseed, grows well during different seasons under various cropping systems. The average productivity of sesame in India is low and that can be increased by efficient nutrient management. Based on the above facts, a field trial was conducted during summer season of 2021 at Experimental Farm of Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design comprising of four levels of phosphorus (0, 30, 60, 90 kg P2O5/ha) and three levels of sulphur (0, 20, 40 kg S/ha), with three replications. The sesame variety YLM17 was sown on 25th February 2021. The results revealed that the application of 60 kg P2O5/ha registered significantly more growth attributes, namely, plant height (113.8 cm), dry matter accumulation (2899 g/m2) and leaf area index (1.46) than other treatments. Similarly, the treatment being statistically at par with 90 kg P2O5/ha recorded superior yield attributes over other treatments. The seed yield (770 kg/ha), stover yield (2126 kg/ha), oil content (43.7%) and oil yield (336 kg/ha) of summer sesame was more with 60 kg P2O5/ha, but it was statistically at par with 90 kg P2O5/ha. However, 40 kg S/ha registered significantly higher values of growth and yield attributes, seed yield (673 kg/ha), stover yield (1779 kg/ha), oil content (41.5%) and oil yield (282 kg/ha) of sesame. The experiment concludes that the summer sesame can be grown in south Odisha conditions with the application of 60 kg phosphate and 40 kg sulphur per hectare to obtain higher growth and productivity.