Sesame Varieties Research Articles

Unraveling the Amino Acid Synthesis in Maturity Sesame Seeds Based on the Integrative Analysis of Transcriptome and Metabolome

ABSTRACTSesame plays a vital role in food industry due to its high oil yield, antioxidant potential, and substantial protein content. Notably, there are significant differences in amino acid composition in sesame seeds at various developmental stages. However, the molecular basis and regulatory mechanism underlying amino acid production largely remain unexplored. To unravel these mechanisms, we analyzed the metabolome and transcriptome profiles of a sesame variety across four distinct growth stages (S1–S4). Our analysis identified a total of 17 amino acids, with glutamic acid (Glu), arginine (Arg), proline (Pro), and tyrosine (Tyr) exhibiting significantly higher abundances in mature stages. This increased abundance correlated with the elevated expression of genes involved in amino acid synthesis and regulatory genes. Using weighted gene co‐expression network analysis, we discovered modules associated with glutathione metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, proline, and tyrosine synthesis, along with candidate genes that regulate amino acid production and metabolism. Notably, the differential expression of genes within the amino acid pathways resulted in significant variations in the contents of Glu, Arg, Pro, and Tyr at the mature stage (28 days after flowering, S4) compared to other growth stages. Correlation analysis revealed strong association among the enzymes glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate/aspartate–prephenate aminotransferase (PAT), and polyamine oxidase (PAO) with the 17 amino acids, suggesting their potential role in the amino acid synthesis. Our findings provide novel insights into the synthesis and accumulation of amino acids during the growth stages of sesame seeds, highlighting key regulatory genes and metabolic pathways involved in this process. Our study lays the groundwork for future studies aiming to enhance the nutritional quality and yield of sesame varieties.

Seed and foliar application of nano-selenium improves sesame triacylglycerols and oil yield via photosynthetic pigment and enzymatic and chemical antioxidant enhancement revealed by spectrophotometric, UHPLC-analysis and chemometric modeling

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of plant-mediated selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidant activity, and the triacylglycerol profile of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.). The green synthesis of SeNPs was achieved using garlic extract, resulting in spherical nanoparticles with an average size range of 70–75 nm. Three SeNP treatments (T3, 30 ppm; T4, 40 ppm; and T5, 50 ppm) were applied through seed and foliar spray on six sesame varieties (V1, TS-5; V2, TH-6; V3, Til-18; V4, Niab Millennium; V5, Niab Pearl; and V6, NS-16). All enzymatic antioxidant parameters showed an increase in the treated groups, such as SOD (74.4% in V1 at T4), POD (43% in V5 at T5), APX (62% in V1 at T3), and GPX (31.56% in V3 at T4). CAT showed the highest percentage improvement in T5 for V1, V2, V4, and V5, while V3 and V4 exhibited the highest values at T4. Likewise, seed antioxidant parameters also showed increase in antioxidant activity, highest total phenolic content (6.06 mg GAE/g) was found at T5 treatment with percent increase of 27.41%, but the highest percent increase was found to be at T4 treatments in V1 with increase of 46.83%. Percent oil yield was also noted to be higher as highest percent (60%) oil yield was obtained at T4 treatment in V3. Ultra High Performance Mass-Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) analysis and chemometric modeling suggested a total of 10 triacylglycerol (TG) biomarkers separating untreated groups, with higher relative abundance values at T4 and T5 treatments compared to control. PCA and correlation analysis showed clustering of untreated groups from T4 and T5, which suggests that these two treatments result in higher accumulation of oil. A generalized linear model with ANOVA showed a highly significant impact of treatments on all the growth and oil parameters, with significance involvement of varieties. The interaction between variety and treatment showed no significant effect on the growth and oil biomarkers of sesame. However, it can be concluded that the T4 and T5 treatments (40 ppm and 50 ppm) of SeNPs, applied through seed and foliar methods, have a strong influence on the overall growth and oil yield of sesame. This warrants further transcriptomic and molecular analysis to gain deeper insight into the mechanisms of action of SeNPs.

SesamumGDB: a comprehensive platform for Sesamum genetics and genomics analysis.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L., 2n = 26) is a crucial oilseed crop cultivated worldwide. The ancient evolutionary position of the Sesamum genus highlights its value for genomics and molecular genetics research among the angiosperms of other genera. However, Sesamum is considered a small orphan genus with only a few genomic databases for cultivated sesame to date. The urgent need to construct comprehensive, curated genome databases that include genus-specific gene resources for both cultivated and wild Sesamum species is being recognized. In response, we developed Sesamum Genomics Database (SesamumGDB), a user-friendly genomic database that integrates extensive genomic resources from two cultivated sesame varieties (S. indicum) and seven wild Sesamum species, covering all three chromosome groups (2n = 26, 32, and 64). This database showcases a total of 352 471 genes, including 6026 related to lipid metabolism and 17 625 transcription factors within Sesamum. Equipped with an array of bioinformatics tools such as BLAST (basic local alignment search tool) and JBrowse (the Javascript browser), SesamumGDB facilitates data downloading, screening, visualization, and analysis. As the first centralized Sesamum genome database, SesamumGDB offers extensive insights into the genomics and genetics of sesame, potentially enhancing the molecular breeding of sesame and other oilseed crops in the future. Database URL: http://www.sgbdb.com/sgdb/.

Evaluating the Yield Performance of Released Sesame Varieties in Western Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

The experiment was conducted in western Tigray in Humera and Dansha (Kebabo) area during the main growing season of 2016 under rain fed condition with the aim of evaluating and identifying the well performing and high yielder sesame variety. The experiment consisted of nine varieties laid down in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, Result of the combined analysis showed highly significant (p<0.01) difference among the varieties in days to flowering, days to maturity, number of branches per plant, number of pods per plant, thousand seeds weight and grain yield. Among the nine sesame varieties the highest mean grain yield was recorded on Setit-2 (1111.89 kg ha-1), Setit-1 (1070.58 kg ha-1), Humera-1(976.42 kg ha-1) and local check (970.20 kg ha-1) followed by Adi (755.42 kg ha-1) whereas the lowest mean grain yield was recorded on Borkena (548.67 kg ha-1), BaHa - Zeyit (548.69 kg ha-1) followed by BaHa- Necho (616.28 kg ha-1) and Gonder-1 (683.09 kg ha-1). This indicated that the verities released by Humera Agricultural Research Center and the local check (Hirhir) were highly performed in Humera. Therefore, even though they were statically similar; Setit-2 was recently released and it can be concluded that variety Setit-2 well performed and can be recommended for the growers in the study area.

Biochemical characterization of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties grown in Togo

Food and nutrition insecurity are a major problem in low-income countries. However, some crops like sesame are still underused and can be used to improve the food and nutritional security in rural areas. Grains of seven varieties of sesame comprising four (4) local and three (3) introduced varieties were studied for their nutrient content and oil composition to provide information on their nutritional value and oil quality for a holistic development and valorisation of the crop in Togo. Results revealed that water, ash, lipid, protein, total sugar, fiber, vitamin C, energy, total phenol and tannin contents ranged from 5.08 to 6.30%; 3.94 to 5.40%; 36.69 to 45.62%; 19.52 to 25.37; 11.10 to 19.16; 3.84 to 7.01%; 1.10 to 1.94%; 660 to 953.3 Kcal/ 100g; 0.0020-7 to 0.006% and 0.005 to 0.017%. The oils extracted from these different varieties had saponification and acid indices that ranged respectively from 179.95 to 190.54 and from 4.47 to 8.96. In terms of fatty acid composition, oleic acid and linoleic acid ranged from 37.92 to 42.24% and 36.1 to 39.8% respectively, while palmitic acid ranged from 6.82 to 12.41% and stearic acid from 5.51 to 7.83%. The results enabled us to identify the sesame grains of local varieties G3 and G3B as being suitable for enriching infant flours or for remedying the problems of protein and energy deficiency in Togo. Further, the oils extracted from these varieties are of good quality and can therefore be used in industry and for food purposes.

Agromorphological Characterization of the Main Sesame Varieties Grown in the Sahelian Zone of Chad

Sesame (<i>Sesamum indicum</i> L.) would be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Currently in Chad, its cultivation is in vogue and constitutes one of the priorities of farmers. The objective of this study was to highlight the agronomic and morphological characteristics of two varieties of sesame grown in the Sahelian zone of Chad. The experiment was conducted in open fields in the natural site of Kournari, around thirty kilometers from the capital N'Djamena. The local black seed and white seed S-42 varieties were grown in a randomized Fisher block design with 3 replicates. Plant height, number of leaves, number of capsules, number of seeds per capsule, average seed weight, weight of 1000 seeds, and grain yields per plant were determined. The measured parameters showed that vegetative development is greater in the S-42 variety than in the local variety. While in terms of yield per plant, the local variety is more productive with 33.01 g per plant compared to 20.08 g per plant for the S-42 variety. Plant height had a negative effect on grain yield per plant. It would be interesting to study the characteristics of other varieties in order to identify those which would best respond to the Sahelian climate.

Evaluation of Agronomic Traits, Total Phenolic Content, and Antioxidant Properties of Sesame Seeds of Different Colors and Origin.

Rising health concerns regarding chronic diseases call for exploring natural sources of antioxidants and factors that influence their activity. This study evaluated the diversity of 112 sesame germplasms from Africa and Asia based on ten agronomic traits (seven quantitative and three qualitative), two antioxidant activities (ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities), and the content of one metabolite (TPC). TPC, DPPH, and ABTS were in the ranges of 4.98-87.88 µg GAE/mg DE, 3.97-46.23 µg AAE/mg DE, and 3.42-176.01 µg TE/mg DE, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed significant variations in agronomic traits, TPC, and antioxidant activities among the sesame germplasms (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the individual and interaction effects of seed color and the continent of origin on the levels of the quantitative traits, TPC, ABTS, and DPPH were analyzed, and the correlation among the traits was further evaluated. Diversity in TPC, ABTS, and DPPH was significantly associated with seed color and most of the quantitative agronomic traits (p < 0.05) but not with continent of origin. Principal component analysis revealed TPC, ABTS, DPPH, and five quantitative traits as the most discriminant traits. In general, six sesame accessions with high TPC and antioxidant activities (IT194356, IT170094, IT29971, IT185998, IT104246, and IT169623) as well as important agronomic traits were identified and, hence, could be used for developing improved sesame varieties.

Evaluation of Five Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) Varieties Under Varying Fertilizer Rates and Establishment Methods for Growth and Yield in Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria

Global sesame seed market is projected to have USD 7.24 billion in consumption value by 2024. However, its supply has not been able to match the demand due to several constraints to its production. This study was conducted at the Prince Abubakar Audu University Research and Demonstration Farm, during the 2023 cropping season to evaluate five sesame varieties for growth and yield under varying fertilizer rates and establishment methods. Treatment consisted of five sesame varieties, two establishment methods, and three fertilizer levels respectively combined factorially to obtain a total of thirty factorial treatment combinations and laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Results showed that varieties differed significantly (P &lt; 0.05) in growth, yield and yield characters. YANDEV55 produced the widest leaf area at 9WAS, NCRIBEN-02M produced the highest number of leaves per plant (36) at 12WAS. The same variety (NCRIBEN-02M) consistently produced the tallest stems (42.48, 56.10, 80.48 &amp; 93.46 cm) at 3, 6, 9 &amp; 12WAS. YANDEV55 produced 73.6 % germination which was highest amongst others. E8 produced the highest number of capsule/plant (23.3) and number of seeds/plant (1428.94). NCRIBEN-05E performed optimally in yield characters such as total plant biomass yield (2908.0g/plot) and final seed yield (887.9kgha-1). NCRIBEN-02M had the highest haulm yield (33.0g/plot) while NCRIBEN-01M had the longest days (54.16) to 50% anthesis. Seed/capsule and Harvest index were not significantly affected by varieties. Broadcast method produced significantly widest leaf areas of 53.9 and 40.5 cm2 at 6 and 12 WAS respectively, higher number of leaves (18.0) at 3WAS. Drilling method of crop establishment produced the highest biomass yield (2894.6g/plot) and final seed yield (879.2 kgha-1). Similarly, fertilizer rates affect growth and yield characters; 100 kg NPKha-1 produced the widest leaf area, tallest plants and highest number of leaves/plant at all stages of sampling. These were at par with values obtained when plots were treated with 150kg NPKha-1. Alternatively, highest number of capsules/plant (22.4), seeds/capsule (62.46), seeds/plant (1502.73), total plant biomass yield (2879.7g/plot), haulm yield (33.0g/plot), final seed yield (870.7kgha-1) and longest number of days to 50% anthesis (53.6) were all obtained when plots were treated with 150 kgha-1 but was at par with 100kg NPKha-1. Fertilizer rates did not affect the establishment count and harvest index. The best variety with respect to yield/ha is NCRIBEN-02M, Application of 100 kg NPK/ha appears maximum for optimum yield of the crop, drilling appears to produce higher yield than broadcast for some varieties with an overall marginal increase of 8.4 % over broadcast and thus recommended for Anyigba environment. An economic study of the cost implication for both operations (drilling and broadcast) could be embarked upon to ascertain the veracity of this assertion, more so that broadcast requires higher seed rate than drilling. Significant interaction of varieties x establishment method was also an indication that very high yielding varieties (NCRIBEN-02M and NCRIBEN-01M) do better when drilled compared to broadcast. Significant positive relationship between some growth, yield and yield characters is an indication that effective crop improvement through selection can be carried out by selecting for those characters that correlated positively with yield.

Technological Aptitude and Acceptability of Four Sesame Varieties from Burkina Faso in Pastes and Biscuits

Technological Aptitude and Acceptability of Four Sesame Varieties from Burkina Faso in Pastes and Biscuits

Unravelling bio-potential of improved sesame variety VRI3 (Sesamum indicum L.) through modernization of cultivation

Unravelling bio-potential of improved sesame variety VRI3 (Sesamum indicum L.) through modernization of cultivation

Chemometric Modeling Revealed Oleic and Linoleic Acids as Varietal Biomarkers for Six Sesame Varieties-In Vitro and UHPLC Analyses.

Pakistan once considered self-sufficient for edible oil production now became the major importer with 88.6% imports and producing only the minor portion. Scientific negligence in oil seed crops led to a dramatic decrease in edible oil production depending mainly on only the imports. Sesamum indicum L., "Queen of Oil seeds" with 50-55% oil, is cultivated in various geographical regions of Pakistan, but farmers are not considering this crop because of insufficient knowledge, poor crop management practices, and low yielding varieties. This study was conducted to check the nutritional, biochemical, antioxidant, and yield potentials of six major varieties, i.e., TS-5, TH-6, Til-18, NIAB-Mil, NIAB-Pearl, and NS-16, and to compare the nutritionals, oil quality, and oil yield potential of these varieties. Field experiment was conducted, and various crop growth biomarkers were analyzed. Chlorophyll content and superoxide dismutase activity were found to be highest in NIAB-Mil followed by NIAB-Pearl and comparable to those of Til-18, while APX, Cat, and GPX activity was found to be highest in Til-18 with 25.6 and 5.9 and 6.02 mg/g, respectively. Seed antioxidant parameters showed a mixed response, but NIAB-Mil, NIAB pearl, and Til-18 were found to be highest in all antioxidant parameters. UHPLC analysis of seed oil resulted in a total of 14 triacylglycerols (TAGs), and principal component analysis and OPLS-Da analysis showed seven TAG biomarkers responsible for the separation of sesame varieties. Til-18 was found to be highest in oil content (53.3%) more abundant with oleic acid, while NIAB-Pearl, NIAB-Mil, and NS-16 were found to be abundant with linoleic acid, both considered as potential TAG biomarkers for sesame oil separation. This study concluded that, in general, Til-18 variety is more resistant with high nutritional status, high antioxidant activity, and oil yielding variety, followed by NIAB-Mil and NIAB-Pearl.

Modeling the response of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) to different soil fertility levels under rain-fed conditions in the semi-arid areas of western Tigray, Ethiopia

Sesame, a crucial oilseed crop in Ethiopia, ranks second only to coffee in its importance as an exported agricultural commodity. However, inadequate soil fertility management has hampered its productivity despite its substantial international market demand. Hence, this study was conducted to model the response of sesame to different nitrogen fertilizer levels using the AquaCrop model, and to assess the capability of the model as a decision-support tool for optimizing soil fertility management strategies in the study area. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design, consisting of four nitrogen fertilizer rates (0, 23, 46, and 69 kg/ha nitrogen) and three distinct sesame varieties (Setit-1, Setit-2, and Humera-1). Over the course of the three cropping seasons, data on soil physical and chemical properties, crop growth, yield and yield components were collected for each treatment. Evaluation of model performance relied upon established metrics of coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (N-RMSE), model efficiency (E), and degree of agreement (D). Analysis of results revealed the AquaCrop model appropriately calibrated for simulation of soil water content, showing R2 values ranging from 0.92 to 0.98, RMSE values varying from 6.5 to 13.9 mm, E values from 0.78 to 0.94, and D values from 0.95 to 0.99. Similarly, simulation outputs for aboveground biomass (AB) demonstrated good accuracy of the model, with R2 values varying from 0.92 to 0.98, RMSE values ranging from 0.33 to 0.54 tons/ha, and D values from 0.9 to 0.98. Notable accuracy was also observed in the simulation of canopy cover (CC), revealing R2 values between 0.95 and 0.99, and RMSE values ranging from 5.3 to 8.6 %. In conclusion, this study substantiates the successful calibration and validation of the AquaCrop model for predicting sesame response to diverse nitrogen fertilizer levels. The performance of the model in predicting soil water content, CC, AB, and yield highlights its potential as a valuable tool for optimizing soil fertility management and enhancing sesame cultivation practices in Ethiopia.

Boosting Productivity: The Impact of Improved Sesame Varieties on Small-Scale Farmers in Mtwara, Tanzania

Boosting Productivity: The Impact of Improved Sesame Varieties on Small-Scale Farmers in Mtwara, Tanzania

Evaluation of the Physiological and Agronomic Performance of New Sesame Varieties (Sesamum indicum L.) Introduced in Burkina Faso

Evaluation of the Physiological and Agronomic Performance of New Sesame Varieties (Sesamum indicum L.) Introduced in Burkina Faso

Assessment of Yield Losses due to Major Insect Pests in Sesame

Yield losses due to major insect pests viz., leaf webber and capsule borer Antigastra catalaunalis (Duponchel) and gall fly Asphondylia sesami (Felt) in promising sesame varieties was carried out at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jagtial, during summer, 2019 and 2020 under protected and unprotected conditions. The highest % avoidable yield losses was recorded in Hima variety (35.45) followed by Swetha, Sharada, GT 10, Madhavi, Gouri, VRI 1 and Rajeswari with 34.27, 33.17, 32.48, 31.05, 30.53, 30.01 and 29.75, respectively. Regarding cost benefit ratio, highest was recorded in Hima variety (1:2.23) followed by Swetha (1:2.05) and Sharada (1:1.75).

Effect of combinations organic and mineral fertilizers on the growth and productivity performance of two sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties grown in Burkina Faso

Effect of combinations organic and mineral fertilizers on the growth and productivity performance of two sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties grown in Burkina Faso

Exploring fatty acid composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant properties in oils of newly developed sesame mutant lines in Morocco

AbstractSesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is renowned for its significance as a global oilseed crop, valued for its high oil content and nutritional properties. This study aimed to explore the fatty acid composition, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant attributes of sesame mutant oils, examining their potential applications in food industry. Nine M4 mutants, along with their parents, were grown in two contrasting environments (Taoujdate and Afourare) to investigate their seed oil, phenolic and flavonoid contents, the balance between omega‐6, omega‐9, and omega‐3 fatty acids, iodine value, and susceptibility to oxidation. Genotype and environment main effects as well as their interaction had a significant effect on the majority of the parameters studied. The mutant “US2‐1” stands out with a distinctive fatty acid profile, featuring the highest saturated fatty acids, ω‐6/ω‐9 ratio, and omega‐3 content, in addition to its high total flavonoid content and remarkable oxidative stability. “ML2‐10,” “US1‐2,” “US2‐6,” and “US2‐7” exhibit high oil content, coupled with substantial levels of phenols and flavonoids, rendering them excellent candidates for culinary and industrial applications where oxidative stability is important. “ML2‐68,” “ML2‐72,” “US06,” “US1‐DL,” and “US1‐3” offer versatile options with their moderate oil content and fatty acid profiles that resist oxidation. This research highlights the potential for breeding sesame mutants tailored to specific applications, contributing to both enhanced oil production and improved nutritional value. The insights gained here pave the way for the development of sesame varieties with superior nutritional and functional attributes, thereby promoting the sustainable production and consumption of sesame oil.

LCMS Based Untargeted Metabolic Profiling Revealed a Strong Association of Nanoselenium Treated Sesame (Sesamum indicum) Seed Bioactive Compounds as Novel Potential Disease Targets- A Nano-bioinformatics Approach.

The convergence of nanotechnology with bioinformatics and the study of plant secondary metabolites hold remarkable potential for transformative scientific breakthroughs. Synergy enables a deeper understanding of the biosynthesis and functions of plant secondary metabolites, unlocking avenues to engineer novel applications in areas like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and sustainable materials. The present study was conducted to check the effect of plant-mediated selenium nanoparticles to improve the bioactive compounds in sesame. Three varieties of sesame (TS-5, TH-6, and Till-18) were sown and got treated with different concentration of selenium nanoparticles. On the basis of antioxidant, biochemical, and physiological parameters, best performing seed samples from crop were selected and subjected to UHPLC analysis. From all 276 identified metabolites, the top 20 differentially expressed bioactive, medicinally important compounds were subjected to Swiss target prediction, KEGG, and Metascape analysis to reveal drug targets, gene targets, cell targets, and disease targets. Swiss target prediction revealed that most of the drug targets had kinases as the highest target in all the bioactive metabolites, followed by nuclear transporters, cytochrome P450, and proteins associated with electrochemical channels. Metascape analysis revealed that most of the compounds had highest enrichment in non-canonical activation of NOTCH3 followed by regulation of hormone levels. Furthermore, DisGeNET analysis revealed that most of the metabolites had strong association with impaired glucose tolerance followed by myocardial ischemia and neuralgia. Tissue and cell accumulation analysis by PaGeneBase revealed the highest accumulation in the small intestine, colon, ovary, and DRG cells. The study concluded that selenium nanoparticles has an ability to improve certain medicinally important metabolites in sesame, coupled with bioinformatics tools which revealed a great insight into the potential of those compounds, and the information can further be used in future studies.

Evaluation of white seeded sesame (Sesamum indicium L.) genotypes on growth and yield performance in Menit Goldya Woreda of West Omo Zone, SWE

Sesame is the second export crop next to coffee in annual export, indicating the highest 14% of the total world export of the crop. In Africa, Sudan is the major sesame producer, followed by Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia. But lack of well-adapted varieties are one of the bottleneck production problems that account for low yield and small areas cropped to the nation. Thus it is essential to evaluate such genotypes, which have high yield potential and are suitable to local environmental conditions. Therefore, field experiments were conducted at west Omo zone during 2019/20 main cropping seasons at one location of West- the Omo zone, southwest Ethiopia. The location was Menit Goldiya districts of West Omo Zone, through evaluation and selection of high-yielding sesame varieties. The study comprised of five improved and one local sesame varieties laid out in RCBD with three replications at each location. The growth and yield data were collected and analyzed by using SAS Version 9.3 statistical software. The result of the study revealed that all of the parameters considered were significantly (p &lt; 0.01) affected by varieties on both years. Accordingly, at Menit Goldiya for, all parameters in both years and the combined analysis over the years indicated that maximum plant height, number of primary branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, thousand seed weights in grams and seed yield were observed for the Humera-1 variety. Likewise, the shortest days to flowering, early maturing, the highest length of capsule bearing zone, the maximum number of capsules per plant, the highest number of seeds per capsule and the maximum seed yield (8.13 Qu/ha) were observed for the Humera-1 variety in 2019/2020 growing seasons. Based on the mean total seed yield of locations and different yield evaluation methods, a high-yielding variety was identified. Accordingly, the Humera-1 variety performed best on both years. Therefore, this variety can play a vital role in food self-sufficiency and food security of the south-western region and it should be widely distributed to farmers of the testing locations and similar areas of the region.

Associations of the Seed Fatty Acid Composition of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Germplasm with Agronomic Traits and FAD2 Variations

Sesame is an important oilseed crop grown for human consumption in many countries, with a high commercial value due to its high oleic/linoleic acid ratio (O/L ratio). However, its properties may vary among different accessions. In the current study, 282 sesame accessions were evaluated to determine the effects of agronomic traits and genotypes on the O/L ratio. The O/L ratio was positively correlated with the oleic acid (C18:1), stearic acid (C18:0), and myristic acid (C14:0) concentrations, as well as the capsule zone length (CZL), capsule width (CW), and capsule length (CL), and negatively correlated with the linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3) concentrations, the days to maturity (DTM), days to flowering (DTF), and the height of the first capsule-bearing node (HFC) (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, the O/L ratio was affected by the FAD2 haplotype, as the Hap2 and Hap3 sesame accessions had lower O/L ratios. Therefore, we suggest that the increase and decrease in the contents of C18:1 and C18:2 are associated with the FAD2 haplotype. A total of 25 agronomic traits and fatty acid compositions were compared via statistical analysis, and accessions with a high O/L ratio were selected. The results of this study can be used as a basis for further research on the development of new sesame varieties through enhancing nutritional functionality.