Unvieling Genetic Variability and Breeding Potential for Yield Enhancement in Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

The study was conducted in the summer of 2020 at RARS, Polasa, Jagital, to evaluate genetic variability among 68 sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits studied. The highest genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) were observed for the number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, and seed yield per plant. Traits such as days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, number of branches per plant, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, seed yield per plant, and 1000-seed weight exhibited high heritability along with high genetic advance (GAM), suggesting these traits are primarily controlled by additive gene effects. Therefore, phenotypic selection for these traits could be effective for future breeding programs.