Ideal Date for Sesamum Sowing to Achieve Optimum Yield under South Gujarat, India

To improve the productivity of sesamum in summer season it should be sown on a ideal date which may vary according to agro-climatic zones. The experiment was laid out in a split plot design during the summer season of the year 2024 with three dates of sowing i.e., (D1 - 1st February, D2 -18th February and D3 4th March) as main plot treatment and three varieties of sesamum viz., (V1 -G. Til-3, V2 -G. Til-4 and V3 G. Til-5) as sub-plot treatment. The treatments were repeated four times and randomly allocated to each main and sub plot within each replication. The findings of the investigation revealed that the highest seed yield (649.58 kg ha-1) and straw yield (1221 kg ha-1) were recorded on D1 sowing i.e 1st February in comparison to the other two sowing dates and among the varieties G. Til-3 had highest seed yield (543 kg ha-1) and straw yield (1160 kg ha-1). Crop sown on D1 also exhibited highest number of seeds capsule-1 (59.35), number of capsules plant-1 (40.73) and test weight (3.19g). Therefore, sowing on 1st February is recommended for higher productivity in South Gujarat.