Productivity of Sesame Varieties Under the Influence of Potassium Silicate and Reduction of Capsule Splitting Trait

Abstract In the summer of 2024, research from the College of Agriculture - University of Anbar used a Randomized Complete Block Design with a split-plot design and three replications to conduct a field experiment on sandy clay soil at the First Agricultural Research Station. This research explored whether applying potassium silicate could enhance the yield of sesame and reduce the splitting of capsules in various sesame types. The main plots included potassium silicate concentrations (0, 250, 500, and 750) ml L −1 , while the subplots included three sesame varieties and a fourth genetic composition (Giza 32, Wadaa, Sumer, and Golmarmara). The Giza 32 cultivar outperformed the others in terms of biological yield, seed yield, number of seeds per capsule, and number of capsules per plant, and harvest index, which gave (10.71 mica gram ha −1 , 2.58 mica gram ha −1 , 71.28 seeds capsule −1 ,289.4 capsules plant −1 , and 24.55%). The genetic composition of Golmarmara was characterized by the lowest capsule dehiscence rate at 10.98%, while the Sumer variety achieved the maximum average weight of 3.43 g for 1000 seeds. The concentration of 750 ml L −1 of potassium silicate excelled in all studied traits, producing the best results in terms of harvest index (22.89%), total seed yield (2.35 mica gram ha −1 ), biological yield (10.37 mica gram ha −1 ), number of seeds per capsule (67.67 seeds capsule −1 ), and weight of 1000 seeds (3.46 g).and it also recorded the lowest capsule dehiscence rate at 12.05%. Spraying potassium silicate at 750 ml L −1 significantly impacted sesame productivity.