RESPONSE OF SESAME (Sesamum indicum L.) TO NITROGEN FERTILIZER AND PLANT SPACING

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at research field in the Department of Crop Physiology and Ecology, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, during February to June 2018 to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer and spacing on the growth and yield of sesame. The experiment was laid out in a two factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The experiment comprised of two of factors such as A: Four nitrogen levels, N1: 25 kg N/ha (control), N2: 45 kg N/ha, N3: 65 kg N/ha and N4: 85 kg N/ha; B: three plant spacing like, S1: 5 cm × 40 cm, S2: 10 cm × 40 cm and S3: 15 cm × 40 cm. Result revealed that increasing nitrogen level from 25 to 85kgN/ha resulted in significant increase in the days to attain germination, flowering, pod formation, maturity, plant height at different days after sowing, number of branch per plant, plant height at harvest and capsule length but number of capsules per plant, seeds per capsule and yield increased up to 65kgN/ha. Wider plant spacing S3 (15 cm × 40 cm) significantly increased the the days to attain flowering, pod formation, maturity, number of leaves and capsule length, number of capsules per plant, seeds per capsule. The highest yield (1.29 t/ha) was observed in N3 (65 kg/ha) and the lowest yield (1.06 t/ha) was observed in N4 (85 kg N/ha). In case of spacing, the highest yield (1.33 t/ha) was observed in S1 (5 cm × 40 cm) and the lowest yield (1.0 t/ha) was observed in S3 (15 cm × 40 cm). Therefore, the higher number of capsules per plant, length of capsule and number of seeds per capsule recorded at wider row spacing of 15 cm × 40 cm was unable to compensate for higher number of threshed capsules obtained at narrow row spacing of 5 cm × 40 cm. Based on the result obtained in this trial, it can be concluded that BARI Til 3 planted at 5 cm × 40 cm. spacing with a nitrogen dose of 65kg/ha produced the highest grain yield of sesame.