Response of Sesame Plants Productivity and Seed Quality to Different Fertilization Methods

INTRODUCTION

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), is as important oil seed crops grown in the tropics and subtropics, however, most of its cultivated area are grown in developing countries where usually grown by small holders. Sesame crop has an important advantage because it could be grown under fairly high temperature low supply and low levels of others inputs (Ghosh and Mohiuddin 2000 and El-Habbasha et al., 2007).

In Egypt, sesame is consider  as  food crop rather than oil seed crop because most of its seeds production is used for snacks, confectionery bakery products, tehena and halawa purposes. The cultivated area of sesame in Egypt increased markedly during the last few years, while, the productivity was not increased by the same relative.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients required by the plants for their growth and vigor. Nitrogen is considered as an essential element of bio-molecules such as amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, phytohormones and a number of enzymes and coenzymes. N strongly stimulates growth, expansion of the crop canopy and interception of solar radiation (Mengel and Kirkby, (2001). Similarly, phosphorus is an essential nutrient both as a part of several key plant structure compounds and as catalysis in the conversion of numerous key flower formation and seed production, more uniform and earlier crop maturity , improvements in crop quality and increased resistance to plant diseases (Bill, 2010 and Kashani et al., 2015).

Recently, under Egyptian condition, a great attention is being devoted to reduce the high rates of mineral fertilizers, the cost of production and decrease environmental pollution via reducing doses of chemical fertilizer by using bio-forming systems (El-Habbasha et al., 2007 and El-Nagdy et al., 2010).

Using bio-fertilizers for non-legume crops (a symbiotic N-fixing bacteria, phosphate dissolving bacteria and bio-control) had a marked influence and had a positive effect on seed yield and recorded significant increases in all growth and yield tested parameter compared to uninoculation plants (Kumar et al., 2009, Ziedan et al., 2011 and Mahrous et al., 2015). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the different fertilization methods on the seed yield, its components and oil content of sesame crop.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two filed experiments were carried out at the Experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agricultural (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, during the two successive summer seasons of 2014 and 2015 seasons. Filed experiments were conducted to study the response of sesame plant productivity and seed quality to different fertilization methods (cv. shandawel 3).

Soil samples of the experimental sites were taken at the depth of (0-30 cm), physical and chemical analysis are presented in Table (1) were done according to Chapman and Pratt (1978). The split-split plot designs with three replicates were used. The main plot included three nitrogen application methods (soil application N, foliar spraying of amino acid and mixture soil + foliar), while, the phosphorus fertilizer (i.e. control, 15 and 30 kg P₂O₅/fed) was arranged in the sub plots. Bio-fertilizers (uninoculation, phosphorein and ceraline) were allocated to sub-sub plots.

The experimental unit area was 10.5m² (i.e. 1/400 feddan) consisting of five rows (3.5 m long and 60 cm between rows). Sesame seeds were sown on May 18^th and 15^th in the first and second season, respectively. The sesame seeds (Shandawel 3 cv.) was coated just before sowing with biofertilizers (phosphorein and ceraline), using arabic gum as an adhesive agent amounted 5kg/feddan. The preceding winter crop was wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.) and barssem (Trifolium alexandrinum, L.) in the first and second seasons, respectively. Sesame was manually harvested on September 22^th and 24^th in the first and second seasons, respectively.

Data recorded: At harvest, a random sample of 10 plants from the two central rows in each plot was taken to determine the studied characters

• Plant height (cm),Number of pods /plant, weight of pods / plant (g), Number of seeds/pods, 1000-seeds Weight (g), Seed yield /plant (g), Seed, straw and  biological yield ton/ha and seed oil yield ton/ha. were estimated.
• Two random seed samples were drawn from each subplot to determine oil content using soxhlet apparatus and n-hexane (60 ) as an extraction solvent according to A.O.A.C. (1980) and seed content of N, P and K were determined according to A.O.A.C. (1980).

Data were subjected to statistical analysis of variance as described by Gomez and Gomez (1984). Mean value of the recorded data were compared by using the least significant differences (L.S.D. 5%).

Table (1). Some Physical and chemical properties of the experimental soil in 2014 and 2015 seasons

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 

1. Yield and its components:

Results recorded inTables (2 and 3)revealed that plant height (cm), number of pods /plant, weight of pods/ plant (g), number of seeds/pods, 1000-seeds Weight (g), Seed yield/ plant (g), Seed yield (t/ha), straw yield (t/ha), biological yield (t/ha) and oil yield (t/ha) in both seasons were significantly affected by application nitrogen.

The highest values of yield and its components were obtained by foliar spraying of amino acids and without significant between foliar spraying and mixture application soil+ foliar on number of seeds/pods, Seed yield (t/ha), straw, biological and oil yield (t/ha) in both seasons. This may be due to the provision of nutrients at latter stages which might have enhanced accumulation of assimilate of the seeds and thus resulting in hover seeds of sesame. Such findings is in agreements with those of El-Nkhlawy and Shaheen (2009), Shehu et al. (2010), Haruna (2011), Ulmar et al. (2012) and Kashani et al. (2015).

Data in Tables (2 and 3) revealed significant differences between the phosphorus fertilizer units in yield components i.e. plant height (cm), number of pods /plant, weight of pods / plant (g), number of seeds/pods, 1000-seeds weight (g), seed yield /plant (g), seed yield (t/ha), straw yield (t/ha), biological yield (t/ha), as well as, oil yield (t/ha) in both seasons.

Phosphorus application at 30 units significantly surpassed (zero, without phosphorus) in all characters under study. The positive effect of phosphorus fertilization on yield components of sesame might be attributed to the soil of the experimental site, which was very poor in its phosphorus content. Also, P plays important role in enhancing translocation of metabolites which might be the reason for the increases observed on yield component (Hafiz and El-Bramawy, 2012). These results are in harmony with those reported by Okpara et al. (2007), Shehu et al. (2010) and Haruna (2011).

With regarded to the effect of bio-fertilization on sesame yield and its components, the results were given in Tables (2 and 3). These results reveal generally showed that all characters under this study were significantly affected by inoculation of sesame seeds with phosphorein when compared with uninocultion (control treatment).

Result presented in Tables (2) show the effect of phosphorein (bacterial) inoculation on plant height, number of pods /plant, weight of pods / plant (g), number of seeds/pods of sesame plants.

The obtained results might be attributed to better development of inoculted plants compared to uninoculated ones creating a more favorable environment in terms of natural and concentration of root exudates for cell growth and metabolic activities of rhizospheric microorganisms (El-Khawas, 1990).Many investigators reported the positive effect of biofertilization on these characters El-Habbasha et al. (2007), Babajide et al. (2012), Abdullahi et al. (2013) and Wayase et al. (2014).

The effect of the interaction between N application and phosphorus fertilizer units on plant height (cm), number of pods /plant, weight of pods / plant (g), number of seeds/pods, 1000-seeds weight (g), seed yield /plant (g), seed yield (t/ha), straw yield (t/ha), biological yield (t/ha), as well as, oil yield (t/ha) were significant in both seasons (Tables 2 and 3).

The effect of the interaction between N application and biofertilization on yield and its components were significant (Tables 2 and 3).

The effect of the interaction phosphorus fertilizer and biofertilization were significant for yield and its components in both seasons Tables (2 and 3). Application phosphorus at 30 units gave the highestmean value of yield and its components under using inoculation phosphorein.

 Also, the foliar spraying of amino acids and application phosphorus at 30 units with inocultion phosphorein gave the highest mean value of yield and its components.

1. Seed quality

Results recorded inTable (4) revealed that percentage of oil, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in seeds were significantly affected by adding nitrogen by spraying methods.

The highest means values ofall chemical compositions character wereobtained using  foliarspraying (amino acids) in both seasons, while, the lowestones was recorded by soil application nitrogen. On the other hand, without in significant variations foliar spraying and mixture soil + foliar on oil % and nitrogen (%) in the second season. The present results are in line with those obtained byShehu et al. (2010) and Haruna (2011).

Data illustrated that in Table (4) showed that the mean values of oil, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium percentages of sesame plants were significantly increased using  zero to 30 unit phosphorus fertilizers in both seasons. Application phosphorus at 30 units gave the highest value of oil, N, P and K percentages than the control treatment. Thus phosphorus is an important nutrient for seed development and seed filling contributing to better yield formation (Shrawat and Islam, 1990). These results in agreement with Mian et al. (2011), Khaled et al. (2012) and Kashani et al. (2015).

 Data in Table (4) indicated that percentages of oil, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium significantly increased by inoculation of sesame seeds with phosphorein and cerealine when compared with uninoculation (control treatment) during the two seasons. The maximum increment was obtained by using phosphorein followed by cerealine. The increment percentages attained 13.67 and 9.08% for oil % 1.78 and 39.40% for nitrogen %, 17.81 and 12.10% for phosphorus% and 16.67% and 10.22% for potassium % as an average two seasons for treatment (phosphorein + cerealine), respectively, compared with uninoculation treatment. This may be due to the role of phosphorus dissolving and nitrogen fixation bacteria on increasing the endogenous phytohormonas (IAA, GAs and CKs), which play an important role in formation a big active root system, increasing the nutrient uptake and photosynthesis and translocation, as well as, accumulation within different plant parts (El-Khawas, 1990). These results are in agreement with those obtained by El-Habbasha et al. (2007), Hasonpour et al. (2012), and Abdullahi et al. (2013).

The interaction between N-application and phosphorus fertilizers on percentages for oil, N, P and K in both seasons was significant as presented inTable (4). Foliar spraying with phosphorus application at 30 units gave the highest oil, N, P and K percentages in both seasons.

The interaction between N-application and bio-fertilizer (AXC) significant for oil (%), nitrogen (%), phosphorus (%) and potassium (%). It is clear from data in Table (4) that application P at 30 with inoculation phosphorein significantly increase all studied chemical composition characters.

The highest value of oil (%), nitrogen (%), phosphorus (%) and potassium (%) were recorded by foliar spraying of amino acids and phosphorus at 30 units with phosphorein inoculation.