Selection of the best planting pattern for different sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) cultivars

Determining the optimum planting pattern plays a critical role to achieve optimal yield in crops such as sesame. In this study effects of different planting patterns including one, two and three-row cultivation on quantitative and qualitative traits of six sesame cultivars including Halil, Dashtestan 2, Darab 1, Oltan, Yellow white and Naz takshakhe were evaluated using a factorial experiment based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the research farm of Seed and Plant Improvement Institute. The results showed that the effect of planting pattern was significant for all traits measured except seed oil percentage. Also, the effect of cultivar for all traits was significant. The interaction between planting pattern and cultivar was significant (p≤ 0.01) only for branching number. The highest grain yield obtained from one and two-row planting patterns having 1000 and 1092 kgha-1 grain yields, respectively. In contrast, the lowest grain yield (481 kgha-1) was obtained from three-row planting pattern. Moreover, the maximum grain yield (957 kgha-1) and seed oil percentage (53.3 %), as the most important traits of sesame, obtained from Dashtestan 2 and Darab 1 cultivars, respectively. The results suggested that in selecting the best planting patterns, cultivars characteristics and planting density should be taken into account so that plants can efficiently use environmental factors, which reduce competition among plants in order to reach to the maximum economic yield.