Seed composition response of sesame (sesamum orientale)‎ to applied water deficit at certain growth stages

Abstract EN

Sesame (Sesamum orientale) plants were subjected to drought stress at different growth stages.

The control plants were irrigated at 4 days intervals, while the drought stress treatments were irrigated at 8 days intervals for three weeks during the vegetative stage (T1), flowering stage (T2) and seed growth stage (T3).

Yield at maturity was measured in the four treatments.

Plant height and number of fruits were measured on 20 randomly sampled plants for each treatment.

Seeds were collected and prepared for determination of total carbohydrates, protein and lipid contents as well as fatty acid composition.

Drought stress during the three stages induced significant decreases in plant height, pod numbers, weight of seeds, total proteins and oil content.

Total carbohydrates were significantly increased while fatty acid composition was significantly affected under drought stress conditions.

T1 and T3 were the most sensitive stages to drought stress while the T2 stage was the least sensitive.

The data from this study indicated that water stress during any growth stage is detrimental to sesame plants and early and late season droughts are more damaging than midseason drought.

The effect of drought stress on oil content and fatty acid composition has important implications for the quality of sesame oil.