Foliar Chitosan Application Enhances Growth and Seed Yield of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a valuable oilseed crop renowned for its high-grade edible oil, nutritional value, and resilience under challenging climates. However, sesame productivity in Bangladesh remains relatively low due to poor crop management practices and limited adoption of sustainable growth-promoting technologies. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out to assess the impact of foliar-applied chitosan on the growth and yield performance of sesame varieties. The study comprised two sesame varieties (BARI Til-4 and BARI Til-6) and five chitosan levels (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 ppm), arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Varietal differences were relatively less pronounced during the early growth stages but became more evident at harvest. Among the chitosan treatments, 150 ppm consistently exhibited superior performance in enhancing growth and yield related traits. BARI Til-6 treated with 150 ppm chitosan produced the highest plant height (96.89 cm), branches/plant (8.00), pods/plant (59.67), filled pods plant^-1 (34.89), seeds/pod (77), 1000-seed weight (3.35 g), seed yield (1.39 t ha^-1), stover yield (3.27 t ha^-1), biological yield (4.15 t ha^-1), and harvest index (34.92%) whereas the control chitosan (0 ppm) produced the lowest values for most yield-related traits regardless of variety. Correlation and heat map analyses further confirmed strong positive associations among major yield-contributing traits and seed yield under chitosan application. The results suggest that foliar application of 150 ppm chitosan with BARI Til-6 can effectively improve sesame productivity under the Old Brahmaputra Floodplain conditions of Bangladesh.