Impact of irrigation intervals on productivity of sesame under southern egypt conditions

The effect of irrigation regimes on yield, yield attributes and IWUE of two sesame cultivars (Giza 32 and Toushki 3) was assessed. A field experiment was carried out in the Experimental Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University at Qena during two years on a sandy soil. A randomized complete block design in split plot arrangement with three replicates was used in this study. Irrigation treatments were randomly assigned to the main plots and the two cultivars were assigned to the split plots. The studied irrigation regimes affected significantly plant height, fruiting zone length, number of fruiting branches plant-1, number of capsules plant-1, 1000-seed weight, seed weight plant-1 and seed and oil yields ha-1. The highest values of the studied characteristics were recorded under high regime (irrigation every 7 days) or medium regime (irrigation every 9 days). The highest value of IWUE was obtained from medium regime. Giza 32 cv. overcame significantly Toushki 3 cv. in seed yield, yield attributes, IWUE and seed oil percentage, while seeds of Toushki 3 were richer in protein content (%). According to the results of seed and oil yields ha-1 and IWUE, it is recommended to apply medium irrigation regime (8883 m3 ha-1). In addition, growing sesame Giza 32 cv. is recommended under similar soil and climatic conditions.