JOURNAL OF PROGRESSIVE AGRICULTURE

Sesame (Sesamumindicum L.) is one of the oldest oilseed crops. It is very useful for nutritional, medicinal and industrial purposes throughout the world. It used in various Indian dishes as a flavoring agent (sesame seed, its powder and its oil). The sesame crop can be cultivated as kharif, summer and also semi-rabi crop in the country. The 75 percent of sesame crop cultivated during the kharif season in India. The major constraint of traditional sesame farming is low productivity due to use local varieties as well as other factors. For replacing this anomaly, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jhalawar conducted frontline demonstration at adopted farmer's field. The results of FLDs shows that high yielding variety of sesame (RT-46) recorded increase yield of 89.58% during Kharif 2010 over farmers' practices. The average B:C ratio and ICBR was 2.95 and 6.44 recorded in the FLDs plots. The technology gap which shows the gap in the demonstration yield over potential yield were 1.40 q/ha. The highest extension gap of 4.30 was recorded and this high extension gap requires urgent attention by the extension and development agencies. The technology index is 14.00 percent which shows the good performance. So, here is aurgent need to adopt multi-pronged strategy that involves attractive sesame production through area expansion and productivity improvements through better adoption of improved technology.

Sesamum (Sesamumindicum L.) are being cultivated in the tropical regions for the edible seeds. The seeds of sesame are one of the oldest about over three thousand years ago. Sesame has capacity to grow in drought prone and the lands where other crops fail to grow. Sesame is called as queen of oilseeds crops by virtue of its excellent oil quality. It's having the highest oil content (46–64%) and dietary energy (6355 k cal/kg). India is the largest producer and exporter of sesame in the world (Pusphaet al., 2003). There is a wide change in the oilseeds scenario in the country. The main factors helpful in to such transformation are, i) availability of improved oil seeds production technology and its adoption, ii) expansion of cultivated area, iii) price support policy, iv) institutional support, particularly establishment of technology mission on oilseeds in 1986 (Hedge, 2004).

Among oils, India is on shaky grounds (Chand, 2002). Inefficiencies in the oil- processing sector are one reason; the other factor is the subsidy- driven ability of foreign producers to sell cheap oil. This observation indicates that oilseeds production faces a threat because of inefficiency of processing and marketing as well as also due to transmission of volatility in world prices to the domestic market. In the medium term, accelerating import substitution, improving efficiency of the oil processing sector, and judicious use of tariffs are vital (Chand et al., 2004).