Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield and yield attributes of summer sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

Introduction

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is among the most ancient and prominent edible oilseed crop cultivated globally, classified under the Pedaliaceae family and commonly referred to as 'til', is often regarded as the "queen of oilseeds." It is a drought-tolerant crop, valued for its high nutritional and medicinal properties with seeds containing about 50% oil, 18-20% protein, 14-16% carbohydrates and rich in linoleic acid (40%) that imparts antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties while also providing 6335 K Cal kg -1 of dietary energy. (Chaturvedi et al., 2025) [1] . India had a total area of 1576 thousand hectares under sesame cultivation in 2024-25, yielding 893 thousand tonnes with an average productivity of 567 kg ha -1 (Indiastat, 2024-25) [5] . Major sesame producing states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Utter Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Continuous reliance on chemical fertilizers in intensive cropping systems deteriorates soil nutrient balance and negatively affects its physical, chemical and biological properties. Therefore, to ensure sustainable productivity, emphasis should be placed on integrated nutrient management (Vani et al., 2017) [13] . Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) refers to the practice of applying mineral fertilizers in combination with organic inputs such as farmyard manure, crop residues, composts, urban and rural wastes, green manures and biofertilizers. The core principle behind integrated nutrient management is to sustain soil fertility and crop yields by making optimal use of all available nutrient sources in a balanced and integrated way (Chauhan et al., 2022) [2] . FYM is the oldest form of organic manure used by the farmers in growing crops because of its easily availability and presence of all the nutrients required by the plants. Farmyard manure refers to the decomposed mixture of dung and urine of farm animals along with litter and left over material from roughages or fodder fed to the cattle. On an average, well decomposed farmyard manure contains 0.5% N, 0.2% P 2 O 5 and 0.5% K 2 O (Salman et al., 2020) [11] . Poultry and sheep manures are valuable organic fertilizers commonly used in sustainable soil management. They not only supply essential nutrients for plant growth and development but also enrich the soil with organic matter. Their application has been shown to positively influence both the yield and quality of sesame seeds (Ismail et al., 2021) [6] . Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich organic amendment, it improves soil structure, porosity, aeration and moisture retention while promoting root growth and natural hormone production. Vermicompost not only serves as a fertilizer and soil conditioner but also boosts microbial activity, crop growth and yield (Mokariya et al., 2021) [8] . Biofertilizers have an important place in modern agriculture. Azotobacter, one such biofertilizer, provides nitrogen a key nutrient for plant growth and yield through biological nitrogen fixation. This organism generally colonizes the rhizosphere rather than the root surface and contributes to root protection by suppressing soil pathogens (Lokhande et al., 2020) [7] . Therefore, it becomes essential to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of different organic sources, in combination with inorganic fertilizers and microbial inoculants, especially in sesame. Based on this rationale, the present investigation is entitled "Effect of integrated nutrient management on the yield and yield attributes of summer sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)".

Materials and Methods

A field experiment was conducted during the summer season of 2026 at the Agricultural Research Station (ARS), Karimnagar, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU), Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The experimental site is situated at 18°30′ N latitude and 79°15′ E longitude, at an altitude of 259.15 m above mean sea level and falls under the Northern Telangana Zone with a semi-arid tropical climate according to Troll's climatic classification. The experimental soil was sandy clay loam in texture with a pH of 6.5, electrical conductivity (EC) of 0.36 dS m -1 , organic carbon of 0.49%, available nitrogen of 212.5 kg ha -1 , available phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) of 24.5 kg ha -1 and available potassium (K 2 O) of 255.75 kg ha -1 before sowing. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) comprising eleven treatments with three replications. Sesame variety JCS-2454 (Jagtial Til-2) was sown on 21 January 2026 at a spacing of 30 X 15 cm using a seed rate of 6.25 kg ha -1 . The gross and net plot sizes were 4.5 X 4.5 m and 3.9 X 4.2 m, respectively. The treatments consisted of different combinations of inorganic fertilizers, organic manures and microbial consortia as follows: T 1: 75% Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF), T 2: 100% RDF (80:20:20 kg N: P 2 O 5: K 2 O ha -1 ), T 3: 125% RDF, T 4: 75% Recommended Dose of Nitrogen (RDN) + 25% nitrogen through farmyard manure (FYM) + Microbial Consortia (MC) @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 5: 100% RDN + 25% nitrogen through farm yard manure (FYM) + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 6: 75% RDN + 25% nitrogen through vermicompost + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 7: 100% RDN + 25% nitrogen through vermicompost + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 8: 75% RDN + 25% nitrogen through poultry manure + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 9: 100% RDN + 25% nitrogen through poultry manure + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 , T 10: 75% RDN + 25% nitrogen through sheep manure + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 and T 11: 100% RDN + 25% nitrogen through sheep manure + MC @ 5 kg ha -1 . The recommended dose of fertilizer (80:20:20 kg N: P 2 O 5: K 2 O ha -1 ) was supplied through urea, single superphosphate (SSP) and muriate of potash (MOP). In integrated nutrient management treatments, the quantities of farmyard manure, vermicompost, poultry manure and sheep manure required to supply 25% of the recommended nitrogen were calculated based on their nutrient composition. The remaining nitrogen was supplied through urea in two equal splits at sowing and 30 days after sowing (DAS). The full doses of phosphorus and potassium were applied basally. Microbial consortia containing Azotobacter, phosphorussolubilizing bacteria, potassium-solubilizing bacteria and zincsolubilizing bacteria were applied basally at 5 kg ha -1 in all integrated nutrient management treatments. Biometric observations related to yield were recorded from five randomly selected and tagged plants in each experimental plot. The experimental data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for a Randomized Block Design (RBD) following the procedure outlined by Panse and Sukhatme (1985) [9] . Treatment means were compared using the F-test at the 5% level of significance. Wherever treatment effects were significant, the Critical Difference (CD) at p = 0.05 was calculated, while non-significant treatment differences were denoted as NS. [4] .

Nutrient composition of organic manures

Results and discussion

No. of seeds capsule -1

The no. of seeds capsule [10] .

Capsule length was significantly influenced by the INM. The maximum capsule length (3.57 cm) was recorded under T 9 , which was found to be on par with T 7 (3.30 cm). Treatments T 11 (3.17 cm), T 5 ( (2021) [12] .

Capsule width was not significantly influenced by the INM practices. Numerically, the highest capsule width (8.4 mm) was recorded under T 9 , followed by T 7 (8.2 mm), T 11 (8.1 mm), T 5 (8.0 mm), T 3 (7.9 mm), T 8 (7.7 mm) and T 6 (7.6 mm) whereas the lowest capsule width (7.0 mm) was recorded under T 1 . Although numerical differences were observed among the treatments, they were statistically non-significant. Capsule width is largely governed by the genetic makeup of the variety and is therefore less responsive to nutrient management than other yield attributes. Although INM improved nutrient availability and overall crop growth, the variation in capsule width among treatments was not sufficient to produce statistically significant differences. The uniform genetic background of the crop and similar environmental conditions might have minimized treatment effects on this trait.

The seed yield of sesame was significantly influenced by the INM. The highest seed yield (1143 kg ha -1 ) was recorded under T 9 , which was found to be on par with T 7 (1107 kg ha -1 ). Treatments T 11 (940 kg ha -1 ), T 5 (923 kg ha -1 ), T 3 (827 kg ha -1 ), T 8 (821 kg ha -1 ) and T 6 (802 kg ha -1 ) recorded intermediate values, whereas the lowest seed yield (588 kg ha -1 ) was recorded under T 1 , which was significantly inferior to all the other treatments. Seed yield is the cumulative expression of various growth and yield attributes developed during the crop growth period. The significantly higher seed yield recorded under INM treatments due to improved plant growth, greater leaf area, higher dry matter accumulation and superior yield attributes such as no. of capsules plant -1 , no. of seeds capsule -1 and capsule size. The combined application of inorganic fertilizers, organic manures and microbial consortia ensured a continuous and balanced supply of nutrients throughout the crop growth period, resulting in improved nutrient uptake and efficient utilization of photosynthates.

The superior performance of T 9 due to the comparatively higher nutrient content and faster mineralization of poultry manure, which ensured timely nutrient availability during the critical stages of flowering, capsule development and seed filling which ultimately contributed to higher seed yield. The microbial consortia might have further enhanced nutrient solubilization and uptake, thereby improving nutrient use efficiency and crop productivity. The lower seed yield recorded under T 1 could be attributed to comparatively lower nutrient availability, which adversely affected vegetative growth, yield attributes and assimilate production, thereby resulting in reduced seed yield. The higher seed yield obtained in the present investigation agrees with the observations of Haruna et al. (2011) [3] .

Stalk yield

The stalk yield of sesame was significantly influenced by the integrated nutrient management. The highest stalk yield (2407 kg ha -1 ) was recorded under T 9 , which was found to be on par with T 7 (2376 kg ha -1 ). Treatments T 11 (2167 kg ha -1 ), T 5 (2153 kg ha - 1 ), T 3 (2052 kg ha -1 ), T 8 (2045 kg ha -1 ) and T 6 (2015 kg ha -1 ) recorded intermediate values, whereas the lowest stalk yield (1569 kg ha -1 ) was recorded under T 1 , which was significantly inferior to all the other treatments.

The increased stalk yield under INM treatments may be attributed to enhanced vegetative growth and greater biomass production resulting from balanced nutrient availability. The superior stalk yield recorded under T 9 could be attributed to the relatively higher nutrient content and sustained nutrient release from poultry manure, coupled with improved nutrient mobilization by microbial consortia. The lowest stalk yield recorded under T 1 may be due to restricted vegetative growth under reduced fertilizer application, which limited biomass production throughout the crop growth period. Similar findings were reported by Venkatesh et al. (2023) [14] . The non-significant variation in test weight indicates that seed size is largely governed by the genetic makeup of the variety and is comparatively less influenced by nutrient management practices. Although integrated nutrient management treatments recorded slightly higher numerical values, the differences were not sufficient to attain statistical significance. Similar findings were reported by Lokhande et al. (2020) [7] .

The harvest index was not significantly influenced by the INM.

Numerically, the highest harvest index (32.3%) was recorded under T 9 , followed by T 7 (31.7%), T 11 (30.3%), T 5 (30.2%), T 3 (29.5%), T 8 (28.9%) and T 6 (28.5%) whereas the lowest harvest index (27.3%) was recorded under T 1 . However, the differences among the treatments were statistically non-significant.

Harvest index represents the efficiency with which the plant partitions total dry matter into economic yield. The nonsignificant variation observed among the treatments indicates that although INM improved both seed yield and stalk yield, the proportion of biomass partitioned towards seed production remained relatively similar across the treatments. Since both economic yield and biological yield increased simultaneously under integrated nutrient management, the harvest index did not vary significantly. The slight numerical increase observed under T 9 might be due to relatively better partitioning of assimilates towards developing seeds; however, the differences were not sufficient to attain statistical significance. The present findings are in agreement with Tirkey et al. (2021) [12] .

Effect of integrated nutrient management on yield and yield attributes of summer sesame

Conclusion

The present investigation demonstrated that integrated nutrient management significantly improved the yield and yield attributes of summer sesame. Among the different nutrient management, application of 100% RDN + 25% nitrogen through poultry manure along with microbial consortia (T₉) recorded superior yield attributes, seed yield and stalk yield compared to the other treatments. Therefore, it can be concluded that substituting 25% of the recommended nitrogen through poultry manure along with microbial consortia is an effective integrated nutrient management strategy for enhancing sesame productivity while sustaining soil fertility. The adoption of this practice can reduce dependence on inorganic fertilizers and promote sustainable sesame cultivation.

Acknowledgement

AcknowledgementI sincerely express my gratitude to the Department of Agronomy, Agricultural college, Polasa, Jagtial, PJTAU, for providing the necessary facilities, support and guidance through the course of this study.

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