Effect of Different Fertilizer Treatments Application on Quantitative and Qualitative Yield of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Cultivars at Climatic Conditions of Kerman

In order to evaluate the effect of chemical fertilizer and farmyard manure on yield and quantitative and qualitative traits of sesame cultivars, an experiment was carried out as split plot based on a RCBD design with three replications at Kerman during growing season of 2010-2011. Fertilizer treatments including no fertilizer, 30 ton ha-1 and 60 t.ha-1 farmyard manure, 100 kg N (urea)+200 kg P (super phosphate) and 200 kg N (urea)+300 kg P (super phosphate) and Jiroft-13, Dashtestan, Darab-1 and Darab-14 cultivars were assigned randomly to the main and sub plots, respectively. Studied parameters were included plant height, number of lateral branches, number of capsule per plant, number of leaf per plant, 1000 seed weight, chlorophyll content, biological and seed yield, oil percent and yield. Effect of Fertilizer was significant on all traits except 1000-seed weight and harvest index. The cultivars for all traits except chlorophyll index and harvest index showed significantly differences. Cultivar × fertilizer interaction only on the number of leaves, 1000-seed weight and harvest index were not significant. Results showed that responses of cultivars were different to the fertilizer treatments application. The highest seed and oil yield were obtained in the first level of fertilizer treatments and Darab -14 (1938 and 1131 kg ha-1, respectively) and the same cultivar in the control treatment (787 and 468 kg ha-1, respectively) was the lowest. Jiroft-13 did not respond to the fertilizer types and content (except 30 ton ha-1 farmyard manure) compared to control, so fertilizer response of this cultivar is low. Dashtestan only in high level of chemical fertilizers treatment was significantly different with control, meanwhile, Darab-14 showed a better response to the low levels of chemical fertilizers and manures. Darab-1 did not show any significant responses to the amount and type of fertilizers, response of this cultivar with fertilizer application was significantly different compared to the control. Considering to appropriate responses of all cultivars to 30 ton ha-1 farmyard manure and didn’t show any significant differences with chemical fertilizer treatments, and to reduce the environmental problems caused by chemical fertilizers, this treatments is recommendable. Also due to the different response of cultivars to the fertilizer treatments, further investigations on the nutritional requirements of cultivars are necessary.