Study on effect of nipping and foliar spray on seed yield of sesame var. TMV 7.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) (2n =26), is a well-known oil seed crop that belongs to Pedaliaceae family. The lower production and productivity of sesame were due to its cultivation in rainfed areas of marginal and sub-marginal lands with poor management practices. The growing sequence of sesame is indeterminate on which leaves, flowers and seeds are being produced as long as the favourable weather persists. This favours many late formed capsules which are usually immature at harvest and stage of capsule maturity at harvest highly influences seed yield, dormancy and germination. Apical bud cutting (otherwise called as nipping) is known to alter the source-sink relationship by arresting the vegetative growth and hastening the reproductive phase. The stress created by pinching must be compensated with additional nutrient supply. Foliar application of plant growth regulators enables a rapid phenotypic change in plants. Hence, the present study was undertaken to study the performance of sesame under different time of nipping practices followed by foliar application on seed yield and quality