Abstract

Field experiments were conducted from July to November, during 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons, at the Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria, to evaluate the performance of sesame to different inter-row and intra-row spacing. The trial was a 3 x 3 factorial experiment which consist of one sesame variety (Ex-Sudan) with three inter-row spacing of (50cm, 75cm and 100cm) and three intra-row spacings of (20cm, 30cm and 40cm) fitted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Parameters measured includes plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, number of capsule/plant, number of seeds/capsule, 1000-seed weight, seed yield among others. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance and the means were separated using least significant difference (LSD). Results of the study revealed that there were significant effect of row spacing on the growth and yield parameters of sesame as the wider spacing of 100cm x 40cm recorded highest plant height, number of branches, leaf area, number of capsule per plant, capsule length, number of seeds per capsule and 100-seed weight in both seasons. While the seed yield values shows that the spacing of 50cm x 20cm produced the highest seed yield. The implication of study showed that, to maximize seed yield of sesame, farmers should adopt the spacing of 50 x 20cm.This should therefore, be recommended for Makurdi location, Nigeria.

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