The Response of Several Sesame Cultivars to Foliar Spraying with Potassium on Yield and Quality

During the summer of 2023, researchers from the College of Agriculture - University of Anbar’s Hamidhia Research Station studied four different sesame cultivars to determine how potassium applied foliarly affected their productivity and quality. A split-plot layout with three replicates was used to create the experiment, which followed a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The cultivars (Wada’a, Black Malaysian, Magnali 53, and Golmarmuros) were located in the sub-plot, whereas the main plots were assigned potassium values of 0, 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg L -1 . Among the experimentally measured characteristics, the Magnali53 cultivar outperformed the others in the following areas: total seed yield (3.10 tons ha -1 ), oil percentage (50.13%), number of capsules per plant (301.5 capsules plant -1 ), number of seeds per capsule (68.96 seeds capsule -1 ), and total seed weight (3.23 g). On the other hand, the Black Malaysian cultivar exhibited the highest percentage of protein in its seeds (15.52%). On average, plants sprayed with 4000 mg L -1 produced the most capsules per plant, the most seeds per capsule, and a total seed yield of 3.09 tons ha -1 . On the other hand, plants sprayed with 6000 mg L -1 produced the most oil percentage (50.25%) and protein percentage (17.83%). For the majority of the characteristics that were examined, the results showed that the cultivars and potassium content interacted significantly. By itself, the Magnali 53 cultivar at 4000 mg L -1 produced more capsules per plant, more seeds per capsule, and higher seed output. When combined with the same cultivar at 6000 mg L -1 , it produced a higher proportion of oil and protein.