Evaluation of Sesame Varieties for Yield and Oil Content in Nasarawa State

This study evaluates sesame varieties for grain yield and seed oil content under the agro-ecological conditions of Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. Sesame is an increasingly important export cash crop in Nigeria's Middle Belt, and Nasarawa State has significant production potential driven by growing international demand for Nigerian sesame. Selection of well-adapted, high-yielding varieties with superior oil content is critical for improving the commercial returns of sesame producers. This study establishes a randomised complete block design experiment at the Federal University of Agriculture Lafia using six sesame varieties: E8, E28, NCRIBEN 01M, NCRIBEN 02M, Yandev 55, and a local farmer variety. Plant height, branching pattern, days to flowering, capsule number per plant, grain yield, and oil content are assessed over two growing seasons. Findings reveal that E28 variety produces the highest grain yield of 1.2 tonnes per hectare with oil content of 48.6 percent, significantly outperforming the local variety at 0.6 tonnes per hectare. NCRIBEN 02M shows the highest oil content of 51.2 percent but slightly lower grain yield. Days to maturity range from 85 to 115 days across varieties, with early maturing varieties advantageous under the short effective rainfall season of the Northern Guinea Savanna. The study concludes that E28 is the most suitable sesame variety for Nasarawa State based on yield and oil quality balance. It recommends accelerated seed multiplication and distribution through the state agricultural development programme.

Keywords: sesame varieties, grain yield, oil content, Nasarawa State, variety evaluation.