Key Points of Fertilization Methods for Sesame at Each Growth Stage

Sesame is eaten quite a lot in our daily lives. Many candies contain sesame, which makes them especially sweet and fragrant, and some dishes also have a little sesame added to make them more delicious and tasty. Therefore, sesame has a very wide range of uses in our daily lives.

What Is Sesame

Sesame (zhi ma), originally called hu ma, is said to have possibly originated in Africa or India, and legend has it that it was introduced to China by Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty when he traveled to the Western Regions. However, modern scientific research has verified that sesame originated in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau of China. Ancient sesame seeds have been found at the Neolithic site of Qianshanyang in Huzhou City, Zhejiang, and at the prehistoric site of Shuitianfan in Hangzhou, confirming that China is also a homeland of sesame.

Sesame belongs to the Pedaliaceae family and is the seed of hu ma. Although its close relatives appear in Africa, the natural origin of the species is still unknown. It is found throughout the tropical regions of the world. Sesame is the outstanding one among China's four major edible oil crops and is one of China's main oil crops. Sesame products have high application value. Its seeds have an oil content of up to 61%. Since ancient times, China has had many famous specialty foods and delicious dishes made with sesame and sesame oil, which have long been renowned throughout the world.

Fertilization Methods for Sesame at Each Stage

Seedling stage: Because too much nitrogen applied as a base fertilizer can easily cause excessive vegetative growth of the seedlings and produce tall, spindly seedlings, sesame at the seedling stage generally uses only part of the nitrogen fertilizer as a base fertilizer. There is a saying among growers of "topdressing according to the seedlings." When the seedlings are very weak or vary greatly in size, a small amount of seedling-promoting fertilizer can first be applied, with diluted decomposed human manure or urea giving better results. Because the sesame root system is relatively shallow at this time, fertilization should be applied as shallowly as possible.

Squaring stage: This stage is precisely the period of flower bud differentiation, when sesame's vegetative growth and reproductive growth proceed simultaneously, and topdressing at this time gives the best results. Topdressing should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, supplemented by phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. In boron-deficient areas, boron fertilizer should be applied.

Flowering stage: Sesame grows most rapidly once it enters the flowering stage, and the nutrients absorbed during this period account for 70%-80% of the entire growth period. In order to meet the needs of plant growth and development, make sesame grow vigorously, accumulate more photosynthetic products, increase the number of flowers and capsules, maintain steady growth in the later stage without premature senescence, and make the grains plump and full, flower fertilizer must be applied heavily. At this time, lateral roots have begun to form in large numbers, the absorption capacity of the root system is enhanced, the growth rate of the plant accelerates, and the demand for nutrients also increases significantly. For fertilization, chemical fertilizers are more convenient, but decomposed cake fertilizer, manure, and barnyard manure can also be applied.

When drilling in rows, open a furrow about 10 cm from the sesame plants and apply the fertilizer in a band or in spots, placing it into a 10 cm deep soil layer to facilitate root absorption, then cover with soil after application. According to experiments, applying the same fertilizer per mu, shallow application (10-13 cm) increased yield by about 11% compared with deep application (25 cm). In the case of broadcast sowing, decomposed cake fertilizer or granular urea can be mixed with soil and broadcast, followed immediately by intertillage and loosening of the soil to cover the fertilizer. In dry weather, water should be sprayed after application to give full play to the fertilizer effect.

Growing Environment for Sesame  

1. Soil: Because the seeds are small and the root system is shallow, it is best suited for planting in loose soil that is slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.5-7.5). Loose soil can coordinate the supply balance among water, fertilizer, and air, which is beneficial to the extension of the root system.  

2. Accumulated temperature: The entire growth period of sesame requires an accumulated temperature of 2500-3000°C, and sesame development is most suitable at an average day-night temperature of 20-24°C.  

3. Precipitation: The suitable rainfall during the entire growth period of sesame is 210-250 mm.  

4. Sunlight: Sesame requires sufficient sunlight throughout its entire growth period. Sufficient sunlight can strengthen photosynthesis, help the accumulation of nutrients, meet the needs of flowering and fruiting, make the fruits numerous and the grains plump, and favor the formation of oil.  

Cultivation Techniques for Sesame  

1. Preparing beds and sowing: The furrow is 33 cm wide, the bed is 20 cm high, and the bed is 1-1.2 m wide. An appropriate bed width makes management convenient. Dig shallow furrows on the bed surface with a furrow spacing (also the row spacing) of 33 cm. When sowing, because sesame seeds are small and the density is difficult to control, they can be mixed evenly with a small amount of dry fine soil before sowing.  

2. Chemical weed control: 3 days after sowing, use 60 ml of 60% acetochlor emulsifiable concentrate per mu, add 50 kg of water to dilute, and spray evenly on the bed surface, which can reduce weed growth.  

3. Timely thinning: After more than ten days, when 2-3 cotyledons have grown, thin the seedlings, and thin again after 5-6 days, so that the plant spacing is 22-24 cm, with 8000-10000 plants per mu. Suitable plant spacing favors branching.  

4. Scientific fertilization: First, apply sufficient base fertilizer, applying 1500 kg of farmyard manure per mu. After 3-4 true leaves have grown, apply human manure 1-2 times. The flowering and capsule-setting stage is the period of most vigorous growth for sesame and also the peak period of fertilizer demand. Apply 10-15 kg of ammonium sulfate per mu as topdressing, and spray the leaves with a mixed solution of 0.4% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 0.2% borax, spraying once every 5-7 days for 2 consecutive sprays.  

5. Topping and harvest: After the full fruiting stage, when the leaf nodes at the top of the main stem cluster and growth has nearly stopped, pick off the terminal bud on a sunny morning. When the sesame fruits turn yellow and ripe and the grains are black, they can be harvested.   

With the continuous development of rural planting in recent years, many people who went out to work have begun to return home to start businesses. Growing sesame is indeed a project with good prospects. Its investment cost is very low, but the market demand for sesame is huge. Therefore, this kind of low-risk project is especially suitable for friends who lack funds on hand but still want to start their own businesses.