What is the best time to top sesame?
Sesame is an annual upright herbaceous plant and one of the main oil crops in China, so what is the best time to top sesame when growing it?
1. Basic introduction to sesame
Sesame is the seed of the flax plant. The plant is generally 60-150 cm tall and is one of China's main oil crops. Its seeds have an oil content of up to 55%.
Sesame seeds come in black and white. The black ones are called black sesame, and the white ones are called white sesame.
Originally from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in China, sesame is a warmth-loving plant, and its cultivation is mainly distributed between 40°N and 40°S. Sesame-growing areas in China can reach as far as 45°N, mainly in the provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and it is also widely distributed in Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hebei and other provinces. Among them, Henan has the highest output, accounting for about 30% of the national total.
2. The best time to top sesame
The best time to top sesame is generally 1 week after full bloom, or 3 weeks after the first flowers appear. However, topping sesame also needs to be adjusted appropriately according to weather and temperature changes. If the temperature is high and there is plenty of sunlight, and the sesame is growing vigorously, you can top it later; if the temperature is lower and the growth is poor, you need to top it in time.
3. Types of sesame varieties
1. Classification by color
It can be divided into white sesame, black sesame, mixed-color sesame, yellow-white sesame, etc.
2. Classification by branching habit
It can be divided into the single-stem type: usually unbranched, with shorter internodes, each node bearing 2-3 capsules, and a hard stem; it generally matures later and is suitable for dense planting; and the branching type: it has branching ability, most nodes bear one capsule, and it generally matures earlier, so it should not be planted too densely.
3. Classification by growth period length
It can be divided into early-maturing varieties (80-90 days), medium-maturing varieties (90-100 days), and late-maturing varieties (100-120 days).