New sesame variety Zhongzhi 12: high yield, disease-resistant and high quality

Zhongzhi 12 was developed by the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences through crossing the introduced foreign sesame variety "CLSU-9" as the female parent with "Yiyangbai" as the male parent, followed by multiple generations of directional selection, and was approved by the Hubei Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee in 2003.

Characteristics: This variety is of the single-stem type, with three flowers per leaf axil and four-angled capsules. The plant is relatively tall, generally about 160 cm in height, and can reach more than 2 m at its tallest. The leaves are green, relatively large, with longer petioles, and the stem is greenish-yellow at maturity. The number of capsules per plant is about 90, and can reach more than 150 at most. The flowers are white, and the capsules are relatively short, but the number of seeds per capsule is relatively high, generally about 75; the seeds are relatively large, with a 1000-seed weight of about 2.7 g, and the seed coat is pure white. The seed oil content is 56.09% and the protein content is 20.11%, making it an ideal variety for oil use and foreign trade. Its resistance (tolerance) to stem spot blotch and Fusarium wilt is significantly stronger than that of the control Ezhi 2; the two-year average disease index for stem spot blotch was 6.56 and for Fusarium wilt was 1.62, which were 3.68 and 0.35 lower than those of Ezhi 2, respectively. It has relatively strong tolerance to waterlogging and resistance to lodging. The full growth period is about 90-100 days under normal summer sowing and around 85 days under autumn sowing. In the 2001-2002 Hubei Province sesame variety regional trial, the two-year average yield was 80.88 kg per mu, an increase of 14.32% over the control Ezhi 2.

Cultivation points: (1) Intensive tillage and careful preparation, deep furrows and narrow beds, no continuous cropping, and attention to drainage. (2) Sow at the proper time. For summer sowing, from mid-to-late May to early June; for autumn sowing, no later than July 10. The sowing rate is 400-500 g per mu. For summer sowing, the planting density is about 10,000 plants per mu, or 8,000-9,000 plants when fertility is high; for autumn sowing, the density is 11,000-12,000 plants. (3) Fertilize scientifically. Apply 40 kg of compound fertilizer per mu (or 50 kg of calcium superphosphate, 12 kg of potassium chloride, and 10 kg of urea), plus 1.2 kg of borax, mixed and broadcast before plowing. From budding to early flowering, apply about 5-7 kg of urea per mu as a topdressing. (4) Generally cultivate and weed 3-4 times, following the principle of shallow-deep-shallow and not hoeing before rain. Thin the seedlings once each when the young seedlings are in the "cross" stage and when the second pair of true leaves appears, and final thinning when the 3rd-4th pair of true leaves appears, to prevent leggy seedlings. Pay attention to clearing ditches and draining water; in case of drought, irrigate in the evening, irrigating and draining promptly, and promptly control diseases and insect pests, especially cutworms and aphids.

Zhongzhi 12 is suitable for planting in Hubei and neighboring major sesame-producing provinces.