Introduction to the Characteristics and Traits of the Yizhi No. 1 Sesame Variety

Yizhi No. 1 sesame is a new variety developed through years of selective breeding from a dense-capsule sesame mutant introduced from the United States. It has the characteristics of early maturity, lodging resistance, dense capsule set, high and stable yield, and wide adaptability. It belongs to the single-stem type, generally 1.5-1.8 m tall, with a maximum height of 2 m, and dense and numerous capsules per plant. In ordinary varieties, the leaf spacing is 5-6 cm, with 2-3 capsules per node, whereas in this variety the leaf spacing is only 2-4 cm, with 5-7 capsules per leaf node, producing 1-2 times more capsules per plant than other varieties. The capsules grow in rings around the stem, layer upon layer, so dense that the stem is hidden, with 250-350 capsules per plant. The seeds are pure white and contain 55.8% oil. The usual yield is 120-150 kg per mu; with spring sowing under plastic film, the yield can reach more than 200 kg per mu.

Sesame is an economic crop with the characteristics of tolerance to poor soil, fertilizer savings, low labor requirements and easy management, early stubble clearing, and good preceding crop position. The planting method is simple; sowing can be done from April to July, with about 8,000 plants retained per mu. The key points of its high-yield cultivation are: spray chlormequat or paclobutrazol once at the 2-true-leaf stage to achieve the effect of short stems and dense capsules; apply 25 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer per mu before flowering; after the early flowering stage, spray foliar fertilizer and carbendazim twice, together with a 0.3% borax aqueous solution; in the late growth stage, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution twice to supplement nutrients, with an interval of 7-9 days, preferably after 4 p.m. on a sunny day; after the full flowering stage, promptly top and pinch out the growing tips to prevent excessive vegetative growth and the formation of shriveled capsules. When planting, never practice continuous cropping, so as to achieve high yield and increased income.