Sesame (Til)

1. Land Preparation Fine seedbed on light soil. Sesame seed is very small — clods or a crust will stop it emerging. 2. Sowing Time & Method June to July with the monsoon. Rows 12–18 inches apart, barely half an inch deep.

Kharif Sowing Jun–Jul Harvest Nov–Dec 6–10 maund per acre

Land Preparation

Fine seedbed on light soil. Sesame seed is very small — clods or a crust will stop it emerging.

Sowing Time & Method

June to July with the monsoon. Rows 12–18 inches apart, barely half an inch deep. Mix seed with dry sand to spread it evenly.

Seed Rate & Treatment

2–3 kg per acre.

Fertilizer

Half a bag DAP and half a bag urea. Sesame gives little response to heavy fertiliser and lodges if overfed.

Irrigation

Mostly rainfed. Sesame is very sensitive to waterlogging — a single day of standing water can kill a patch.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Horse Purslane (Itsit) Spreads flat with the monsoon rains and takes the young crop's moisture and fertiliser before it branches, so the stand comes up thin. Hoeing at 20–25 days, as in the note below
Purple Nutsedge (Deela) Comes back from its tubers after every irrigation and eats the root zone's food all season, keeping the crop stunted. Lift the tubers out by hand while hoeing and take them off the field
Common Purslane (Kulfa) Its fleshy mat covers the ground in the first month and drinks the moisture and fertiliser the young sesame needed. Hand weeding while the crop is still small
Crowfoot Grass (Madhana) Grows in thick clumps inside the rows and takes the nitrogen at branching, so fewer capsules set. Hoe between the rows and pull the clumps standing inside the row by hand at the same pass, while the crop is still small
Wild Amaranth (Chulai) Overtops the young sesame and shades it, so the plants stay thin and carry fewer capsules. Pull it out by hand before it sets seed

One hoeing at 20–25 days, while the crop is still small.

Insect Pests

Leaf webber and capsule borer, and jassid on the leaves.

Diseases

Phyllody, which turns flowers into green leafy structures and produces no seed. It is spread by leafhoppers — control them and remove affected plants.

Harvesting

Cut when the lower capsules turn yellow and before they split. Stack upright to dry on a sheet and shake out the seed — sesame shatters more than any other oilseed here.