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Research article2021Peer reviewedOpen access

Can sulphur improve the nutrient uptake, partitioning, and seed yield of sesame?

Mehmood, Muhammad Zeeshan; Afzal, Obaid; Ahmed, Mukhtar; Qadir, Ghulam; Kheir, Ahmed M. S.; Aslam, Muhammad Aqeel; Din, Atta Mohi Ud; Khan, Imran; Hassan, Muhammad Jawad; Meraj, Tehseen Ahmad; Raza, Muhammad Ali; Ahmad, Shakeel

Abstract

Sulphur (S) is considered to improve the nutrient uptake of plants due to its synergistic relationship with other nutrients. This could ultimately enhance the seed yield of oilseed crops. However, there is limited quantitative information on nutrient uptake, distribution, and its associated impacts on seed yield of sesame under the S application. Thus, a two-year field study (2018 and 2019) was conducted to assess the impacts of different S treatments (S-0 = Control, S-20 = 20, S-40 = 40, and S-60 = 60 kg ha(-1)) on total dry matter production, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, S uptake and distribution at the mid-bloom stage and physiological maturity. Furthermore, treatment impacts were studied on the number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule, thousand seed weight, and seed yield at physiological maturity in sesame. Compared to S-0, over the years, treatment S-40 significantly increased the total uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and S (by 13, 22, 11% and 16%, respectively) at physiological maturity, while their distribution by 13, 36, 14, and 24% (in leaves), 12, 15, 11, and 15% (in stems), 15, 42, 18, and 10% (in capsules), and 14, 22, 9, and 15% (in seeds), respectively. Enhanced nutrient uptake and distribution in treatment S-40 improved the total biomass accumulation (by 28%) and distribution in leaves (by 34%), stems (by 27%), capsules (by 26%), and seeds (by 28%), at physiological maturity, as compared to S-0. Treatment S-40 increased the number of capsules per plant (by 13%), number of seeds per capsule (by 11%), and thousand seed weight (by 6%), compared to S-0. Furthermore, over the years, relative to control, sesame under S-40 had a higher seed yield by 28% and enhanced the net economic returns by 44%. Thus, our results suggest that optimum S level at the time of sowing improves the nutrient uptake and distribution during the plant lifecycle, which ultimately enhances total dry matter accumulation, seed yield, and net productivity of sesame.

Keywords

Sesame; Sulphur; Nutrient uptake; Seed yield; Economics

Published in

Arabian Journal of Geosciences
2021, Volume: 14, number: 10, article number: 865Publisher: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG

      SLU Authors

    • Ahmed, Mukhtar

      • Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
      • Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Agricultural Science

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07229-6

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/113435