Status of sesame breeding

Abstract

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), an ancient domesticated oilseed crop, has been utilized for thousands of years, and it contains a high level of oil, protein, and other nutrients, making it an important food and feed crop. According to FAO statistics, the top-producing countries are Sudan, Myanmar, Tanzania, India, Nigeria, and China. The significant breeding orientations in sesame have been tightly linked to human needs: increased seed yield, improved morphological architecture of the plants, tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, indehiscent capsules, and improved oil quality. Furthermore, novel advanced breeding tools such as phenomic and genomic markers assisted selection have mapped the sesame genome, revealing a small diploid genome of 350 Mb size. The novel technologies pave the road for a fast-track breeding process for sesame, adapting it to climate change, biofortification, and food security challenges. This study reviews the features and achievements obtained related to opportunities for sesame breeding programs.

Keywords

Sesame breeding; Sesame genome project; capsule shattering

Published in

Introductory paper at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science
2023, number: 2023:2Publisher: Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

SLU Authors

• Elsafy, Mohammed

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science


Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/120842