(1) (2) (3)

S. Vasanthakumar , G. Thirukkumaran and V. Arulnandhy

Seed development with increasing carpel

number in Sesame (sesamum indicum) and
its possibility in plant breeding
(1) Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka,

(2) Faculty of Agriculture, Eastern University, Chenkalady, Sri Lanka

(email: [email protected])

Multilocules and multicapsules of the sesame are

Abstract: Genetic diversification based on
the major characters in increasing yield. Anyhow in Sri
morphological attributes in sesame grown in Jaffna
Lanka sesame variety UMA is the multicapsule white
district was critically examined in this study. The
seeded cultivar. However sesame varieties with five
results showed that, seed number is positively
carpel or six carpel capsules not recommended yet in
correlated with number o f carpels in sesame capsule.
Sri Lanka and India. Thus, our research project
Higher seed number was obtained in four carpel
focused on studying the above characters to aid in
(82.06) and five carpel (84.94) types, Multilocules and
utilizing these characters in sesame cultivar selection.
multicapsules of the sesame are the major attributes to
Ten crosses have been made with the parental
increase the yield. However, five carpel and six carpel
combinations of 4 x 8 , 8 x 8 and 4 x 8 locular parents.
capsule contain sesame cultivar are not recommended
Progenies of these crosses were evaluated for assessing
yet in India or Sri Lanka.
the genetic nature of the locule character in Sesamum.
F l from all types of segregation was 4L. The F2
Keywords: sesame, multicapsule, multilocule, carpel
segregation fitted to the 3:1 ratio o f 4L versus
type, locule number
multiloculed plants (Padmasundari et al., 2010).

Introduction Increasing o f carpel number per capsules is the

important consideration for increasing yield, so
Sesame (sesamum indicum.L) is a member o f
increasing carpel number as a theme o f plant breeding
order tubiflorae, pedaliaceae, perhaps the oldest oil
will explore the. high yielding varieties. This paper
seed known and used by human beings. It grows well
analysis sesame capsules o f two carpel, three carpel,
in tropics and warm sub tropics. Sesame contains high
four carpel, five carpel and six carpel for seed
oil (38-54%), protein ( 1 8 - 2 5 % ) , calcium, phosphorous
development to aid future breeding programme.
and oxalic acid content and excellent qualities of seed
oil and meal. Thus, it is described as the "queen of oil
seeds". Sesame contains lignans (sesamin, sesaminol
Materials and Methods
and sesamolinol), which have antioxidant functions, so
it resisting the oxidation. Owing to this reason, sesame Sesame plants with different carpeled nature were
oil has longer shelf life (Ram and Singh 2003). observed in farmer fields. From these plants, three
types of plants having different combination of carpel

Capsule arrangement in sesame is either plants are selected and grown again in plant to row

monocapsular or multicapsular. The character is basis for about 4 generation. The study site was located

governed by a single gene, and the recessive allele in the department of agricultural biology field,

produces triple capsules. Capsules form from flowers university of Jaffna and agriculture department field,

in the leaf axil from about 4 - 6 node pairs to the top of thirunelvely in the northern dry zone of Sri Lanka

the plant (Ram and Singh. 2003). during Maha season 2011.

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S E U S L : 6-7 July 2013, Oluvil, Sri Lanka

Types o f cultivars used in these experiments are

Results and Discussion
1. VL-producing 4,Sand 6 carpel capsules

2. V2:-producing bicarpillate capsules

Table 3: Thousand seed weight of seeds in
3. V3:-producing 3 and 4 carpillate capsules each carpel type (in grams)

Four replicates for each sesame cultivar were Treatment Mean

used. In each replicate three plants were selected, in
2c 3.2a
each plant 3 capsules were selected from the middle
region. Length, width and seed number o f these 5c 3.0ab
capsules were measured. Ten capsules from each
4c 2.9b
capsule type (2carpels, 3carpels, 4carpels, 5carpels, and
6carpels) was collected from each replicate. Length, 6c 2.9b
width and seed number were recorded.
3c 2.8b

Climatic parameters
The study site was located in Jaffna district, Table 4:
thirunelvely in the dry zone o f Sri Lanka. The study Seed yield of different carpel type
site was located nearest to the meteorological station,
Capsule Seed No o f No o f 1000
thirunelvely, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Meteorological
type yield seed seeds seed
parameters o f the study site (minimum, maximum per bearing per weight
temperature, rainfall, relative humidity) were obtained capsules locules locule
from this meteorological station. (gram) per
capsules

Table 1: Climatic parameters 2c 0.2004 4.0 15.76 3.18

Climatic Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. 3c 0.2242 5.9 12.85 2.97

parameters
4c 0.2402 6.2 13.39 2.91
Maximum 30 29.6 31 33.3 5c 0.2453 7.5 11.36 2.88
temperature (c)
6c 0.2196 7.6 10.47 2.76
Minimum 22.8 20.3 22.1 24.1
temperature (c)
Mean 25.8 24.9 26.5 28.7 As shown in figure 1, seed number is positively
temperature (c) correlated with carpel type. Two carpel capsules have

Relative Humidify 81 75 66 71 low seed number (63.13), it is widely used in Sri Lanka.

Rain fall Five carpel capsules have the highest seed number
295.1 6.4 0.2 8.3
(84.944) and the seed number of four carpel capsules
(82.055) is not significantly different from that. Thus,
according to the seed number, four and five carpel
Statistical analysis
sesame capsules are ideal types for cultivation.
Data were analyzed using analysis o f variance
(ANOVA) and mean comparison made with LSD, and
Thousand seed weight o f two carpel (3.2 g)
the statistical significance level was set up at p <_ 0.05.
capsules is the highest and it was significantly differ
Analysis were conducted with the SAS (SAS, 1993) and
from that of all the other types. However, thousand
graphs were prepared with Microsoft excel software.
seed weight of five carpel capsules is also not so par
from two carpel types (Table 3 ) .

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 S. Vasanthakumar, G. Thirukkumaran and V. Arulnandhy
Seed development with increasing carpel number in Sesame
(sesamum indicum) and its possibility in plant breeding

As depicted in the figure 2, bicarpillate capsule

have percentage of seed fill of 100%. This is because
90 - Seed number
80 •
bicarpillate capsules contain seeds in all locules.
Percentage seed fill in tricarpillate capsule is 9 7 . 9 %
70 - ^ ^ ^ ^
60 -
because tricarple contain six locules and most of this
50 -
type of capsules contains seeds in all locules but some seed number
40 "
tricarpel capsules have seeds only in five locules. 30 -
Seed number

Compared to tricarpillate capsules, qudricarpillate 20 ' linear (Seed number)

capsules (77.1 % ) have tremendously low percentage of 10 -

seed filling. However, percentage seed filling of 0 I I I !

qudricarpillate capsules and five carpillate capsules 2c 3c 4c 5c 6c

(75.0%) are not significantly different.

carpel type

Another tremendous reduction was observed Figure 1 :

Seed number related to different carpel type
from five carpel to six carpel this may be because of
lack of pollen availability to fertilize all the ovules. Five
carpel and four carpel capsule have more seed yield per
120
capsule, five carpel capsule (0.2453g), four carpel
100
capsule (0.2402g) (Table 4 ) .
80
percentage
Three sesame capsules are found per leaf axil seed filled 60

(Fig. 3 C and D). Most triple capsule lines have single (SFL/TLX 100)

40
capsules at the bottom and top of the plant and rarely
20
have three capsules in every node. Axillary capsules on
triple capsule lines are rarely the size of the central 0
3c 4c 5c
capsules and have fewer seeds with lower seed weight,
Carpel type
resulting in lower seed weight per capsule. The axillary
capsules also have less shatter resistance, and thus, they
Figure 2 :
lose more seeds, while drying down. In the wind,
Percentage seed fill related to different carpel type
leaves act like shock absorbers as the plants rub against
(seed filled locule number (SFL),
each other, and when the leaves drop, the triple
total locule number(TL))
capsules rub off much easier than the single capsules,
single capsule lines have more yields in the combine
bin than triple capsule lines and Since all of the present
Sesame varieties are single capsule in the US
(Langham, 2008). So in mechanizing sesame
cultivation monocapsule multilocule lines, may be give
considerable yield.

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S E U S L : 6-7 July 2013, Oluvil, Sri Lanka

Figure 3: (A) Front view, (B) Lateral view of different carple tpes
(C) multi-capsuleline character and (D) leaf arragement of the Multi-capsule line.

Conclusion References
This experiment reveals that seed number is Baydar, H. 2005. Breeding for the improvement of the
positively correlated with number of carpel in sesame ideal plant type of sesame, Vol: 124 (3), pp- 2 6 3 -
capsule. Higher seed number was obtained in four 267
(82.1) and five (84.9) carpel types. Two carpel capsules
contain very low (63.1) seed number, significantly vary Ram and Singh, H.G. 2003. Crop breeding and
from all the other types. However, two carpel varieties genetics, Kalyani publishers, pp 420-436.
are usually recommended in Sri Lanka
IPGRI, NBPGR 2004. Descriptors for Sesame
Thousand seed weight o f two carpel (3.2 g) (Sesamum spp), International Plant Genetic
capsules is the highest and significantly differ from all Resources Institute, Rome, Italy; and National
the other types, Thousand seed weight o f five (2.9 g) Bureau o f Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi,
carpel capsule also not so par from two carpel types India, pp. 28-46

With regard to seed number, four carpel (8 Langham D.R. 2007. "Phenology of sesame," In: (anick,
locules), five carpel (10 locules) sesame capsules are J. and
the ideal types although five carpel sesame is still not
India or Sri Lanka. However, to produce high yielding Whipkey, A. (Ed.), Issues in New O o p s and New Uses,
lines more breeding experiments are needed. ASUS Press, Alexandria.VA, pp. 144-182.

Pamasundari, M „ Kamala, T. and Rao, y.v. 2 0 1 0

Genetics of locules in sesamum indicum L. Asian
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