Effects of Planting Date and Weeding Regimes on Growth and Yield of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) in Sokoto, North- Western Nigeria

Field experiments were carried out between 2007 and 2008 rainy seasons at the Teaching and Research Dry Land Farm of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, to investigate the effects of planting date (mid may, early and late June) and weeding regimes (weedy check, weeding once, weeding twice and weed free) on the growth and yield of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.). The experiment was laid out in a Randomised Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Results obtained indicated that planting date had significant (P<0.05) influence on plant height, number of branches and number of capsules per plant, seed yield kg/ha and weight of 100 seeds. Weeding regime also significantly(P<0.05) affected plant height, weight of capsules and number of capsules per plant. KEYWORDS: Planting date; Sesame; Seed yield; Weeding regime