Sesame
Sesamum indicum
Sesame is an upright annual with pale, bell-shaped flowers and upright pods packed with tiny seeds, used for oil, til laddoos and chikki. It tolerates heat and drought and is grown in summer or with the monsoon.
Photo: Joydeep · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun
Watering
Low
Water when the soil is dry; avoid waterlogging, which quickly kills sesame.
Soil
Light, well-drained soil; pH 5.5–8.0.
Temperature and humidity
20–40 °C · Low humidity
Feeding
Light feeding with compost.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by seed
No pruning needed.
Sesame seeds are safe but are a common allergen.
Top Cultivation Tips
Cut stems when the lowest pods turn yellow.
Stand bundles upright on a sheet to catch seeds.
Bees love the flowers.
Grow as a summer or kharif crop.
Common problems
Caterpillars
The larvae of moths and butterflies, which chew holes in leaves, flowers and fruit and can strip a plant in days.
How to treat it →PestJassids
Small, wedge-shaped green insects that run sideways and suck sap from leaf undersides, causing curled, yellow-edged and scorched leaves.
How to treat it →DiseaseRoot rot
Roots decay in waterlogged soil, so the plant wilts and yellows even though the soil is wet.
How to treat it →
