Studies on trait association and path co-efficient analysis of sesame (Sesamum sp.) for quantitative traits and oil quality parameters

Sesame is called as Queen of Oilseed crops because of its high oil content. The current study was focused on the association and path co-efficient analysis of 17 yield components with yield and six oil quality parameters with oil content. From 17 traits days to 50 per cent flowering, days to maturity, number of primary branches per plant, number of secondary branches per plant, top petiole length, capsule length, capsule width, seed weight were associated with single plant yield and oil content. The outcome of the study gives a tremendous scope in identifying plants with high yielding early plant type with increased oil content and more number of branches. For six oil quality parameters, oil content had a positive correlation with saponification value and peroxide value, negative correlation with sesamin, sesamol and iodine value. Path analysis for yield components revealed that the number of primary branches made the highest direct effect on single plant yield of sesame, while the lowest direct effect was from days to maturity. The high residual effect (0.37) showed the contribution of other yield contributing characters towards the yield. The direct effect of the traits acid number, saponification value and peroxide value were negative and positive direct effect was recorded by sesamin content. Based on correlation and path analysis for oil quality parameters, the availability of high oil yielding genotypes with increased sesamin and sesamol content is extremely difficult, with a rare exception of CO 1, future breeding programmes should be aimed at utilizing genotypes with the high sesamin content having lipogenetic, cholestrogenetic character and sesamol content exhibiting anti-ageing, antitumor, anti-carcinogenic and hepatoprotective property to get superior oil quality combined with high oil yield.