Effect of Sowing Dates on Flowering and Maturity of Sesame

To identity the effect of sowing dates on flowering and maturity of sesame, some agronomic traits including days to flowering and days to maturity were investigated under five different sowing dates. Plant height, days to flowering, days to maturity, days from flowering to maturity and number of capsules per plant were showed significantly different by years, sowing dates and varieties. Interaction between sowing dates and varieties affected to days to flowering, days to maturity, days from flowering to maturity and number of capsules per plant. Plant height, days to flowering and days to maturity decreased significantly as sowing dates were delayed, but number of capsules and seed weight per plant showed highest at the sowing date of May 10. At the regression analysis of shortness degree of growth period by the response of days to flowering and days to maturity under different sowing dates, sesame varieties with earlier flowering habit were much less affected by day length rather than ones with later flowering habit. $R^2$ and gradient value on the days to maturity regression graph were smaller indicating that maturity was much less sensitivity than flowering to the change of day length and temperature in the move of sowing dates. Therefore, it would be concluded that early maturity sesame varieties have higher potential adaptability to various sesame cropping systems in view of their less sensitivity to day length changes under different sowing dates.