Research indicates technical recommendations for sesame cultivation in Mato Grosso

Sesame cultivation has grown in Mato Grosso and to provide greater support to producers, Embrapa, UFMT, IFMT Sorriso and Fundação MT carried out research to define technical indices for the cultivation of the oilseed in the state.

The trials were carried out in Sinop, Sorriso and Lucas do Rio Verde and evaluated, among other items, different spacing, plant densities and selectivity to herbicides.

According to Embrapa Agrossilvopastoril researcher Vanessa Quitete, the results showed that the planting density with the best results was 6 kg/ha, with a spacing of 0,45 m between rows.

“With this population it was possible to reduce competition with weeds, especially in the initial phase of the crop”, explains the researcher.

Sesame in Mato Grosso

Mato Grosso is the largest producer of sesame in the country. According to Conab's estimate, in the 2023/2024 harvest the planted area in the state more than doubled compared to the previous agricultural year. There are 382,1 thousand hectares now, against 188,5 thousand hectares in the 2022/2023 harvest.

Conab's expectation is for a production of 191,1 thousand tons of sesame in Mato Grosso, which is equivalent to 66% of national production.

The municipalities of Canarana and Água Boa are the largest sesame producers in the state.

Weed control is one of the main challenges in sesame cultivation, since there are no cultivars resistant to herbicides. Tests carried out in a greenhouse showed that Trifluralin and Prometryn were those that had better selectivity in establishing the culture, in the first 30 days. Among the cultivars evaluated, BRS Anahí and Trebol were those with the greatest tolerance to herbicides.

However, data related to weed management are still preliminary, as they were carried out only in greenhouses. Due to the short duration of this research project, there was no time for field tests, necessary to make a recommendation to producers.

The assessments did not identify the occurrence of diseases in sesame plants. The fact that the crop is new in the mid-north region of Mato Grosso explains the absence of pathogens causing damage to the crop.

A new research project to continue phytotechnical evaluations is being prepared by the team that worked on this work. At the moment, other trials with sesame are being conducted with the aim of evaluating new genotypes from the genetic improvement program led by Embrapa Algodão. Embrapa Agrossilvopastoril and UFMT have also developed research related to grain quality and reducing harvest losses. 

Gender diversity in science

This research project was funded by Fapemat through the Women and Girls in Computing, Engineering, Exact and Earth Sciences call, which sought to promote female performance in science. In addition to being led by a woman, the project only included girls among the scientific initiation scholarship holders.