Advances in Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Breeding: M.Narayanan 2019508202 GPB - 511
Advances in Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Breeding: M.Narayanan 2019508202 GPB - 511
Advances in Sesame (Sesamum Indicum) Breeding: M.Narayanan 2019508202 GPB - 511
indicum) Breeding
M.NARAYANAN
2019508202
GPB -511
Introduction
Sesame is a high value and important oilseed crop owing to its dietary uses,
health benefits and industrial applications.
Sesame oil maintains a balanced fatty acid composition with more or less
equal and higher percentages of unsaturated fatty acids.
In spite of its several merits, it is behind in genetic improvement as
compared to other commercial oilseed crops.
Narrow genetic base, less attention to genetic improvement and cultivation
in marginal lands with poor management practices are the major constraints
for increased yield potential
Innovative breeding approaches such as mutagenesis, somaclonal
variation, interspecific hybridization, somatic hybridization and genetic
transformation can be used to restructure the plant’s ideotype.
In this pursuit, the authors present a detailed outline of the importance of
sesame as a potential oilseed crop, its biosystematics, floral biology,
genomics, breeding goals, present status of breeding strategies and
attention to prospects for sustainable production and productivity in future.
Quality Features of Sesame Oil
Oil content and its chemical composition vary with genotype, color and
size of the seed. Oil content in sesame varies from 35% to 63% among the
available world collection of germplasm lines.
Sesame oil maintains a balanced fatty acid composition with
more or less equal or higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids
e.g., oleic acid (up to 39%) and
The major saturated fatty acids are palmitic acid (7.9–12%) and
eicosenoic acids.
Origin and Distribution
Sesame is one of the oldest oilseed crops in the world. It belongs to the
genus Sesamum and the family Pedaliaceae, which contains more than 38
species
Most of these species are distributed in the tropics and subtropics of
Africa and some are common in both Asia and Africa.
Archaeological surveys demonstrate domestication of sesame in South
India about 1500 years ago and the sesame trade with other countries
(Mesopotamia) dates back to 2000 BC .
Therefore, it is believed that the wild form S. mulayanum is the progenitor
and the Indian subcontinent the origin of sesame (Ganeshan 2001).
Floral Biology and Crossing Techniques
Flowers are solitary, axillary, shortly pedicilate and zygomorphic with pendulous
tubular corollas 3–4 mm in length
They are hermaphrodite and borne (singly or in groups) in the leaf axils.
Each flower bears 4 stamens in didynamous condition (2 long and 2 short), filaments
are dorsifixed, epipetalous and anthers dehise longitudinally.
The gynoecium is multicarpelar with a superior ovary (hypogynous) with a long style
and bifid stigma. The flower produces nectar in a nectary
disk-like structure surrounding the ovary.
The calyx bears 5 fused sepals. The corolla is tubular with a lobe upwards. One of the
petals is extended and serves as a landing platform for the visiting insects.
Stigma receptivity varies with genotype and it usually lasts 24 h after flower opening ,
although loss of viability within 14 h is also reported
In addition, some reports state that the start of stigma receptivity is from 2 h after
anthesis and duration of pollen viability for 24 h at 24–27 °C after dehiscence of the
anther
Mode of Pollination
Sesame is predominantly a self-pollinated crop although outcrossing occurs and
may vary from 5%
Selfing and Crossing Techniques
selfing in sesame can be ensured by tying the corolla tips of mature flower buds
with threads in the evening.
For emasculation, the epipetalous corolla is pulled out leaving the gynaecium
intact before the opening of the flower.
A plastic straw with one side bent, is used to cover the emasculated flower bud at
evening.
Pollination is carried out the following morning and the plastic straw is placed in
position.
Alternatively, the corolla (with stamens intact) of the desired male parent, which is
about to open is placed on to the emasculated flower using a speck of fevicol for
pollination and follow-up fertilization.
A speck of fevicol is to be placed on the top of the corolla in late afternoon hours
to prevent its opening
Genetics of Qualitative Traits
Genetics of Agro-economic Quantitative
Traits
Wild species utilised in breeding programme
1. S.alatum 2n = 26
Resistant to phyllody S.alatum x S.indicum alatum is having dormancy.
2. S.malabaricum (2n = 26)
Occurs in Travancore of Kerala. It freely crosses with cultivated gingelly.
Oil content is low 32% It is utilised to induce male sterility in cultivated
sesame.
3. S.laciniatum 2n = 32
Tolerant to phyllody, drought and jassid resistant. Fertile auto allopoly
ploid produced by crossing S.indicum x S.laciniatum Sterile, Double.
4. S.prostratum occurs in S.India (2n = 26)
Tolerant to drought.
Breeding Goals
(a) Ideal plant type: Determinate plant type, higher numbers of leaf axils for
more capsule bearing/plant, high yield and stability of performance;
(b) High oil content, improved fatty acid composition and other quality traits;
(c) Low or zero antinutritional factors (oxalic and phytic acids) for value
addition;
(d) Development of CMS lines for ease in hybrid seed production;
(e) Resistance to biotic stress: insect pests (leaf eating caterpillar, gall fly) and
diseases such as phyllody (virus, mycoplasma), bacterial leaf spot
(Pseudomonas sesami), powdery mildew, wilt and leaf curl; (f) Semi-
indehiscence of capsules;
(g) Resistance to abiotic stresses: drought, waterlogging and salinity,
particularly under the scenario of global climate change.
Breeding approaches in sesame
Innovative Breeding Strategy
1 In Vitro Screening
In vitro screening of cell lines, somaclonal variants and somatic mutants is
possible using various selection agents such as pathogenic fungal toxins,
antinutritional factors (phytate, trypsin inhibitor, tannins), herbicides, PEG
(polyethelene glycol) and minerals
In addition, in vitro mutagenesis due to a mutagen added to the medium can be
a step forward to enhance genetic variability
2. Genetic Transformation
Sesame plants regenerated from primary cultures via somatic embryogenesis or
direct regeneration from shoot apical meristems and hypocotyl segments reveal
minimal or no genetic variability and such regeneration systems provide an
opportunity for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer .
The major drawback is that sesame is sensitive to Agrobacterium tumefaciens
infection,
3. Doubled-Haploid Breeding
Sesame being self-pollinated, doubled haploid (DH) breeding offers a rapid method
of genetic improvement as it significantly reduces the breeding period due to early
fixation of homozygosity.
Callus induction and androgenic plantlet regeneration from F1s have been
successful
Yifter et al. (2009) were successful to induce anther derived calli in MS media
with 2 mg/l 2,4-D + 1 mg/l BAP and recovered regenerants in MS with 1 mg/l
NAA + 2 mg/l BAP in four Ethiopian varieties of sesame
4.Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS)
Use of MAS seems to be an appropriate option to detect the presence of allelic
variation in the genes underlying the agronomical important traits (shattering,
abiotic and biotic resistance)
The first comprehensive genetic linkage map in sesame was developed on a F2
population using EST-SSR (expressed sequence tags-simple sequence repeat),
AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) and RSAMPL (random selective
amplification of microsatellite polymorphic loci) markers (Wei et al. 2009).
It serves as a starting point to tag traits of breeding interest and further aid in
sesame molecular breeding.
In this context, marker-aided selection allows rapid introgression of a target trait
into the recurrent parent by identifying plants carrying the target allele even at early
vegetative stages.
Wang et al. (2017) identified 14 QTLs for charcoal rot resistance using SSR
markers.
Yan-Xin et al. (2014) detected an effective SSR marker ZM 428 closely linked
with the major QTL qWH10CHL09 for water logging resistance in sesame.
Breeding Methods