Management	Activity
Pre-sowing*
	Common cultural practices: • Timely sowing should be done. • Field sanitation, rogueing • Crop rotation • Deep ploughing of fi elds during summer • Sow the ecological engineering plants • Destroy the alternate host plants • Eradicate weeds and volunteer sesame plants • Pre-monsoon deep ploughing (two/three times) to expose the hibernating pupae to sunlight and predatory birds. • Sow / plant sorghum/maize/bajra in 4 rows all around sesame crop as a guard/barrier crop.
Nutrients	• Deep summer ploughing to break hard pan and to facilitate rain water absorption & deep root penetration. • Based on soil test report, apply manure and fertilizers following Integrated Nutrient Management approach. • Incorporate well decomposed FYM @ 2 to 4 t or vermicompost @ 1 to 2 t per acre during last preparatory cultivation.
Weeds	• At the time of field preparation, cultivate the field to destroy the weeds already grown in the field. • Keep the boundary & bunds of the field free from weeds.
Soil borne pathogens, dry root rot disease, nematodes and resting stage of insects	Cultural control: • Raising African marigold nursery 15 days prior to sowing. • Ensure proper spacing during sowing. Biological control: • Apply neem cake @ 80 Kg/acre. • Seed treatment: Treatment with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g/Kg of seed or NSKE 4%
Alternaria leaf blight, Phytophthora blight, dry root rot	Cultural control: • Avoid planting overlapping crops in adjacent area. Crop rotations, viz., sesame-maizecabbage, okra- sesame - maize, maize - sesame -maize and sesame - finger millet-egg plant are reported eff ective in reducing disease incidence. • Crop rotation with non-host crops, particularly with paddy. • Provide good drainage Seed treatment: Treatment with Trichoderma @ 4 g/Kg of seed, Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 2 g/Kg seed or Bacillus subtilis @ 2 g/Kg seed or NSKE 4%
Sowing/seedling*
	Common cultural practices: • Use resistant/tolerant varieties. • Use healthy, certified and weed seed free seeds.
Nutrients	• Seed treatment should be done with Azotobactor or Azospirillium culture @ 240 g/acre. • For rainfed sesame, apply N-P-K @ 16-24-16 Kg/acre at the time of sowing. • For irrigated crop apply N-P-K @ 12-24-16 Kg/acre at the time of sowing. • Application of sulphur @ 20 Kg/acre increases the yield if soils are defi cient in sulphur. • Placement of fertilizer at seeding using seed drills is more eff ective than broadcast application.
Weeds	• Use sowing in lines to facilitate inter culture operations. • Adopt stale seed bed technique to control early germinating weeds. • Use straw mulch to control weed growth and to conserve soil moisture.
Vegetative stage*
	Common cultural practices: • Destroy crop debris • Provide irrigation at critical stages of the crop • Avoid water logging • Avoid water stress during fl owering stage • Enhance parasitic activity by avoiding chemical spray, when 1-2 larval parasitoids are observed • Remove alternate weed hosts Common mechanical practices: • Collect and destroy disease infected and insect infested plant parts • Collection and destruction of eggs and early stage larvae • Handpick the older larvae during early stages of the crop • The infested shoots and pods may be collected and destroyed • Handpick the gregarious caterpillars and the cocoons which are found on stem and destroy them in kerosene mixed water. • Use yellow sticky traps @ 4-5 trap/acre • Use light trap @ 1/acre and operate between 6 pm and 10 pm • Install pheromone traps @ 4-5/acre for monitoring adult moths activity (replace the lures with fresh lures after every 2-3 weeks) • Erect bird perches @ 20/acre for encouraging predatory birds such as King crow, common mynah etc. Common biological practices: • Conserve natural enemies through ecological engineering • Augmentative release of natural enemies • Spray neem oil @ 5 ml/l as foliar sprays
Nutrients	• In irrigated crop, apply second haft of N i.e. 12Kg/acre as top dressing at 30-35 days after sowing.
Weeds	• Sesame is sensitive to weed competition during the fi rst 15-25 days after sowing. • A minimum of two weedings, one after 15 days after sowing and another at 35 days after sowing are required to keep the fi eld relatively weed free. • Row seeded crop facilitates use of blade harrows for inter-cultivation. • Two inter-cultivations, 15 days after sowing and 35 days after sowing followed by one hand weeding keeps the fi eld free of weeds. • Use of pre-emergence herbicides followed by one hand weeding around 30 days after sowing is the most appropriate way of weed management in sesame.
Leaf roller and gall fly	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices Chemical control: • Quinalphos 25% EC @ 800 ml in 200-400 l of water/acre. • Carbaryl 10% D.P. @ 10 Kg/acre
Leaf hopper	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices Chemical control: • Oxydemeton–methyl 25% EC@ 480 ml in 200-400 l of water/acre.
Hawk moth**	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices Cultural control: • Deep ploughing exposes the pupae for predation to insectivorous birds. • Hand picking (collection) and destruction of caterpillars.
Bihar hairy caterpillar**	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices Cultural control: • Irrigate once to avoid prolonged mid season drought to prevent pre-harvest infestation. Mechanical control: • Dig the trenches of 1 inch depth between the fields to kill the larvae in pits.
Phyllody	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices Cultural control: • Intercropping of sesamum + redgram (6 : 1) Biological control: • Spray neem oil @ 5 ml/l for vector (leaf hopper) control.
Alternaria leaf blight, Phytophthora blight, dry root rot	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices • Same as in pre-sowing stage
Wilt**	Cultural control: • Soil amendment with farm yard manure @ 5 t/acre is helpful in reducing the incidence of the disease
Powdery mildew**	Cultural control: • Bower system (maintain gapping) of cropping reduces the disease incidence.
Maturity stage
Nutrients	• Correct micronutrients deficiency with foliar spray.
Weeds	• Remove left over weeds after harvest of the crop to prevent weed seed spread.
Leaf roller, gall fly, leaf hopper, hawk moth, Bihar hairy caterpillar, phyllody, Alternaria leaf blight, Phytophthora blight, dry root rot, wilt and powdery mildew	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices • Same as in vegetative stage
Reproductive stage
Leaf roller, gall fly, leaf hopper, hawk moth, Bihar hairy caterpillar, phyllody, Alternaria leaf blight, Phytophthora blight, dry root rot, wilt, powdery mildew	• Follow common cultural, mechanical and biological practices • Same as in vegetative stage
Note: The pesticide dosages and spray fluid volumes are based on high volume sprayer. * Apply Trichoderma viride/harzianum and Pseudomonas fluorescens as seed/seedling/planting material, nursery treatment and soil application (if commercial products are used, check for label claim. However, biopesticides produced by farmers for own consumption in their fields, registration is not required). ** Pests of regional significance

Source: NIPHM and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage

Seasme - Crop Stage-wise IPM