Sesame High Yielding Variety: YLM-66 (Sarada)

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) popularly known as til is an important oil seed crop. Sesame is warm temperature loving crop with a duration range of 85-115 days. Sesame is usually growing in light to medium textured well drained soils. Many of the farmers adopt local landraces of seeds for growing sesame. Local land races have low productivity of seed and oil content. Presently there is need in development and adoption of sesame high yielding varieties to obtain high productivity in seed yields. The main objective of the present study is to know the development method and morphological characteristics, seed yield of the sesame high yielding variety YLM-66 (sarada). The Sarada variety is brown seed variety developed by pedigree breeding method by crossing YLM-17 × PS-201. The variety is tested over locations and released for cultivation to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states during 2009.  The Sarada (YLM-66) is a brown seed variety suitable to rabi-summer season. It grows within 80-85 days duration. The Sarada variety is recommended for adoption to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana farmers for cultivation. The Sarada variety recorded 25.7 per cent increased yield over the check TKG-22. Sarada variety recorded average productivity of 1125 kg/ha of sesame seed and with oil percentage of 50.3 per cent. The sarada variety have great impact in sesame production occupying an area of more than 60 percentage.