AUTHOR=Ramesh Kulasekaran , Harisudan C. , Dhir B. C. , Ramanamurthy K. V. , Qureshi A. Aziz , Yadav Praduman 

TITLE=Sustainability of rice–sesame cropping systems: evaluating tillage and nutrient interactions in the eastern plateau and hills of the Indian sub-continent

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1565401

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1565401

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Precise information on the impact of varying soil tillage and nutrient levels on the performance of sesame cultivated after rice is lacking. Sesame is an edible oil-yielding industrial plant of global importance with high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic and linoleic, that demands defined tillage and fertilizer management for optimum productivity under rice fallow environments. While productivity under non-fallow agro-environments is a function of genotype and environment, under rice fallow, previous paddy management practices have an impact on the succeeding sesame crop in question. To better understand and manipulate the agroecology in the rice fallow culture, it is necessary to study the behavior of sesame cultivars in relation to the tillage requirements and macronutrient factors that influence productivity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the productivity of rice fallow sesame in the eastern plateau and hills region (Odisha) of the Indian subcontinent as a function of tillage and nutrient management. Experiments conducted at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology during 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 with tillage practices (reduced, conventional, and zero tillage) and fertilizer doses (control, 25% Recommended Dose of Fertiliser (RDF), 50% RDF, 75% RDF, and 100% RDF) indicated that the performance of rice fallow sesame was poor under zero till conditions as the sesame crop is poorly adapted to the rice fallow regime resulting in a yield penalty of up to 68%. Additionally, 75% RDF has yielded a statistically similar yield to that of 100% RDF for the rice fallow sesame. Furthermore, neither the oil content nor the fatty acid composition was modified by tillage and nutrient management practices.