There is lack of information on sesame agronomy and constraints to production including its soil preferences in Ghana. This is a key constraint to its commercial cultivation. This study evaluated sesame performance and generated agronomic data for the transitional agro ecological zone of Ghana. Yields obtained using three adopted Asian varieties averaged 688kg ha-1, which was higher than 383kg ha-1 reported in commercial production elsewhere. Although there were significant differences in yields between one site and the others, seed weight per ten capsules or per five plants were similar indicating that our varied soil properties and cropping histories had no influence. The key factor in yield differences among the sites is thus attributed to seedling emergence and establishment. Sites that were sandy within the 10cm upper soil depth and with a good nutrient status between the 10-30cm soil depth were superior in yield (1176kg ha-1) as it aided seedling emergence optimizing plant population density (250,000 plants ha-1) and supported good plant growth. The results of this study have demonstrated that sesame can be profitably produced in Ghana and other areas with similar agro ecologies. However, further research is recommended in plant-pest interactions and farmer scale production that can influence the productivity of sesame.

Key words

Sesame, yield, yield components, Ghana

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