Evaluation of Indian sesame germplasm for resistance against shoot webber and capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis Duponchel (Lepidoptera: Pyraustidae).

Sesame, Sesamum indicum L. is one of the important oilseed crops grown in India and other parts of the world. One-hundred and forty sesame accessions were field evaluated for resistance against shoot webber and capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis Duponchel (Lepidoptera: Pyraustidae) at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India. The experiment was carried out in two consecutive seasons, namely February-April 2003 (Rabi season, first field trial) and July-September 2003 (Kharif season, second field trial). The leaf, flower and capsule damage by A. catalaunalis were recorded and the accessions were rated for resistance in comparison with a susceptible control, based on the score chart. The reaction of the accessions against the pest infection varied with seasons. Among the 140 accessions screened, only one accession, NIC 7875, showed high resistance consistently to leaf, flower and capsule damage which is a potential target for generating A. catalaunalis-resistant sesame cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]