Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an oilseed crop flourishing in marginal lands. It has a high nutritional value because it is rich in protein and fat and has many health benefits. However, the varieties of this crop available in Egypt are very few. Seventeen new sesame lines incurred evaluation in two crop seasons, 2021–2022, for seed yield under eight environments comprising normal and drought conditions in sandy and clay soils. Applying 16 parameters and non-parameters of stability helped select stable and adaptive sesame lines under ideal and drought conditions, with the genotypes arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Line C5.8 achieved the highest relative productivity in sandy and clay soils and exhibited a good source for breeding programs under drought conditions. Four lines, C1.3, C9.15, C9.6, and C9.20, under eight different environments had higher seed yield than the control. A genetic-environment interaction (GEI) effect on seed productivity occurred in all sources of the combined analysis. The association between seed yield and stability parameters showed the possibility of using a selection index that included some of them to identify sesame genotypes with higher yield and genetic stability.
sesame (S. indicum L.), parametric and non-parametric stability, drought, water productivity, seed yield
According to parametric and non-parametric statistics, sesame lines C9.3, C9.7, C6.7, C2.2, C5.8, C9.6, C9.15, and C6.12 were more stable for seed production under different conditions. Lines C9.20, C9.6, and C9.15 showed higher water productivity than the control and showed a slight variation in yield under diverse environmental conditions, with these lines classified as biologically stable.