The aim of the present study is to characterize Seven hundred and twenty accessions of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) along with two National check varieties viz., GT-10, TKG22 and local check variety DS-5 were characterized based on the DUS descriptors. The experiment was executed in Augmented Block Design without replication at All India Coordinated Research Project on Sesame and Network on Niger experimental plot, Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka during kharif 2016. On the basis of DUS descriptors, Sesame accessions were characterized for twenty morphological descriptors and grouped into five DUS traits, viz. Growth, Stem, Leaf, Inflorescence and Capsule characters and evaluated for foliar diseases. A significant amount of variation was observed for most of the traits studied. Study of growth traits clearly revealed that majority of the genotypes showed variability for growth habit towards semi-erect types with determinate growth types and sparse hairiness on stem with majority of basal branching pattern. Towards stem characters, higher frequency of sparse/weak hairiness, lanceolate leaf shape for middle leaves, linear leaf shape for top leaves, entire basal leaf margin, absence of lobe incision of basal leaf and green petiole colour for leaf characters was observed in the studied set, respectively. Regarding inflorescence descriptors, % of accessions exhibited one flower/leaf axil. Flower interior and exterior colour 38-39 % respectively. | DUS Testing of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) accessions using morphological descriptors and evaluation for foliar diseases of sesame
