Evaluation of Sesame Germplasm for Resistance against Leaf Webber, Antigastra catalaunalis (Duponchel)

Antigastra catalaunalis Duponchel (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), known as the sesame leaf webber is an important and specific pest of sesame, exerting a considerable yield loss of up to 72%. The objective of this study was to assess various sesame germplasm for their resistance against A. catalaunalis. The present study was carried out at ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. A total of 276 germplasm were evaluated for their resistance against Sesame leaf webber, together with a resistant check (Swetha) and a susceptible check (Prachi). The experiment was conducted using Randomized Block design for two seasons (2023 and 2024). Incidence of leaf webber was observed on 10 randomly selected plants on each germplasm at weekly intervals. Percent Leaf damage was calculated for all the 276 germplasm along with a resistant check and a susceptible check. The data on percentage of leaf damage for both the seasons were also subjected to statistical analysis using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The performance of the germplasm were evaluated using 1-9 scoring methodology, categorizing them as highly resistant, resistant, moderately resistant, susceptible or highly susceptible based on scores. In season 1, germplasm, B 203, DSK-1-A, EC-511212, EVC-101, IC-205201, IC-205775, IC-413205, IC-500343, IS-17, and SL-11 were found to be completely free from the incidence of A. catalaunalis. The germplasm were categorized as highly resistant (53), resistant (62), moderately resistant (56), susceptible (74), and highly susceptible (31). In season 2, none of the germplasm exhibited complete resistance. The germplasm were categorized as follows: highly resistant (46), resistant (51), moderately resistant (69), susceptible (55), and highly susceptible (55). The incidence of the pest on the resistant check, Swetha, was 4.46% in season 1 and 5.94% in season 2, while the percent pest incidence on the susceptible check, Prachi, was 76.69% in season 1 and 69.18% in season 2. 46 germplasm were observed to be highly resistant to Antigastra catalaunalis across both the seasons and also based on the combined mean percent leaf damage analysis. Thus, these germplasm can be used as donors in future breeding programmes.