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The Sesame in Agricultural Science Directory

Sesame is an ancient oilseed, first recorded as a crop in Babylon and Assyria over 4000 years ago. The crop has since spread from the Fertile Crescent of the Ancient Near East to be grown in many parts of the world on over 5 million acres. Acreage in the U.S., primarily in Texas and southwestern states, has ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 acres in recent years. However, the U.S. imports considerably more sesame than we grow; it would take at least 100,000 acres of sesame in the U.S. just to meet domestic demand, and production on more acres could be exported. Thomas Jefferson recognized the potential of sesame when he grew it in test plots he knew it by the name of beni or benne, but 200 years later we have done little to develop this crop in the U.S. The seeds are unusually high in oil, around 50 of the seed weight, compared to 20 seed oil in soybeans. Sesame is a fairly high value food crop, being harvested both for whole seed used in baking, and for the cooking oil extracted from the seed. This warm season annual crop is primarily adapted to areas with long growing seasons and well drained soils. It is considered drought tolerant, but needs good soil moisture to get established. Sesame has been researched extensively in Missouri, and found to be well adapted to our growing conditions.

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