$4.525 million is being invested into a national research program called Sesame Central, which aims to scale-up production of sesame. The Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), AgriFutures Australia, AgriVentis Technologies and Central Queensland University have all contributed to the investment
More than just a few seeds on top of a hamburger bun, leading Australian researchers see real potential in the future of sesame as a crop to be grown Down Under.
Research and Development Corporation AgriFutures Australia has identified the oilseed as a high-growth potential crop which can be grown in Australia.
The organisation predicts the global sesame market will reach $26 billion by 2025 – but most of the whole sesame and sesame products consumed in Australia are currently imported from Africa and Asia.
While many associate sesame consumption with the seeds, it has a range of uses. Sesame can be processed into sesame oil, used as flavour in confectionary, used in baking and even made into tahini paste.
AgriFutures says that due to sesame’s antioxidant content, it can also be used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
To increase understanding of what might be involved in developing an Australian sesame industry, AgriFutures and the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), have invested in two large but complementary programs of research, which come together as Sesame Central under the leadership of Central Queensland University (CQUniversity).
CQUniversity is collaborating with other universities, state and territory governments, commercial seed companies, farm machinery and seed processing businesses and farmers from across the country. Also supporting the research is Australian seed company AgriVentis Technologies.
First investigation
CQUniversity research leader and senior lecturer Tieneke Trotter says that while sesame hasn’t traditionally been an Australian crop, recent research and new support means the country now has an opportunity to start its own domestic market.
“Over 20 years ago there was research done in Darwin and the Northern Territory that looked as sesame as a crop, but they couldn’t get the market support behind it,” she says.
“They also didn’t have the same genetic varieties or the lines that we’ve got access to now.”
There are two different types of sesame when it matures, shattering and non-shattering.
When the plant pods are full of sesame seeds and it starts to dry out, the pods shatter and drop seeds onto the ground. With non-shattering sesame, the pod pops open just a little bit, but the seed isn’t released till it goes through a harvester.
“When there are significant harvest losses through the shattering sesame, it meant that the crop was less viable financially,” Trotter says.
“At that time 20 years ago, there were also issues getting a market for Australian grown sesame, either domestically or to export it.”
Sesame’s richness in oil is one of the benefits that Trotter says is held in high esteem by customers.
“With an increase in different styles of cooking and the use of more Asian flavours, things like sesame are going to be increasingly used in in our cuisine and in cuisines across the world,” Trotter says.
Potential
With the potential to be grown in hot climates such as Northern Australia, CQUniversity is also looking at the prospect of growing sesame in Southern Australia as the oilseed becomes a more in-demand product.
CQUniversity is currently investigating if sesame can be grown in the Darling Downs region of southern Queensland and then potentially in the Moree region of northern New South Wales.
Some of Trotter’s colleagues at Charles Sturt University are hoping to investigate sesame growth even further south, in Wagga Wagga.
Trotter explains Northern Australia could allow for year-round production of sesame, while Southern areas have distinct seasons where the winters are too cold for sesame.
Although this may be the case, she says summer periods in Southern areas could present an opportunity for sesame to grow.
“We’re essentially looking at lines that will grow anywhere between 90 and 110 days,” the university researcher says.
“You can plant and finish harvest of a crop in that summer season and capture the full benefit of the summer heat.”
Another benefit of sesame is that it doesn’t need as much water compared to other crops, which can be useful in times of drought.
“Sesame can get by with a little bit less water than cotton as an irrigated crop, and so it provides different alternatives for producers to be able to work into their farming system,” Trotter says.
“It is a fairly drought tolerant crop as long as there’s moisture there to help with establishment and pod filling.”
Sesame Central researchers from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) are also looking at the potential of using modelling systems to help predict where sesame can be grown.
“Modelling systems will help inform us whether or not sesame could potentially be grown in, southern South Australia or southern Western Australia in the future,” Trotter says.
Like any agricultural crop, sesame has some basic requirements for it grow to its full potential.
Requirements
Sesame thrives in hotter climates but can also grow in areas that stay above 8 – 10 degrees Celsius, Trotter says.
“It’s a really good summer crop, potentially right across Australia.
“It can also be a winter crop, the further north we look. We can grow sesame in the winter in far north Queensland, in the Northern Territory and in places like Kununurra in Western Australia.”
In terms of soil requirements, Trotter has seen sesame grown in anything from red sandy loam soils to black cracking clay soils – performing well in most areas.
“There’s an initial water requirement at the start of the season to help emergence, but it doesn’t like to have its feet wet for too long,” she says.
“Either planting into moisture in the soil or having an opportunity to do an early irrigation can help seed establishment.
“Available moisture towards the end of the season when the pods are filling with seeds is also really important, which will help with yield.”
Trotter says sesame crops typically require 80 units of nitrogen fertiliser applied to the soil, to help the crop grow optimally. Another import element for growing sesame as well as other oilseed crops is sulphur.
In the early stages of growing sesame crops, weeds need to be managed.
“If the crop grows to a point where it can close canopy, it’s quite competitive against weeds,” Trotter says.
“Weed management in the first six weeks of the crop is really important, but we do have some chemicals available for that. Other options include inter-row cultivation to dig the weeds out.”
Sesame crops also can face the challenges of pests such such as heliothis, sesame leaf roller, aphids and green veggie bugs. Despite this, the crop can also attract a lot of beneficial insects as well.
Biodiversity
Whilst sesame crops may attract pests such as aphids, Trotter says they’re often matched in number by ladybugs and lacewings that eat aphids.
Heliothis caterpillars have also been known to live in the crop, but Trotter says she has observed predatory and parasitic wasps working on these pests in the crop.
“There’s a lot of beneficials that really love to live in the crop.
“We’ve got lots of spiders and different wasps, and it’s pollinated by a number of different insects. This includes wasps, native bees, blue banded bees, cuckoo bees and of course, European honeybees.
“It’s a crop that’s alive with biodiversity and if that’s the case, we wouldn’t spray it with a chemical if the insect biological control is doing what it should in managing the pests.”
Trotter says chemicals are available to manage some of the sesame related pests if biological control is not playing its part.
Another challenge that sesame crops face is being susceptible to diseases. Research is currently taking place to learn how to tackle them.
Disease Research
CQUniversity has been collaborating with Dante Adorada at the University of Southern Queensland to do soil tests.
Using a DNA-based soil testing service, known as ‘PreDicta B’, growers can be informed of any diseases that are pre-existing in the soil.
This information can then be used to decide if sesame would be a viable crop to plant into that soil or if seed treatment or managing soil moisture would be beneficial.
“We have trialled some seed coating to help prevent disease at the emerging seed stage,” Trotter says.
“If the soil has got a high level of pythium in it, then we would suggest the producer to control the moisture in those early stages, so don’t let the paddock get too wet.
“Irrigate a little bit later instead, to help the crop establish better,” she says.
For more information on AgriFutures sesame research program visit agrifutures.com.au/rural-industries/sesame/