284 M. Saravanaraman et al.
seeds contain 45–55 % of oil, which is high in
quality because of the presence of antioxidant
sesamol. In most of the countries including India,
sesame is an underutilized crop of local impor-
tance, which warrants improved use and con-
servation. In India, it is being cultivated under
both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Among the
sesame cultivating countries, though India ranks
first in the production, the productivity is com-
paratively less (413 kg/ha). This shortfall in the
productivity is attributed to the incidence of in-
sect pests.
Among the key insect pests, shoot webber,
and capsule borer, Antigastra catalaunalis (Du-
ponchel) (Pyraustidae: Lepidoptera) is the most
serious in India. It occurs regularly and infests
the crop during seedling, flowering, and matu-
rity stages of crop growth and causes up to 90 %
yield losses (Cheema and Singh 1987 ). But the
attack is more severe during dry seasons and after
initiation of flowering. A. catalaunalis feeds on
tender foliage by webbing the top leaves, bores
into the pods and shoots (Narayanan and Nada-
rajan 2005 ). Keeping in view the ill effects of
chemical control of this insect pest, exploiting
host plant resistance is considered economically
viable, technically feasible, socially acceptable,
and environmentally compassionate. But, sesa-
me varieties currently under use are susceptible
to pests and diseases and if tolerant, they have
either limited yield potential (Rohilla et al. 2003 )
or limited adaptability to wider geographic area.
Hence, in India, increasing research efforts
are being initiated to identify, exploit, and utilize
sesame varieties possessing pest and disease re-
sistance in addition to higher yield potential and
better adaptability to specific locations. Realiz-
ing this, the present study was carried out to ex-
plore and exploit host plant resistance in sesame
against A. catalaunalis.
Gene Pool of Sesame
The genus Sesamum, (Pedaliaceae) includes
many species. Of these species, few are domes-
ticated like Sesamum indicum Linn. while many
others are wild relatives like Sesamum prostratum
Retz. This wider gene pool offers diverse sources
of pest resistance well exploited for development
of insect tolerant/resistant varieties.Resistance in Wild Species of Sesame
Against A. catalaunalis
Sesamum prostratum, a wild species was found
resistant to A. catalaunalis (Mukherjee 1947 ).
Crosses between Sesamum indicum Linn. and
Sesamum prostratum (Ramanujam 1942 ) led
to the hybrid Sesamum indicatum Linn., which
was found susceptible to Antigastra catalauna-
lis. The wild species Sesamum prostratum, Sesa-
mum malabaricum, Sesamum alatum Thonn.,
Sesamum lacinatum, and Sesamum radiatum
were found to possess resistance against A. cata-
launalis (Nath and Agarwal 1982 ; Thangavelu
et al. 1989 ; Muralibaskaran et al. 1990 ; Ahuja
and Kalyan 2001 ). Philip Sridhar and Gopalan
( 2002 ) reported that the wild species S. alatum,
S. laciniatum Klein., and S. prostratum exhibited
high resistance under field conditions.Resistance in Domesticated Sesame
Against A. catalaunalis
In India, because of the wider diversity in the
available Sesamum gene pool, though many ses-
ame lines are being maintained under All India
Coordinated Research Project on Oilseeds (Ses-
ame and Niger) at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh,
and at other Regional Research Stations, only
few lines possess insect and/or disease resistance
traits, but may be either wild lines or lines with
lesser yield potential or otherwise may be suited
to specific areas (DOR 1999 ; Gupta 2004 ).
Attempts were made in Tamil Nadu to identify
and exploit host plant resistance in sesame gene
pool (Muralibaskaran et al. 1990 ; Selvanarayan-
an and Baskaran 1996b; Manisegaran et al. 2001 ;
Philip Sridhar and Gopalan 2002 ; Vijai Anandh
and Selvanarayanan 2005 ). But, success had not
been attained in the development of sesame vari-
eties with higher yield potential and insect and/
or disease resistance as well as adaptability to