Sesame (Sesamum indicum L., Pedaliaceae) is a traditional oil crop cultivated in Vietnam and Cambodia. It is known as the king of oil seeds in Vietnam due to the high oil content (50-60%) in its seed. Yet, the insufficient genetic information regarding Vietnamese and Cambodian sesame populations is limiting the access to useful traits present among adapted landraces in this region. The purpose of this study was to characterize various sesame accessions to gain information that could help design strategies for future breeding program and conservation of this crop in the two countries. Morphological and molecular markers as well as oil content and quality analyses were employed to evaluate sesame accessions from different sources.
High genetic variation was found among populations of sesame collected in Vietnam and Cambodia. The two type of markers, morphological and molecular, were both useful in analyzing the extent of genetic diversity in sesame and the result of these analyses will help to better understand the genetic diversity and relationship within and among populations. Overall, the sesame accessions included in the study showed a correlation with their geographical origins such that accessions from the same region tended to have higher genetic similarity as compared to those from different regions. However, when cluster analysis was applied to evaluate the genetic relationship, some sesame accessions were found not to be grouped based on geographical origins. This contrasting result could perhaps be a result from the exchange over time, of sesame germplasm, between farmers across the regions.
The results from morphological and oil content analyses showed that several sesame accessions in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia displayed a good potential for high seed yield and oil content. Overall, the studies in this thesis provide important insights into the populations of sesame in Vietnam and Cambodia and constitute a set of useful background information that can be used as a basis for future breeding strategy and improvement of sesame in this region
