OpenAlex · 2026-11-13
Sesame crops are highly vulnerable to waterlogging—too much water cuts off oxygen and can devastate yields. This review compiles the latest science on how sesame plants survive flooding and how breeders can develop tougher varieties using both genetic tools and smarter farming practices.
Sesame responds to waterlogging by forming adventitious roots and aerenchyma (air-channel tissue), which are structural adaptations that help maintain some oxygen flow to submerged roots.
Biochemical defenses—including antioxidant enzyme activation and accumulation of protective osmolyte compounds—are documented stress responses that partially explain varietal differences in flood survival.
Molecular breeding tools including gene mapping, marker-assisted selection, and gene editing are identified as viable pathways to develop waterlogging-resistant sesame cultivars, especially when paired with raised-bed planting and participatory farmer trials in flood-prone regions.
