Swetha (TMV-3 type)
A white-seeded variety for the southern states with good oil recovery. Not yet individually researched for a detail page.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Sesame (Til)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Kharif
- Maturity period
- 80–85 days
- Expected yield
- Medium
- Suitable soil
- Sandy / light soil
About this variety
Swetha is a white-seeded sesame variety used as a comparison cultivar in trials at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Tirupati (Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, Andhra Pradesh) during 2021-22 and 2022-23. Those trials found Swetha performs best when sown in the second fortnight of December, with yield dropping significantly if sowing is delayed beyond that window — a rabi/winter sowing pattern, not a kharif one. Swetha is also named among five modern sesame cultivars whose genome has been sequenced and made publicly available as a comparative-genomics resource.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
80–85 days
Expected yield
Medium
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- Moderate
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Real discrepancy flagged: the trial location for Swetha found this phase is Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, and the sowing window that performs best is December (rabi/winter), while this record's existing fields say state "Tamil Nadu" and season "kharif" — no source connecting Swetha to Tamil Nadu or kharif-season cultivation specifically was found this phase, so the existing fields are flagged for review rather than changed.
- The "TMV-3 type" portion of this record's own name suggests a Tamil Nadu Agricultural University naming lineage (TMV = Tamil Nadu Millets Variety code), but TNAU's own official variety-release list for gingelly (fetched directly this phase) does not include a variety named Swetha or TMV-3 — this naming tension is reported as unresolved, not asserted either way.
- In the Tirupati trials, white-seeded Swetha gave lower seed yield than the brown-seeded comparison variety YLM 66 — reported as a relative comparison point, not a specific yield figure to reconcile against this record's existing "Medium" yieldPotential field.
- No disease-resistance data specific to Swetha was found this phase — this record's existing "Moderate" diseaseResistance field is left unconfirmed and uncontradicted.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
Frequently asked questions
When should Swetha be sown for the best yield?
Trials at Tirupati found the second fortnight of December gives the highest seed yield, with yield dropping significantly the longer sowing is delayed beyond that — a rabi/winter sowing pattern.
Where has Swetha actually been studied, and how does that compare to this record's state listing?
The trials found this phase were conducted at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Tirupati, in Andhra Pradesh — not Tamil Nadu, which is this record's existing state listing. No source tying Swetha specifically to Tamil Nadu cultivation was found, so this is flagged as a discrepancy for review.
Does "TMV-3 type" mean Swetha is a Tamil Nadu Agricultural University release?
That is what the naming convention suggests, but TNAU's own official gingelly variety-release list does not include a variety by this name — so the TMV-3 label and the Andhra Pradesh trial evidence found this phase point in different directions, and neither is asserted as the confirmed origin.
How does Swetha compare to brown-seeded sesame varieties?
In the Tirupati trials, white-seeded Swetha yielded less than the brown-seeded comparison variety YLM 66 — a pattern seen elsewhere too, since white-seeded sesame is often grown for its market premium rather than for maximum seed yield.
Is Swetha genetically well-studied?
Yes — it is named among five modern sesame cultivars whose full genome has been sequenced and made available for comparative-genomics research, an unusual distinction among the varieties covered in this rollout.
Sourced from: Season and Varieties — Gingelly — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.