Canadian-grown sesame trialled as alternative crop for Ontario farmers
Food processors want locally sourced sesame, and while Canada imports a lot of it now, southern Ontario does have the conditions needed to grow it ourselves Sesame isn’t what most people think of when they imagine a Canadian crop, but maybe that should change, according to an Ontario crop specialist. The seed shows promise as an alternative crop for southern Ontario farmers, said Evan Elford of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. There’s even domestic demand among processors.“When you start getting calls from the end user looking for the crop, and a local source of it, that to me represents and opportunity for growers,” said Elford. WHY IT MATTERS Sesame poses potential for farmers to diversify their crop rotations and may already have built-in domestic demand once supply and infrastructure are in place. Elford said he’s had multiple Ontario processors ask him about local sources of sesame in the late 10 years. Canada imported nearly 10.1 million kilograms of sesame seeds in 2024. India was the largest supplier, with Nigeria a distant second, World Bank statistics show. Elford said the seed is used for sesame oil and tahini, but also has potential uses in confectionary and for industrial use. Ontario sesame trials and growing challenges There’s been work at the University of Guelph’s Simcoe research station around sesame over the past few years. On-farm trials also show southern Ontario’s climate and soil are appropriate for the crop. In trails with sesame varieties provided by U.S.-based Sesaco, most required about a 110- to 120-day growing season. Before sowing, soils must have warmed to a minimum of 20 C. Trials have hammered home the importance of that last requirement. Elford noted that, if seeded into cooler soil, seeds would not germinate even with the soil warmed. “Not a single plant would come up,” he said. Sesame is indeterminant, meaning it needs a frost or freeze to dry down. Last year, after a particularly warm fall, researchers were unable to combine until the second week of November, Elford said. Even then, it required drying after harvest. Researchers are trialing desiccants, he added. Equipment-wise, however, there are fewer quirks. Sesame can be planted with a standard grain drill and direct combined. Yields in Ontario trials have returned around 600 kilograms per hectare. Work left to do Trials have seen some issues with aphids, bacterial leaf spots and blights. To date, there are few registered pest control products in Canada that can be used on sesame. There are also no herbicides registered for use on sesame. There’s a minor use trial starting this year with the federal government, Elford said. He noted that product registration can take a few years. In the meantime, sesame would have limited early season weed management options. Farmers would also need buyers to aggregate sesame and move it up the supply chain. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of the commercialization of it,” Elford said. “But in terms of something that could easily be implemented, work into a regular rotation using equipment we already have, I think it’s a crop that could potentially develop quickly if the right supply chain is developed.”
Source: https://farmtario.com/canadas-outdoor-farm-show/canadian-grown-sesame-trialled-as-alternative-crop-for-ontario-farmers/