Environmental stresses are responsible for major reductions in crop yield on a global scale. Drought is known to be the single most important environmental constrain that accounts for serious limitations in growth and production of crops such as oilseed crops in most parts of the world, including Iran. Sesame is an ancient but neglected oilseed crop. Micronutrients, in general, and zinc (Zn), in particular, are key to increasing crop yield quantity and quality. This experiment, thus, aimed to investigate the effects of drought stress and foliar application of Zn on some morpho-physiological characteristics, seed yield and seed oil of five sesame genotypes ( i.e. Yekta, Naze-takshakhe, Dashtestan, Varamin and Oltan) in a split factorial randomized complete block design with three replications at the Lavark Research Farm of the Isfahan University of Technology in Najaf Abad. Two levels of irrigation including irrigation after 35-45% (control) and 75-85% depletion of available soil water (drought stress) were chosen as main plots and five genotypes of sesame and two levels of foliar Zn (0 and 2 L ha -1 of a 3 part per mil zinc sulfate solution) were considered as sub plots. Drought stress led to significant decreases in relative water content, chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids concentration, leaf area index, despite, plant height, number of branches, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule and seed and oil yields an increase in leaf proline concentration. Based on stress tolerance index (STI) and Geometric Mean Productivity (GMP), genotypes Dashtestan and Yekta were ranked the most tolerant and susceptible, respectively. Foliar application of Zn increased leaf relative water content, membrane stability index, chlorophylls a and b and carotenoids concentrations, net photosynthetic rate, number of capsules per plant, number of seeds per capsule and 1000-seed weight, seed oil content, oil yield and seed yield, irrespective of soil moisture status. As genotype Dashtestan was found potent to produce a greater grain and oil yield. Foliar-applied Zn was proven beneficial to growth and productivity of field-grown sesame. Keywords : oil seeds, sesame, micronutrients, Zn, drought