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ThesisItem Open Access A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF INDIGENOUS TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND IMPROVED GRAIN STORAGE SYSTEM IN BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) KUMAR, NIRALA; Singh, A.K.The country has diverse agro climatic conditions with different agro-ecosystem across the regions or states. In the state of Bihar, the main source of livelihood is agriculture and farmers need to store their farm produce for next season sowing as well as to meet their round the year requirements. Hence, a range of storage structures (from traditional to improved storage) are being used by the farm community as per their convenience and utility of these structures. However, till date there is no systematic study ever been made by researchers with respect to the different storage system used by rural people in Bihar. Only a few fragmentary information is available and a gap of comprehensive detail on storage structures has been identified since a long time. Keeping this fact in mind, the present investigation was conceptualized with the following specific objectives; 1. To know the socio-economic and personal characteristics of selected respondents. 2. To examine the Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) used by the respondents for storage of their food grain. 3. To study the extent of adoption of improved storage system of food grain. 4. To examine the comparative perception of respondents about ITK system and improved system of storage in Bihar. 5. To suggest the suitable extension strategies for popularization of the improved storage system in the study area in order to safeguard the losses of food grain. This study was carried out in the state of Bihar in the districts viz. Samastipur, Begusarai, Bhagalpur and Banka where University of Illinois Urban-Champaign (USA) is working to popularize the scientific method of storage system. Out of these four selected districts two blocks were covered from each of district such as, Tajpur and Shivajee Nagar in Samastipur, Chhorahi and Mansurchak in Begusarai, Kharik and Goradih in Bhagalpur, Chanan and Rajaun in Banka district. Further, from the selected 8 blocks, equal number of villages was identified for the purpose of study based on the largest number of household of different farming groups. While selecting the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries care will be the taken to draw the sample from different categories of farmers based on their land holding. The beneficiaries farmers were those who received the training along with hermetic bag through the U.S. project while, non-beneficiaries farmers were those farmers who were residing in the same village but they did not receive neither the training nor hermetic bag for storage. Thus, total sample of the study were 320 in which (160) beneficiaries respondents and (160) non- beneficiaries respondents. Personal interview schedule was carefully constructed and developed for data collection in order to obtain the appropriate response from respondents in a face-to-face environment. To arrive at a relevant result and conclusion, the data was subjected to statistical analysis using frequency, standard deviation, mean, z-test, and percentage. The results of the study reveals that maximum of the respondents were from middle age group, backward caste, marginal land holder, agriculture as main occupation, joint family system, having secondary and higher secondary education, low income, low cropped area, medium level of contact with extension agencies, medium level of risk orientation, medium level of value orientation and high level of progressiveness. The study further reveals that 86.25 percent of rice and 71.90 per cent of pulses produced were stored and kept under the metal storage system through the process of ITK respectively. It was found that 28.75% of beneficiary‟s respondents were having most favourable perception toward ITK storage system. In z-test analysis it was seen that the mean difference value of ITK storage system was found much more higher (25.64%) as compared to the Improved storage system i.e. (12.58%). It was observed that enhancing the durability and maintaining the quality of grain was perceived as problems by about at 89.37% selected beneficiaries and in the case of non-beneficiaries farmers high cost of storage system 62.50 % was found as the main problem followed by non- availability of Hermetic bag. The result further suggested that training on rodent control and management was one of the important issues indicating 64.37% in beneficiaries group followed by 61.25% of non-beneficiaries farmers. During the study one of the most important suggestion obtained from the selected farmers that there should be adequate availability of improved storage system at low and subsidized cost. The findings of the study holds a great scope for the Government, policy makers, administrators to consider the constraints as faced by the farmers regarding the availability and use of improved grain storage systems and also to make a concerted efforts in an integrated manner to resource the constraints as indicated through the process of investigation.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY OF LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION OF RURAL HOUSEHOLD IN PURBA BARDHAMAN DISTRICT (WB)(RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) PAL, BHASKAR; Paswan, Arun KumarThe study entitled “A Study of Livelihood Diversification of Rural Household in Purba Bardhaman District (WB)”was carried out in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal. The district Purba Bardhaman was selected purposively since it has a greater number of small and marginal farmers and they are highly diversified. Two blocks namely Ketugram 1 and Raina 1 selected randomly. From each block two villages were taken randomly. A total 80 respondents of different land holding size constituted the total sample size for the study purpose. Sixteen independent variables like age, education, caste, farm household work force, number of dependents, size of land holdings, membership in organization, annual Income, farming experience, training received, livestock possession, irrigation, off-farm diversification, market orientation, access to credit and migration. The extent of livelihood diversification was selected as dependent variables. For measuring the extent of livelihood diversification Simpson Index was used. Data was collected through structured interview schedule. The collected data was, quantified and analyzed by using mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, co-efficient of variation, correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study revealed that among all the respondents 18.75% farmers were under medium category, 20.00% farmers were small, 37.50% of the farmers were marginal and 23.75% were landless. Majority of the respondents (43.75%) were in old aged, illiterate (31.25%), general caste (43.75%) and had two household workforce (45.00%), two dependent in households (50.00%), no membership in any organisations(60.00%), medium level annual income(75.00%), more than 15 years of farming experience (33.75%), no training from any organisations (85.00%), medium level livestock possession (61.25%), 100% irrigated land (90.16%), two off farm activities (43.75%), medium level market orientation (63.75%), no access to credit (42.50%), and no migrated members (61.25%). The extent of livelihood diversification was measured in terms of income diversification. As per the findings, in case of extent of diversification, majority of the medium (73.33%), small (56.25%), marginal (63.33%), and landless households (63.15%) had moderate level diversification. In the case of medium land holders, majority (73.33%) of them had medium level income. As regards small landholders, majority (81.25%) of them had medium level of income. Most of the marginal landholding households (73.33%) had medium level income while majority of landless households (73.68%) had moderate level income. The mean value of annual income obtained from medium landholding households, small landholding households, marginal landholding households and landless households was Rs 265600.00, Rs 228968.80, Rs 179030.00, Rs 170263.20 respectively. Highest mean value of annual income obtained from medium land holders, and lowest from landless category. Mean value represents the average annual income. So, it is revealed that average annual income is highest in case of medium farmers in spite of lower diversification. The findings indicated that in case of medium land holders, majority (53.33%) of them had medium level social security. As regards to small landholders, majority (62.50%) of them had medium level social security. Most of the marginal landholding households (60.00%) had medium level social security while majority of landless households (63.20%) had moderate level social security. The findings revealed that majority (80.00%) of the medium landholding households had only two income activities; for most of the medium landholding households (73.33%) farm income accounts for more than 50% out of total family annual income. majority (43.75%) of small landholding households had three income activities; for majority of small landholding households (68.75%) non-farm income accounts for more than 50% out of total family annual income. Half of the (50%) marginal landholding households had three income activities. In case of marginal landholding households for majority of (70.00%) them non-farm income accounts for more than 50% out of total family annual income. Whereas majority (52.63%) of landless households of had three income activities and for all of them (100%) non-farm income accounts for more than 50% out of total family annual income The findings of correlation analysis revealed that seven variables were found to have significant relationship with the extent of livelihood diversification. The independent variables such as education, number of people in workforce, livestock, off farm diversification, migration had positive and significant relationship with extent of livelihood diversification at one percent level of significance. The variable market access had positive significance with the extent of livelihood at five percent level of significance. The variable land holding had negative and significant relationship with the extent of livelihood diversifications at one percent level of significance. The findings of regression analysis showed that four variables were found to contribute significantly to the extent of livelihood diversification. The variables education, no of household workforce, off farm diversification positively contributed to the extent of livelihood diversification at one percent level of significance and the variable land holding negatively contributed to the extent of livelihood diversification at one percent level of significance. The findings revealed that in case of small, marginal and landless households, annual income had positive significant relationship with the extent of livelihood diversifications. So, it can be stated that in case of small, marginal and landless groups livelihood diversification had positive impact on annual income of the households. Regression analysis of social security with the extent of livelihood diversification. revealed that in case of medium, small, marginal and landless landholders, social security had significantly positive relationship with the extent of livelihood diversifications. So it can be stated that in case of medium, small, marginal and landless landholders livelihood diversification had positive impact on social security of the households. The rural households face so many constraints to diversify their households in an efficient way to get a long-term sustainability. In the study area the most severe constraints as perceived by the respondents were lack of finance for heavy initial investment to startup new venture, high cost of agricultural production, Farmers are not getting price as per MSP at market, lack of cash in hand due to heavy expenses for running family leading to distress sale and Lacking of proper market information.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY OF LIVELIHOOD SECURITY AMONG COTTON GROWERS IN GUNTUR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH(RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) MANIKANTA, DAMMAVALAM; SATPATHY, BINEETAThe research paper titled "An Investigation into Livelihood Security among Cotton Growers in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh." The investigation was conducted with the particular goal of assessing the livelihood security among small and marginal cotton growers, as well as identifying the factors related to livelihood security among the selected cotton growers. An effort was also undertaken to identify the constraints associated with achieving livelihood security. The Tadikonda and Ponnur blocks of Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district are where the present research investigation was carried out. From every block, three villages were randomly chosen. From each chosen village, a total of 10 small and 10 marginal cotton growers were located. As a result, a sample of 120 cotton growers from six villages was finally chosen for this research. This research investigates a number of variables affecting cotton growers in a specific area. According to the research, the majority of the cotton growers (55.83 percent) are in the middle age range, between the ages of (36 to 50). Additionally, a significant percentage of cotton growers (59.17 percent) are from nuclear families, and (52.50 percent) are associated with medium-sized families. It's important to note that (32.50 percent) of cotton growers were illiterates. (39.17 percent) of them are under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) social group. Above sixty percent of the cotton growers (66.67 percent) have a medium level of family education when it comes to their family and educational standing. Furthermore, a sizable (60.83 percent) of cotton growers belong to only one organization. Cotton growers control precisely half of the small and marginal landholding (50.00 percent) in the research area. (37.50 percent) of cotton growers only work in farming, which is a sizable portion. The majority of families (34.17 percent) have an annual income between Rs. 45,001/- and Rs. 90,000/-. (67.50 percent) of cotton growers had a medium level of owning assets, according to owning assets. Similar to this, the majority of cotton growers exhibit a medium degree of product marketing (65.00 percent), extension contact (60.83 percent), media exposure (55.83 percent), and information-seeking behaviour (57.50 percent). Last but not least, the majority of cotton growers have medium levels of economic motivation and credit orientation (65.00 percent and 62.50 percent, respectively). These results provide important insights for additional research and development plans by illuminating the many variables affecting cotton growers in this area. This research examines the various indicators of livelihood security among cotton growers in a particular area. According to the data, Most of the cotton growers had medium level of Food security (69.16 percent), economic security (64.17 percent), educational security (65.00 percent), social security (56.67 percent), institutional security (66.67 percent), infrastructure security(70.83 percent) and also (43.33 percent) of cotton growers had high level of health security. Whereas the majority of cotton growers (60.83 percent), overall livelihood security is generally at a medium level and the overall extent of livelihood security is 59.04 percent. These findings provide important information for policymakers and stakeholders to implement targeted interventions and improve the general well-being and sustainability of cotton grower’s livelihoods. These findings provide light on the many facets of security among cotton growers in the area. The results reveal, at a 1% level of significance, correlation analysis revealed that a number of factors positively correlated with livelihood security, those are Annual Family Income, Education, Family Education Background, Caste, Social Participation, Occupation, Operational Land Holding, Mass Media Exposure, Extension Contact, Owning assets, and Information Seeking Behaviour. The research also used regression analysis to pinpoint the most significant variables. The most important effects on livelihood security were found to be caused by Annual Family Income, Operational Land Holding, and owning assets, all of which were statistically significant factors. The combined factors account for 88.20 percent of the total variability in the dependent variable, "livelihood security," according to the regression model's goodness of fit, as measured by R2 (0.882). The main constraints faced by cotton growers in a study area. Cotton growers first admitted Lack of knowledge of technical skills and relevant technologies to increase crop output with a mean score - 67.33. Second, Products with low market prices with a mean score - 72.74, additionally, lack of knowledge of the marketing of the products with a mean score of 72.79, additionally, Repeated crop failures with a mean score of 72.79. It was shown that all four barriers had a statistically significant negative influence on the livelihood security of cotton growers in the area. These results highlight the need to address these issues in order to improve the security of cotton grower’s livelihoods. They also throw light on the unique difficulties encountered by cotton growers.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON EXPORT OF MAJOR MARINE PRODUCTS FROM INDIA(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) JEEVITHA, G N; Singh, K. M.Indian fisheries sector contributed immensely to the country’s economic development as it is a promising contributor to foreign exchange earnings. Developing countries have inevitably acquired a superior position as international fish exporters. India occupies 3rd position as an international producer and 5th position as an international exporter in 2020. The growth of marine products exports benefits the country’s economy as it supports nutritional security and provides livelihood opportunities for coastal communities. The marine product exports contribution to India's total agricultural exports and its status as a consistent net exporter underscore its importance in international trade dynamics. The present study focuses on the international trade aspect of the India’s marine products to understand trends, export dynamics and market shifts over the period. The study revealed that the Crustacean exports primarily drove India’s total marine exports. Although Crustacean exports grew substantially over the second period (2011-2021), both in terms of quantity (11%) and value (10.45%), the unit value realization was not up to the mark. They were highly concentrated towards importers like UAS and China and highly competitive in the international market concerning both agricultural exports (average RSCA value of 0.69) and total merchandise exports (average RSCA value of 0.76) over the study period. The USA was the stable destination for India’s Crustaceans export. India’s Molluscs exports, though increased both in terms of quantity and value, their share in total exports remained more or less constant around 13 to 19 per cent. The Molluscs exported from India were competitive with average RSCA value of 0.51 concerning total merchandise exports and 0.38 with respect to agricultural exports over the study period and moderately concentrated in European countries and China. On the other hand, Frozen Fish exports were highly unstable both in terms of quantity (33.37) and value (35.95) during overall period. Their exports declined in recent years in both quantity and value terms, and their competitiveness exhibited a declining trend over the period. Their exports were highly concentrated towards China and Thailand. In recent years, China occupied the second position as a key importer of India’s marine products with a market share of 18.20 per cent and was also found to be the stable market for Molluscs export with retention probability of 0.83. Thailand has become one among India’s top five destinations, while Japan’s share declined over the study period. The study suggested emphasizing value addition and product development to improve the per-unit value of the exports. It is high time that India needs to diversify its exports in terms of both geographic destinations and export product basket to avoid risk and enhance its exports. India needs to improve its quality standards further to enhance its exports by gaining more comprehensive market access. It is also suggested to engage itself in trade negotiations to reduce market risks which can be very promising to sustain its exports in the long run.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PREVALENCE OF SEVERE MALNUTRITION IN INFANTS LESS THAN 6 MONTHS OF AGE IN PURNIA DISTRICT OF BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) SETHI, MAMALI; Singh, UshaWorldwide 8.5 million infants under 6 months of age are malnourished, while the prevalence in India is estimated 14.8% (The Indian Journal of Pediatrics 87,684- 685, 2020). This age group’s malnutrition is a serious global public health issue. In India wasting (low-weight-for-height) is prevalent in infant under 6 months of age (31.9%) and severe wasting is prevalent in this age group (14.9%), malnutrition in this age range is a critical problem. The likelihood of malnutrition in India is relatively well documented, but there is very minimal information for risk factors of severe acute malnutrition. SAM is one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants thereby infants under 6 months of age need special attention, physiologically this period represents the transition from neonatal life and mother’s milk is the only source of nutrition. The first 6 months of life are characterized by maximum growth and they are vulnerable to nutrition related events. Many programmes focus on infants over 6 months due to the fact that treating infants less than 6 months of age can be much more difficult than the treating older children. The key recommendation from WHO guideline is to recognize the SAM infants less than 6 months and the simple feeding support and follow up should be offered as first line treatment. Low birth weight (LBW) babies have increased risk of dying in infancy, and those who do survive have an increased risk of mortality and acute malnutrition in infancy and early childhood. Studies indicate that the first 1000 days of life right from conception till first two years of life is regarded as critical window for boosting optimum growth, behavioural development and health. It is better to focus from conception than to depend in any replacement therapy once a deficit has occurred. Yet in many developing countries, poverty, poor nutritional knowledge leads to under nutrition which is the major challenge worldwide. This study was carried out at 98 anganwadi center of Krityanand Nagar block in Purnia District, after several visits 46 SAM infants were enrolled from total population size 212. After screening of all the population it was found that the percentages of SAM infants were 22 percent. To accelerate the study mothers of the SAM infants were selected as respondents and collected all the information regarding infants health status, feeding pattern as well as respondents nutritional status, dietary status, supplementation status, reproductive characteristics, socio-economic conditions, hygiene and sanitary measures, mental status of mother From the study it was concluded that lack of exclusive breastfeeding, age, discarding of colostrum ,lower BMI, age of the mother, Maternal risk factors, lack of adequate birth spacing, poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, maternal mental health, low birth weight of the baby, lack of adequate birth spacing, series of illness in the infant, less hygiene, poverty, literacy status, ignorance and lack of adequate knowledge are the combined risk factors for development of SAM in infants under 6 months.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON GENDER ISSUES IN RELATION TO GOOD GOVERNANCE IN MUZAFFARPUR DISTRICT OF BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) Singh, Km. Priya; KUMARI, PUNAMGender issues have been a matter of concern since ages. There is significant role of good governance in moving towards a gender neutral society. The present study entitled with the general objectives as “A Study on Gender Issues in Relation to Good Governance in Muzaffarpur District of Bihar” conducted in Muzaffarpur District of Bihar with four major objectives viz. 1) to analyse the issues related to gender in the selected locale; 2) to measure the level of the good governance in the study area; 3) to study the relationship between gender issues and good governance level in the study area; 4) to explore the factors of Governance affecting women. Muzaffarpur District of Bihar was purposively selected as the locale of the study. This study aimed to make in-depth understanding of the gender issues in relation to good governance. Muraul block was purposively selected for the study. In Muraul block, Bishunpur Bakhri village was selected for the present study. There are five hundred sixty-three households in Bishunpur Bakhri village out of which one hundred twenty (120) female households were chosen randomly as sample for the study. Governance was independent variable and gender issues were dependent variable. To obtain pertinent data, personal interview schedule and questionnaire methods were used. Appropriate statistical tools and measurements were used for analysis of data such as Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Ranking, and Correlation. The study revealed that the existence of various issues related to gender in the study area such as: violence (56.67%), gender inequality (47.50%), gender based resource allocation (29.67%) and health and nutrition (59.79%). In the study area, the overall extents of “good governance” vis-à-vis six dimensions were found to be: public health dimension was obtained highest percentage (89.28%) and lowest percentage of economic dimension (37.04%), social dimension (62.04%), administrative dimension (52.08%), legal and judicial dimension (44.27%) and political dimension (40.93%). The result also revealed that gender issues negatively correlated with the good governance at 1% level with Pearson correlation value (r) -.498, Kendall correlation value (τ) -.626 and Spearman correlation value (ρ) -.646 respectively. Furthermore, the findings revealed on the basis of factors of governance affecting women the major factor faced by women in governance was non-implementation of women’s rights with percentage value (94%) was ranked first. Non-implementation of laws related to women (93%), corrupt politicians (81%), policy makers are mainly men folk (74%), low representation of women in legislatures (65%), public representatives are without vision (59%), justice not in vogue (56%), non imposition of law & order by the Government Functionaries including police (47%), negligence of women’s affairs in legislatures (36%), were ranked as Ist to IXth respectively. Hence, gender issues adversely affected the level of good governance in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON GENDER-BASED RESOURCE ALLOCATION IN RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN MUZAFFARPUR DISTRICT OF BIHAR AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON WOMEN DEVELOPMENT(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) PREETI; Kumari, PunamGender is “Socially constructed roles, activities, behaviours and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for women and men.” Gender-based resource allocation is defined as the distribution of resources within the family among girls and boys according to their gender. The study focused on gender-based resource allocation in rural households and its implications on women development. To know the dimensions and reasons of gender-based resource allocation and its impact on women development the researcher selected 120 respondents. The study indicates that gender-based resource allocation exists in targeted area; the study indicates that women have fewer resources than men. Due to unequal distribution of resources within the family girls are deprived of access to various resources such as material goods – food, clothing, goods and services, land & property, vehicles, money, savings and other essential facilities which affect the development of girls/women. For gender neutral resource allocation in the families must be promoted in order to develop an equalitarian society.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON JOB INVOLVEMENT, JOB PERFORMANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG THE FACULTY MEMBERS OF RPCAU, PUSA, BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) SAIKIA, DIPANKAR; Singh, Ashok K.The study was carried out in Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU), Pusa, Bihar during the year 2020-21 to analyze the job involvement, job performance and job satisfaction among the faculty members. The data pertaining to the objectives of the study were collected from a sample size of 160 faculty members from all the colleges under the jurisdiction of RPCAU, Pusa comprising of working professors, associate professors and assistant professors with the help of a pretested schedule along with personal interview method. The scale developed by Lodahl & Kejner (1965) as modified by Kalita (1991) was used to measure the level of job involvement of faculty members while self-rating scale developed by Ahire (2005) was used to measure classroom teaching performance of university teachers with suitable modification with respect to the job performance of faculty members. Job satisfaction scale developed by Dixit (1993) was further administered to measure the job satisfaction of faculty members. The variables occupational stress and mental health was measured with the help of suitable indices developed by Srivastava and Singh (1984) and Jagdish and Srivastava (1988) respectively. The other selected independent variables were also measured with the help of suitable scale and schedule. The statistical techniques and tests used for analysis were frequency, distribution, per centage, mean, standard deviation, correlation and stepwise regression analysis. The results indicate that majority (37.50%) of faculty members had high level of job involvement followed by low (32.50%) and medium (30.00%) level of job involvement respectively. With respect to the job performance, it was found that majority (38.12%) faculty members had medium level of job performance followed by high (36.88%) and low (25.00%) level respectively. In case of job satisfaction, the findings revealed that majority (40.00%) of the respondents were moderately satisfied with their job while 35.63 per cent of them were highly satisfied and rest 24.37 per cent of total respondents were less satisfied with their jobs. With regard to occupational stress and mental health, the findings suggested that majority (39.38%) of faculty members were found to possess medium level of occupational stress having their good mental health. The computed values of correlation co-efficient (r) between selected dependent variables and the socio-economic, psychological and professional attributes of faculty members revealed that age, education, job experience, level of aspiration, achievement motivation, number of publications, participation in seminar/conferences, number of students guided, perception of faculty members towards the job, scientific orientation, attitude towards organization, organizational climate, perceived opportunity for professional growth and mental health had positive and significant relationship while workload and occupational stress had negative and significant relationship. Through stepwise regression analysis on job involvement reveals the same findings. Stepwise regression analysis on job performance reveals that variables, organizational climate, scientific orientation, occupational stress, level of aspirations, perception of faculty members towards the job, attitude towards organization, number of publications has been retained in the last step which together explains 78.70 per cent of variance while stepwise regression analysis on job satisfaction reveals that variables, organizational climate, perceived workload, occupational stress, level of aspiration, number of publications and perception of faculty members towards the job has been retained in the last step which together explains 73.30 per cent of variance. During the study, heavy workloads, lack of teacher‟s trainings programme, less cooperation among teachers, lack of opportunity for exposure visit, faculties were being involved in non-academic works were the major constraints as expressed by the selected faculty members. Therefore, it was suggested that the concerned authorities should ensure minimization of workloads with proper division of works, co-operation, and inclusion of teacher‟s trainings programme for better teaching performance.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF NUTRI-FOOD ON HEALTH & NUTRITION OF UNDERWEIGHT CHILDREN (12 TO 23 MONTHS) OF FLOOD AFFECTED ZONE OF SAMASTIPUR DISTRICT OF BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) MONGBIJAM, SUSHMA; Kumari, SunitaInfants and young children are the most vulnerable group to malnutrition because they have the highest nutritional needs for growth and development and are among the most vulnerable populations in the community. Tira Village, Kalyanpur Block, Samastipur District, was chosen as the site for this study, and only the underweight children were selected from three anganwadi centers. A total of 80 children aged twelve to twenty-three months were divided into two groups as a control group and an experimental group. They were surveyed in the study after many visits and the use of a standard schedule. Weight and height were among the anthropometric measurements taken. These data were processed using WHO child growth standards to calculate the Weight for Height Z score (WHZ), Weight for Age Z score (WAZ), and Height or Length for Age Z score (HAZ or LAZ), and conclusions about children's nutritional status were drawn. Therefore, as an additional feeding for the experimental group, the nutri-food was prepared using wheat, moong dal, powdered sugar, milk powder, and ghee to prevent malnutrition. As a supplementary feeding for the experimental group, nutri-food was made. Its effectiveness was then assessed after feeding and compared with that of the control group. For the control group, the mean weight was 8.47±0.68kg before feeding and raised to 8.76±0.72kg after two months of feeding, with a difference in the mean value of 0.29kg, while the mean height was 76.82±2.72cm before feeding and 77.45±2.70cm after feeding, with a difference in the mean value of 0.63cm. For the experimental group, the mean weight was 8.58±0.75kg before feeding and 8.98±0.77kg after feeding, with a difference in value of 0.40kg while the mean height for the experimental is 76.99±3.27cm and rise to 78.58 ±3.44cm with a difference of 1.59cm. The experimental group increased their weight and height more as compared to the control group, and the result is significantly at (p<0.05). So, it is, therefore, possible to conclude that nutri-food should be used to feed children to reduce malnutrition and to provide good health and development.ThesisItem Open Access A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF NUTRI-FOOD ON HEALTH AND NUTRITION OF LACTATING WOMEN OF FLOOD- AFFECTED ZONE IN SAMASTIPUR DISTRICT OF BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2022) SEEMA; Kumari, SunitaMothers are nutritionally vulnerable during childbirth and nursing, because they are subjected to numerous nutritional stresses. After giving birth to a child, females secrete milk, which is known as lactation. Lactation period recommended by WHO is six months (exclusive breastfeeding) it can last till 12-months. In rural areas, breastfeeding occurs till two years or more than this. In the present investigation selection of total 80 lactating women (0-2 years) from Tira village in Jatmalpur panchayat under Kalyanpur block of Samastipur district in Bihar, was done randomly. All subjects were divided into two groups, one as control group and another one as experimental group (where each group had 40 subjects). Only experimental group had been provisioned with nutri-food and assessment of weight gain and dietary intake was done for both the groups. An energy dense nutri-food has been standardized in the department of food and nutrition, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar. Per day serving of 130 gram nutri-food gives energy-511kcal, protein-11.5g, and total fats-11 g. This standardized Product had been used in this present investigation to see the impact on the health and nutritional status of lactating women. This was prepared with raw ingredients and distributed 130 gram/ day among the subjects of the experimental group for two months. The impact of this intervention was assessed in terms of improvement in their daily dietary intake, anthropometric measurements and clinical symptoms. The data revealed that before intervention daily intake of all food groups was inadequate in comparison of Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) in both the groups, control as well as in the experimental group. But after the intervention, in control group, dietary intake remained same, whereas in the experimental group, there were increase in the intake of cereals & millets, pulses & legumes, sugars, and fats & oils. Similarly, before intervention, Intake of nutrients such as energy, protein, fats, carbohydrates, ẞ- carotene, calcium, vitamin-C and iron were also inadequate in comparison of Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) in both the groups. After intervention, nutrient intake remained same in control group, on the other hand, in the experimental group there were increase in the intake of energy (21%), protein (18%), fats (30%), carbohydrates (24%), calcium (15%), and iron (18%). Prior to intervention, subjects of both the groups were having some clinical symptoms such as headache, fatigue, nausea, shakiness, stomach bloating, constipation, problem-sleeping and muscle pain. Whereas, after intervention, subjects of control group had no relief in those clinical symptoms but subjects of experimental group, felt some relief in symptoms after the getting feed for two months, but was not cured completely. Most of the subjects in control as well as in experimental group, were underweight by having different grades of chronic energy deficiency. However, after the intervention of two months, there was slight decrease in the weight of control group by 0.64 per cent. Whereas, weight of subjects in the experimental group was increase significantly (p≤0.05) by 1.02 per cent and their BMI increase significantly (p≤0.05) toward the normal range. Thus, nutrifood intervention proved significant in improving health and nutritional status of lactating women.ThesisItem Open Access Activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Samastipur district of Bihar: an evaluative study(Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, 2018) Kumar, Bipul; Shekhar, DibyanshuThe ICAR has established KVKs all over the country by making provision for multidisciplinary team of scientists. The institution is playing strategic role in technology back stopping, knowledge management and advisory to the stake holders like farmers, farm women, rural youths and extension personnel. The number of KVKs has risen to 645 and 106.more KVKs are to be established in the newly created districts and some larger districts. The KVK scheme is 100% financed by Govt. of India. The KVK, Samastipur was established in 2004 in 50 Acres of land at Birauli. which is 8 km away from the University headquarters and 15 km from the Samastipur district town. The KVK, Samastipur has under taken many interventions like training, OFT, FLD and other capacity building programmes to enhance the well being of farmers through enhancing production, productivity and profitability. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Birauli Samastipur has been bestowed with the award of “Best KVK (Zone-II)” by Hon‟ble Agriculture & Food Processing Industry Minister, Sri Sharad Pawar at the 8th National Conference on KVK organized at University of Agriculture Science, Bangaluru from 23rd-25th October, 2013.In view of the same, effort was made to undertake a study entitled. “Activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Samastipur District of Bihar: An Evaluative Study” with the following specific objectives: To determine the coverage area through activities of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Samastipur. To find out the socio-economic characteristic of the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. To explore the knowledge level and Extent of adoption of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries farmers related with prime activities undertaken by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra. To assess the effect of different activities on the socio-economic development of beneficiaries. To examine the association between the selected independent variables and dependent variables. During 2016-17, all together 2842 farmers were trained by KVK, Birauli where as 759 farmers had benefited through different FLDs. More than Rs.8.0 lakh was earned by KVK through selling of planting materials, vermicmpost and publication where as 5000 farmers were benefited from other extension activities like Kisan Mela, Gosthi, diagnostic or field visit, advisories etc. more than 10 on farm trail were conducted for assessment and refinement. Majority of the respondents (88.89 per cent) belonged to middle to old age group having agriculture along with dairy and business as their major occupation. Further it was found that the annual income of majority of the respondents was in between 1 to 2 lakh per annum and most of the selected respondents had an educational attainment of intermediate and above. The majority (84.44 per cent) of the respondents belonged to small to marginal land holding category with a family size of more than 5 family members. In terms of farm mechanization, contact with extension agency, economic motivation the EDP beneficiaries‟ ranked top among others (i.e. FLD and non beneficiaries). In case of use of available source of information only 50% of total selected respondents used available source of information, out of them EDP beneficiaries again possess the major proportion. However, the EDP beneficiaries were the most frequently in contact with extension agency. It was also revealed during the study that EDP beneficiaries were found more aware related with knowledge of the activity of KVK undertaken in this study i.e., Mushroom production technology and vermicompost technology. While in case of knowledge level of FLD beneficiaries was having more knowledge about seed variety, package and practices of crop production than non-beneficiaries. Further in terms of adoption the vermicompost technology was most adopted by the beneficiaries and the impact of vermicompost training activities on the socio-economic development of beneficiaries possess high. During the study, it was found that age, land and source of income of the respondents were significantly associated with the knowledge level of the farmers. also, social participation improved technology.ThesisItem Open Access Adoption behavior of farms in relation to Arhar production technology in special extension block, Muraul.(DRPCAU, Pusa, 1993) Kumar, Arvind; Verma, N.C.ThesisItem Open Access Adoption behaviour of jute growers in Kosi region of Bihar(Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricutural University, Pusa, Samastipur, 2019) Kumar, Amit; Ansari, NaushadThe study entitled “Adoption Behaviour of Jute Growers in KosiRegion of Bihar” was conducted with the specific objectives to know the socio-economic conditions, their level of knowledge and extent of adoption about jute cultivation practices along with the association between selected independent variables. Attempts were also made to identify the constraints faced by the jute growers and to explore the suggestions given by them to overcome the constraints and various problems occurring in jute cultivation. The present study was carried out in Kosi region of Bihar. Three district namely Madhepura, Saharsa and Supaul were selected for the study, from these three districts one block from each district were selected on the basis of major area under jute cultivation.And from each block two villages were selected randomly, further fifteen respondents were selected from each villages constituting a total sample size of 90 jute growers for the study purposes. Face to face interaction with the help of well prepared interview schedule was used for collection of data. The collected data were analyzed with the help of frequency distribution, mean, standard deviation and Pearson‟s correlation coefficient. The study revealed that majority of the jute growers of Kosi region were belonged to middle age group, having primary/middle school level of education, maximum percentage of them belonged to backward class and having marginal land holding area. It was also indicated that majority of them having medium level of their annual income from all available sources,they were medium in contact with different extension agencies, their exposure to mass media tools were medium to high. They were also medium in orientation towards scientific cultivation, economic orientation and also in risk bearing ability. The findings also indicated that, they weremedium in level of knowledge and extent of adoption of jute production technology.The study also revealed that out of ten independent variables, eight variables i.e. education, land holding, annual income, extension contact, mass media exposure, scientific orientation, economic orientation and risk orientation shows positive significant relationship with the knowledge level and extent of adoption of jute growers towards jute cultivation practices. Age shows negative correlation with knowledge level and adoption of jute growers and caste shows non-significant relationship with the level of knowledge and adoption. It is concluded that the major constraints faced by the jute growers in Kosi region of Bihar were lack of mechanization for processing of jute after harvest, lack of proper storage house, appearance of different types of insect, pest and diseases, intensity of flood and drought, lack of proper marketing channel, unaware of the practice of seed treatment, lack of technical knowledge with respect to use of pesticides, lack of assured and adequate irrigation facility and poor drainage system and lack of extension service. The important suggestion given by jute growers were develop mechanization for extraction of jute, develop water resources and timely availability of water for retting, establishment of retting tanks, release of flood tolerant varieties, providing good quality seed at cheaper rate, appropriate control measures of pest and diseases, timely technical guidance and soil testing, provision of fertilizers on subsidized rates, supply of effective plant protection chemicals,provision of credit facility, develop proper market structure to overcome the problem by middle manand providing good transport facility .ThesisItem Open Access Adoption of improved animal husbandry practices among milk producers of Pusa Block(DRPCAU, Pusa, 1996) Kumar, Pankaj; Ansari, A. WahidThesisItem Open Access Adoption of rice production technology in selected blocks of Sone and Chandan command areas of Bihar: a comparative study(DRPCAU, Pusa, 1999) Singh, Asan; Singh, MadanThesisItem Open Access Aggregate associated zinc and zinc fractionation after six years of rice wheat cropping system with different doses and frequency of zinc application(Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, 2019) Lakshmi, Pepakayala Vara; Singh, Santosh KumarA six-year long-term field experiment was initiated during Kharif 2012-13 with rice-wheat cropping system under AICRP on micronutrients at nursery jhilli area of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. The experiment was planned in RBD with 13 treatments and 3 replications consisting of four doses of zinc i.e., 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 kg ha-1 applied as zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) in Kharif with three different combinations of frequencies i.e., in the first year, alternate year and every year of zinc application along with control. Soil samples were collected and analyzed after 6 years i.e. after the harvest of wheat crop in 2018. Increasing doses and frequency of zinc application increased DTPA extractable zinc in all aggregate fractions and initial adsorption was more in small aggregate fractions than larger sized fractions. The order of DTPA extractable zinc was: 8 - 5 mm (1.01mg/kg) < 5 – 2 mm (2.37 mg kg-1) < 2 – 1 mm (3.81 mg kg-1) < 1 - 0.5mm (5.34 mg kg-1) < 0.5 - 0.25 mm (5.42 mg kg-1) < 0.25 - 0.1mm (6.13 mg kg-1). Most of the total zinc remained in residual form (80.03%) followed by crystalline form (9.19%) and the quantity of plant available form like water soluble + exchangeable (0.6%), complexed (3.16%), organically bound (1.19%), amorphous oxide bound zinc (6.6%) were very low. The order of dominance of different zinc fractions in soil was: Total-Zn (31.43 mg kg-1) > RES-Zn (25.13 mg kg-1) > CRY-Zn (2.89 mg kg-1) > ORG-Zn (2.09 mg kg-1) > COM-Zn (1.00 mg kg-1) > AMO-Zn (0.38 mg kg-1) > WS + EX-Zn (0.19 mg kg-1). All the fractions of zinc except crystalline and residual zinc had positive correlation with wheat grain yield and zinc uptake. Among all fractions Water soluble + Exchangeable and complexed fractions were the predominant forms that contributed most of the available zinc for wheat grain uptake and yield. Improvement in soil physical properties viz. bulk density and aggregate stability coupled with increase in organic carbon content and nutrient availability viz. nitrogen, phosphorous, Sulphur with application of 7.5 kg Zn ha-1 in alternate year resulted in optimum wheat grain and straw yield (45.6, 76.5 q ha-1) in the sixth year of experiment and also for rice-wheat cropping system (982.9 q ha-1). DTPA extractable zinc decreased with increasing depth of soil. The order of DTPA extractable zinc was 0-15 cm (0.99 mg kg-1) > 15-30 cm (0.81 mg kg-1) > 30-45 cm (0.31 mg kg-1) > 45-60 cm (0.21 mg kg-1)> 60-90 cm (0.19 mg kg-1). Most of the applied zinc was distributed in the upper layers of the soil (0-30 cm) than the lower layers (>30 cm).ThesisItem Open Access Agricultural information seeking behavior of farmers through mobile: a study of Sitapur district(DRPCAU, Pusa, 2020) Shukla, Gyan; Ansari, M.N.Information is considered as the fifth factor of production in agriculture. With the increasing gap between farmer and extension agencies, end users are unable to get real-time information which is quite essential in modern agricultural to the optimum utilisation of remaining factors of production. In the present era of information centricity, ICT, which is spreading rapidly among the people, is proving to be a boon in reducing the growing gap between the farmers and the extension agencies. A mobile phone is one of the ICT tools and is quite useful for farmers to seek real-time information from intended sources anywhere anytime. The present study entitled with the general objective as “Agricultural Information Seeking Behaviour of Farmers Through Mobile: A Study Of Sitapur District” conducted in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh with four working objectives viz. 1) to examine the socioeconomic and personal characteristics of selected farmers; 2) to identify the information needs of the farmers for agriculture; 3) to assess the information-seeking behaviour through mobile among the farmers; 4) to find out the constraints faced by farmers in using mobile as the source of information. Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh was selected as local of research purposively. Two blocks, namely Biswan and Maholi, were selected randomly. Three villages from each block and 15 respondents from each village have been selected randomly. Thus, a total number of 90 respondents were constituted as the sample for the present study. For studying information-seeking behaviour of farmers through mobile, there are fourteen variables considered as independent and one dependent variable, i.e. information-seeking behaviour farmers through mobile. Data were collected by personally interviewing the respondents with the help of a structured interview schedule. For data processing, analysing and making inferences various statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s Product Movement Correlation, Multivariate linear regression analysis and Garrett ranking method have been used. The study revealed that majority of respondents with socio-economic and personal attributes like age group, family size, family education status, farming experience, annual family income, mass media exposure and extension contact were falling under medium level in the study locale. Rest of socio-economic and personal attributes like gender (found male-dominated); family type (mostly nuclear family); educational status (majority had up to middle-level education); social participation (participation in one organisation by the large proportion of respondents); landholding (mostly owned less than 2 ha) and credit sources (commercial banks) were utilised. The findings also indicated that i) information on ID&PM; ii) marketrelated information; and iii) information on Government’s schemes and subsidies were top three prioritised, out of 16 selected information needs of farmers found in the study area. Most of the selected farmers had a medium level of information seeking behaviour through mobile. In general, information-seeking behaviour which includes other sources in addition to the mobile phone, majority of information sources were found the medium level of availability, frequency of use, perceived importance and satisfaction level by the majority of respondents. The study also revealed that variables education, social participation, annual family income, credit sources, mass media exposure and extension contact significantly associated at 1% level. Rest of the independent variables don't show any kind of significant relationship with the dependent variable. Regression analysis shows variables like education, social participation and annual family income have a significant relationship at 1% level and their standardised beta values 0.282, 0.210 and 0.264 respectively. Variables like mass media exposure and extension contact observed significant at 5% level with its standardised beta values 0.235 and 0.188 respectively. Sources of credit were found significant at 10% level with standardised beta value 0.107. Remaining variables do not reveal significantly associated with its dependent variable ISB of farmers through mobile. It is concluded that the major pecuniary constraints faced by respondents were lack of adequate income and high cost of network services etc. Fluctuating networks, as well as lack of access of the internet, were ranked as the infrastructural constraints of the first and second order, respectively. The study demonstrated that the lack of literacy and Smartphone proficiency were observed major issues under awareness related constraints. The most critical miscellaneous constraints include privacy concerns and information negativism faced by farmers in using mobile as the source of information.ThesisItem Open Access Agro morphological and molecular characterization of local rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces(Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar), 2019) Sinha, Naincy; Kumar, RajeshThe present investigation was carried out at Rice Research Farm, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa during kharif 2018 and molecular work in plant breeding and genetics laboratory in the month of Feb –April. It was done to assess the Agro-morphological characterization, genetic variability, Correlation, Path Coefficient analysis, genetic divergence (Cluster analysis), and molecular characterisation. The experimental material consisted of 23 rice landraces including check Sugandha. Analysis of variance indicated that the mean sum of squares due to treatments were significant for all fifteen quantitative trait. High estimates of PCV were observed for traits grain yield per plant, days to50% flowering, plant height, panicle length of main axis, panicle number per plant, length of leaf blade, width of leaf blade, 1000 grain weight, grain width, decorticated grain length, decorticated grain width, root volume. In present set of materials high heritability with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was recorded for panicle length of main axis, panicle number per plant, length of leaf blade, root volume, grain yield per plant. The highest magnitude of coefficient of variation was noted for grain yield per plant followed by panicle number per plant, panicle length of main axis, width of leaf blade, decorticated grain width, stem thickness. In the present investigation simple correlation coefficients among fifteen quantitative characters revealed that grain yield per plant had significant positive correlation with panicle number per plant. Path analysis revealed very high positive direct effect by days to 50% flowering, length of leaf blade,1000 grain weight, grain length, root volume and decorticated grain length and very high negative direct effect by days to maturity, plant height, stem thickness, panicle length of main axis, decorticated grain length on grain yield per plant. Hence, selection based on these characters would be more effective for yield improvement. The landraces in cluster D and cluster E due to maximum inter cluster distance between them, exhibited high degree of genetic diversity and thus may be utilized in future breeding programme for getting high yielding recombinants. Cluster D showed higher mean performance for most of the yield attributing characters therefore, selection of parents from this cluster would be effective. Grain yield per plant followed by 1000 grain weight, root volume, days to 50% flowering, length of leaf blade, grain width were major characters contributing towards genetic divergence. Scoring was done for 31 morphological DUS descriptors on rice as per the IIRR (formerly known as DRR) guidelines. Out of 31 characteristics, 6 were monomorphic, partially monomorphic was found in single trait, 6 were dimorphic and 18 were polymorphic. . The dimorphic and polymorphic characters showed their potential for genotype characterization. The landrace sathi-1 was observed to be more distinct, with the rarest morphological feature like no panicle exertion, black lemma and palea colour, early flowering and early maturity were observed. The landrace Parwa Pankhi with unique feature i.e. longest sterile lemma. Character decorticated grain aroma divided 23 landraces into scented and non- scented landraces. Scented landraces are Lalmati, Rajbhog, kankirbi, sugandha, Kasturi, Basmati-570, Marcha-1, Marcha-2, Tarori Basmati, CSR-30. The descriptors offering the most discrimination were lemma and palea colour, flag leaf: attitude at early and late observation. A panel of fifteen primers, namely RM 555, RM 5791, RM 566, RM28166, RM 70, RM 286, RM 319, RM 321, RM 324, RM 416, RM431, RM520, RM521, MRG 2805, and MRG2894 generated amplified products Altogether 81 allelic variants were detected among the twenty-three rice genotypes with an average of 3.52 alleles per primer. A total of 74 shared and 7 unique allelic variants were generated in the form of amplified products by using 15 primer pairs. Considerably the greater number of alleles had been detected in primers RM520, RM321, RM70, MRG2894, and MRG2805. RM566, RM520, RM324, RM321, RM70, MRG2894 generated considerably unique alleles rest the primer pairs generated shared alleles. The PIC values revealing allele diversity and frequency among the landraces varied from 0.32 in the case of RM286 to 0.87 in the case of RM520 and RM521 with an average of 0.725 per primer. The pair-wise estimates of similarity coefficients ranged from 0.062 to 0.733. The magnitude of Dice similarity coefficient between Dihawan and Moti; Sugapankhi and Lalka Dhan (0.7333) was found to be the maximum.By drawing the phenon line at 25 similarity units. A perusal of the dendrogram clearly indicates that the entries were basically divided into four groups. Cluster I, II, III, IV consisting 13, 2, 7, 1 landraces respectively. Analysis of divergence pattern based on morphological and molecular characterization having 15 quantitative traits and fifteen SSR markers allowed differentiation and classification of twenty three rice landraces into five and four clusters, respectively revealed that genotype Marcha-1, Marcha-2; Jadhan, Rajbhog; Karahani Dudha Ladu, Moti, Parwa Pankhi, Lalka Dhan belong to same group in both clusters showed high similarity between genotypes present in same clusters.