Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur

The university established in 1974, has completed five decades of its existence as the pioneer institute of Agricultural Education, Research and Extension. The main objective of this Viswavidyalaya is to provide facilities for the study of Agriculture, Horticulture and Agricultural Engineering. It is also to conduct researches in these sciences and undertake the educational and extension programmes in agriculture among the rural clientele base, keeping in view the requirements of the state.

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 9 of 873
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Determination of permissible limits of arsenic in soil and irrigation water contributing towards rice grain and dietary risk
    (Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Sinha, Agnibha; Dr. Kallol Bhattacharyya
    The thorough investigation set out to ascertain the permissible limits for arsenic in soil and irrigation water, with a particular emphasis on reducing the danger that rice consumption poses to human health through nutrition. Given the extensive arsenic poisoning in a number of Gangetic West Bengal districts, which has a direct influence on rice farming and, consequently, human health, this inquiry is essential. Through careful selection of a range of soil samples from arsenic-affected areas and the use of multiple extractants to analyze arsenic availability and bioavailability in paddy soil, the study provides insight into the dynamics of arsenic mobilization and rice uptake, potentially indicating dietary risks. The soils were collected from 5 major arsenic contaminated districts (North 24 Pgs, South 24 Pgs, Nadia, Murshidabad and Malda) of Gangetic West Bengal for locations having high, medium, low and uncontaminated criteria of arsenic in tubewell in two consecutive years (25 soil samples each year). 5 kg of soil sample was filled in each of the 125 pots (per year) and two healthy rice seedlings of IR-36 were transplanted to the pots. The N, P, K fertilizers (100-50-50 kg.ha-1) along with 5 levels of arsenic (namely 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mg/l) was applied after 15 days of sowing. Destructive sampling of rice from pots was made on 85th day of sowing, on the onset of panicle initiation for investigations of uptake and dry matter yield of rice. Ten extractants were selected and available arsenic content was assessed. This study investigates adsorption-desorption dynamics in experimental soils from 5 major series using NaCl solutions with graded arsenic levels. Adsorption isotherms were fitted to data using atomic absorption spectrophotometry at 35°C and 45°C, revealing soil arsenic absorption behavior. The research further explored the effects of external factors such as phosphate and pH levels on arsenic adsorption and arsenic mobilization from paddy field soils. The Tobit regression model was used to compute the allowed limit of the available As in the soil and irrigation water in comparison to the allowable limit of As in the rice grain. Solubility FIAM model was also used to analyze the risk and determination of permissible limit of extractable As in soil in relation to human health. Among selected extractants under study, 0.5 M NaHCO3 showed close association with maximum soil physico-chemical properties, highest correlation sum with other extractants, significant relationship with maximum soil arsenic fractions, association with the fraction that is most correlated with As concentration & uptake by rice, maximum correlation with As concentration & uptake by rice and thus emerged most suitable extractant for available As in the selected soils under rice system. This study evaluates arsenic (As) sorption/desorption dynamics in five major soil series (Panchpota, Bansghata, Tehatta, Jhunka, and Akshaynagar) under varying conditions. It was found that Akshaynagar and Jhunka soils exhibit higher As sorption capacities, with Freundlich isotherms fitting the adsorption data better than Langmuir isotherms, especially at higher As concentrations. A negative correlation between soil organic carbon and arsenic adsorption was observed. Phosphate presence significantly reduced As sorption in Akshaynagar and Jhunka soils, particularly at high concentrations. pH influenced As adsorption, peaking between pH 4 and 6. Arsenic mobilization studies in paddy fields over 7 days showed increased mobilization, not significantly affected by organic carbon levels, suggesting reductive dissolution as a key mechanism. This study employs the Tobit regression model to determine the permissible limits of arsenic (As) in soil and irrigation water to ensure safe As levels in rice grains, considering WHO recommendations and more conservative estimates. Permissible As levels in soil were calculated based on varying As concentrations in irrigation water, with limits set at 4.00 mg/kg for 1 mg/kg As in rice and adjusted downward with increasing As in water. Similarly, when targeting 0.5 mg/kg As in rice, soil As limits start at 1.90 mg/kg with no As in irrigation water, decreasing with higher water As levels. The study also introduces a solubility-free ion activity model (FIAM) to predict As concentration in rice grains, explaining up to 88.09% of As variation in grains and using hazard quotient (HQ) for health risk assessment. Results show that the FIAM model aligns well with observed HQ values, offering a method for estimating safe As levels in rice, potentially guiding agricultural practices and ensuring public health safety.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Eco-friendly technologies for organic production of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) grown in new alluvial zone of West Bengal
    (Department of Fruit Science, Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Dey, Susmita; Dr. Pallab Datta
    Dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) belongs to the Cactaceae family originally from tropical and sub-tropical America is a climbing vine cactus species which has received worldwide recognition. The fruit is well established in China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh. The fruit is newly introduced in West Bengal having numerous health benefits. The flesh of the ripened fruits is soft and delicious, with tiny black seeds, and an eyecatching crimson peel. Because of all the health benefits this particular fruit offers, its popularity is growing daily in West Bengal. Dragon fruit has been shown to contain a wide variety of phytochemicals, including carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds, and betalains. Standardizing eco-friendly technologies is urgently needed for the production of dragon fruit that is safe and organic. The organic fruits are safe, residue free and more nutritious than the fruits grown under conventional system of cultivation. Eco-friendly production technologies have standardized in many fruit crops like mango, litchi and banana, but very scant information is available on dragon fruit. Keeping this background in view with a special reference to soil health and eco-friendliness the present PhD programme namely, “Ecofriendly technologies for organic production of Dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) grown in new alluvial zone of West Bengal.” was undertaken for two consecutive years during 2020-21 and 2021-22 and it has been chalked out in three major experimental components as mentioned below. The first field trial involved one-year-old dragon fruit plant at the Horticultural Research Station in Mondouri, Nadia district, West Bengal during the year 2020-21and 2021-22. Three distinct types of bio-fertilizers were used as the basis for the treatments, i.e., N-fixing, P-mobilizing and K-mobilizing. As N-fixing bio-fertilizers Azotobacter chroccum and Azospirillum brasiliense were used, as P-mobilizing bio-fertilizers Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM) was used and as K-mobilizing bio-fertilizer Potassium microorganism (KM) had been applied. The treatments based on the use of different biofertilizers were denoted by “T” i.e. T1- Azotobacter (200g)+ PSM (100g)+KM (100g); T2– Azospirillum (200g)+PSM (100g)+ KM(100g); T3–Azotobacter (100g) + Azospirillum (200g) + PSM(100g) + KM (100g); T4- Azotobacter (200g) + Azopirillum (100g) + PSM (100g) + KM (100g); T5- Azotobacter (100g)+Azospirillum(100g)+ PSM(100g) + KM (100g); T6- Azotobacter(200g) + Azospirillum(200g) + PSM(100g) + KM(100g); T7- Control or no application of any kind of bio-fertilizers. In the months of April and May, these bio-fertilizers along with 15kg FYM were implemented in accordance with the treatments. They were applied at the vicinity of the plants at the depth of 30.00 cm from the soil surface. In order to evaluate their effects on the dragon fruit cultivar Royal Moroccan Red's vegetative growth, yield metrics, soil nutrient status, and biochemical composition, a randomised block design was employed in this experiment. Integrated combined application of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, PSM and KM consistently exhibited higher increase in cladode length, Canopy spread (both North-south and East-West direction) and highest quantity of branches in a plant. These values were documented as 285.81, 167.39, 166.27 cm and 7.99 respectively. The highest marks of TSS was found as 15.09°Brix with the conjugal application of Azotobacter, Azospirillum, PSM and KM. Total sugar and titratable acidity was also found maximum of 13.70 and 0.16% respectively with the same treatment. It has also been noticed that when Azospirillum, Azotobacter, PSM, and KM were applied to optimally ripe dragon fruit, the ascorbic acid concentration increased to the greatest extent possible. Different types of bio-fertilizers applied to dragon fruit showed to be commercially feasible as well, with a higher overall profit of 2671.50 rupees per structure and a maximum benefit cost ratio of 1.71. The second field trial was carried out at the Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, Nadia district, West Bengal in one (1) year old dragon fruit plant during the year 2020-21 and 2021-22. The treatments based on the use of different kinds of organic mulches. The treatments are as follows: T1- Geotextile mulch@ 500 GSM, T2- Geotextile mulch@ 750 GSM, T3- Straw mulch, T4- Dry banana leaf mulch, T5- Water hyacinth, T6 - Black polythene, T7- Control or no mulch situation. Each of the organic mulching materials were applied as soil cover @1.00kg m-1 during both academic years of study (during September). The dragon fruit cultivar Royal Moroccan Red was placed in a randomised block pattern in order to evaluate their effects on the plant's vegetative growth, yield characteristics, and soil moisture content. Variations in the increment in plant height and stem circumference of dragon fruit cv. Royal Moroccan Red was found noteworthy amongst the various types of organic mulching materials used in the current investigation. The maximum increase in cladode length (258.31 cm) and stem circumference (13.41 cm) during the two consecutive years (i.e., 2020-21 and 2021-22) of study was documented with geotextile mulch@ 750 GSM. Similar investigation outcome was also documented with increase in plant spread in either direction. Geotextile mulch 750 GSM resulted into the highest value of fruit weight (295.65 gm), length (8.45 cm) and breadth (7.37 cm) along with the yield parameters. Considerably the best result with respect to bio-chemical parameters of dragon fruits had been found with the use of geotextile mulch @750 GSM, where the values of 14.34°Brix, 13.69%, 11.64%, 8.32 mg 100g-1 were obtained for the contents of TSS, total sugar, reducing sugar, and ascorbic acid respectively. The application of organic mulching treatments comprising different kinds of organic mulches also proved economically viable too, fetching a higher net profit (Rs. 2610.50 /structure) along with a highest B:C ratio of 1.90. The third field experiment was carried through at Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, Nadia district, West Bengal in one (1) year old dragon fruit plant during the year 2020-21 and 2021-22. The treatments were based on the use of vermicompost and different organic manures viz. FYM and mustard cake. The treatments as followed: T1- Vermicompost@2kg/plant, T2-Farm yard manure@3kg/plant, T3- Mustard cake@1kg/plant, T4- vermicompost @ 1kg + FYM @ 1.5kg/plant,T5- vermicompost@1kg + Mustard cake@500g/plant, T6- FYM@1.5kg/plant + Mustard cake @500gm/plant, T7- vermicompost @1kg + FYM@1.5kg + Mustard cake@500g/plant, T8- Control or no soil incorporation with any organic source of plant nutrient. During the months of March and April, just before the monsoon season began, vermicompost and these organic manures were applied to the soil. It was set up in a randomised block design to assess their impacts on the cultivar of dragon fruit's vegetative growth, yield characteristics, and soil nutrient status. During the two back to back years (2020-21 and 2021-22) of research study, under the influences of different source of organic nutrients, the increase in the vegetative growth parameters of dragon fruit cv. Royal Moroccan Red, namely plant height, stem circumference, canopy spread (in both East and West and North to South direction), exhibited considerably highest values of 220.61 cm, 13.92 cm, 167.01 cm, 165.96 cm respectively with the application of vermicompost @1kg+ FYM@1.5kg+Mustard cake@500gm/plant. The application of vermicompost @1 kg along with FYM @1.5 kg and mustard cake @500 gm/plant exhibited the highest values for TSS content (i.e., 14.42°Brix). The application of organic manuring treatments comprising different kinds of organic manures and vermicompost proved economically viable too, fetching a higher net profit (Rs. 2562.17/structure) along with a highest B:C ratio of 1.86. Overall, the research's striking findings over the course of two years indicated that the use of vermicompost along with FYM and Mustard cake as a source of organic nutrients, with incorporation of Azotobacter, Azospirillim, KM and PSM and a soil cover with geotextile mulch @ 750 GSM could be recommended as a standard eco-friendly dose/technology for organic fruit production of dragon fruit cv. Royal Moroccan Red in New Alluvial zone of West Bengal
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Modeling-Forecasting and Market Cointegration Study of Major Agricultural Produce under Diverse Agro-climatic Scenario
    (Department of Agricultural statistics, Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2024-01-03) Pandit, Pramit; Dr. Pradip Kumar Sahu
    Indian agriculture is a blend of traditions, innovations, and challenges that have shaped the livelihoods of numerous individuals and played a crucial role in socio-economic framework of the country over centuries. Among the production related aspects, quantifying the drivers of production, identification of the major reasons behind variations in yield and yield gaps, and forecasting of crop production are of paramount importance. Under the given liberalised trade regime, no production system can be sustainable unless or otherwise it is synchronised with the domestic as well as world market. With this backdrop, this study has considered two major crops in each of the major crop groups, viz., cereal (rice, wheat), pulse (arhar, gram), oilseed crops (groundnut, rapeseed mustard), fibre crops (cotton, jute), commercial crops (sugarcane, potato), plantation crops (coconut, cashewnut) and spices (cardamom, turmeric). For each crop, three highest producing states have been considered for modelling and forecasting purposes. Taking into consideration the formation of the World Trade Organisation, the entire study period (1950-2020) has been divided into two periods: Period-I (1950-1990) and Period-II (1991-2020). Upon examining the components of average production, it becomes evident that the interaction between mean area and mean yield holds a greater influence on average production in both Period-I, Period-II, and the entire study period. Similarly, interaction effects have been found to be the major contributors towards the variance of production. Behind the change in average production, change in mean area and their interaction have played the key role. However, no specific component has emerged as major contributor for change in variance of production. In analysing the yield gap of major crops under diverse agro-climatic scenario, we have employed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and Random Forest (RF) individually to identify key variables related to yield gap. It is evident that there are noticeable variations in variable selection between LASSO and RF, which subsequently influence the model performance. The empirical findings have clearly showcased the superiority of RF models for both variable selection and prediction in most instances. In modelling and forecasting the production of the selected major crops, the wavelet- Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA)-Time-Delay Neural Network (TDNN) models appear to have demonstrated superior performance in forecasting most of the production series. Furthermore, the superior performance of wavelet-ARIMA and wavelet-TDNN models compared to their traditional ARIMA and TDNN counterparts has also been evident. Our investigation also highlights the superiority of hybrid models over their individual components. The meticulous selection of auxiliary variables proved crucial in the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with eXogenous Regressor (ARIMAX) model's success over the ARIMA model, as well as the Neural Autoregression with eXogenous Regressor (NARX) model's success over the TDNN model. Furthermore, the performance hierarchy of univariate models has been observed to be different from their counterparts underscoring the need for data-driven approaches. In analysing structural stability, the transitional probability matrices have unveiled that that Iraq, Nepal, Qatar, and Senegal are the most stable importer of rice (milled), wheat, gram, mustard seed, as reflected by the retention of 76, 84, 83, and 70 per cent share, respectively. In the case of cotton, jute, and potato, the highest retention probability (73, 98 and 52 per cent) has been observed for China, Nepal, and Oman, respectively. The outcomes also indicate that Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.), with the retention probability of 78, 82 and 41 per cent, have emerged out to be the most stable and loyal country for coconut, cashewnut, and cardamom export, respectively. In addition, it has also been witnessed that the countries pooled under the category of ‘Others’ is the most stable importer of groundnut, sugar, and turmeric with respective retention probability of 74, 69, and 100 per cent. To examine the price spread mechanism of selected crops, we have analysed three major markets for each crop. Additionally, we have evaluated the cointegration between spot and future prices to understand the price discovery mechanism. Based on the level of stationarity and the presence of a cointegrating relationship, we have utilised different models for different wholesale markets. Specifically, we have employed the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) models for gram, groundnut, rapeseed mustard, jute, cardamom, and turmeric wholesale markets, the Vector Autoregressive (VAR) models for rice, coconut, and cashewnut wholesale markets, and the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) models for wheat, arhar, and sugarcane wholesale markets. Upon analysing the price discovery mechanism, a cointegrating relationship has been discovered, signifying the suitability of using VECM as the appropriate method in all cases examined. Furthermore, pair-wise Granger causality test and impulse response function analysis has been employed to determine the segregated markets that necessitate intervention for optimal market operation. The findings of the study is expected to have immense importance in uplifting the farm economy as well as predominant agrarian economy of the country.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on bio-ecology and eco-friendly management of pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis L. on Bengal gram
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Mandi, Niranjan; Dr. Shanowly Mondal (Ghosh)
    The present investigation entitled “Studies on bio-ecology and eco-friendly management of pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (L.) on Bengal gram” was conducted in the laboratory, AICRP on Nematodes at Directorate of Research, Kalyani and Department of Agricultural Entomology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal. During the survey, 100 samples were collected from different blocks of two districts (Birbhum and Murshidabad). Among the total collected samples, 8 samples had moisture content up to 10%, 77 samples had 10.10 to 13.00% and 15 samples had moisture content more than 13.00%. Out of 8 samples (moisture content up to 10.00%), only one sample was found infested with pulse beetle. Among the samples having moisture content between 10.10 to 13.00%, 34 samples were infested out of 77 samples and all the samples having moisture content more than 13.00% was found infested. The maximum used storage practice for Bengal gram seeds by farmers was plastic bag followed by drum, metal bin, gunny bag, loose and earthen pot. The minimum per cent of infestation was detected in samples obtained from a metal bin (13.04%), followed by a drum (42.31%), a plastic bag (44.44%), a gunny bag (63.64%), a loose (66.66%), and an earthen pot (100%). None of these storage structure/receptacle was found free of infestation. The host preference of pulse beetle, C. chinensis on seven different pulses viz, chickpea, kabuli chana, pigeon pea, green gram, cowpea, black gram and soybean was studied in the laboratory under storage condition. The study showed that chickpea and green gram were most preferred host in respect to the total developmental period (29.17 and 28.17 days), percentage of adult emergence (85.56 and 83.33 %), fecundity (77.00 and 77.83 eggs), ovipositional period (6.61 and 6.06 days), percentage of seed damage (92.00 and 91.33%) and weight loss percentage (49.29 and 48.49%), respectively. The growth and development of pulse beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis was evaluated under storage conditions on different combination of temperature (20o, 30o and 40o C) and relative humidity (RH) levels (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90%) in Bengal gram and the results showed that temperature and relative humidity played an important part in the development of several stages of pulse beetle. The most suitable condition for egg laying was 30o C and 70% relative humidity on which maximum number of eggs (84.50/female) were laid by female. The ovipositional period as well as fecundity were not so much affected at low temperature of 20°C. However, at high temperature of 40°C the ovipositional period and fecundity were reduced. The most suitable combination of temperature and RH for completion of shortest incubation period (5.07 days), larval period (20.10 days), pupal period (4.10 days) and total developmental period (28.49 days) and maximum egg hatching (99.44%) and adult emergence (95.89%) was recorded as 30o C temperature and 70% relative humidity. High temperature of 40o C in different humidities resulted failure in hatching of eggs. On the basis of different parameters, it can be concluded that most favorable conditions for the development of pulse beetle, C. chinensis were 300 C temperature and 70% relative humidity. The quantitative as well as qualitative losses caused by C. chinensis in stored Bengal gram were determined at 2, 4 and 6 months of storage periods. The seed moisture content, damage percentage and weight loss were increased with increase in storage period while seed germination, protein and carbohydrate content were found decreased with increase in storage period. The efficacy of different eco-friendly seed protectants viz., neem oil @ 5 ml kg-1 seed, coconut oil @ 5 ml kg-1 seed, castor oil @ 5 ml kg-1 seed, mustard oil @ 5 ml kg-1 seed, citronella oil @ 5 ml kg-1 seed, neem leaf powder @ 5 g kg-1 seed, karanj leaf powder @ 5 g kg-1 seed, black pepper powder @ 5 g kg-1 seed, marigold leaf powder @ 5 g kg-1 seed and custard apple leaf powder @ 5 g kg-1 seed were evaluated against Deltamethrin 2.8 EC @ 0.04 ml kg-1 seed as a check and untreated control for managing pulse beetle, C. chinensis (L.) in stored Bengal gram. Among the tested eco-friendly seed protectants, neem oil and mustard oil @ 5ml kg-1 gave the best results in protecting the Bengal gram seed against pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) and also showed germination above IMSCS standards up to 6 months with minimum per cent of seed moisture content, seed damage and seed weight loss. Thus, based on the present research findings, we can suggest to the farmers of Bengal gram growing districts of West Bengal to store the Bengal gram seeds in scientific manner to protect their seeds from biotic and abiotic factors. Among, eco-friendly seed protectants, Neem oil and mustard oil @ 5ml kg-1 seed may be used as seed protectant against pulse beetle, C. chinensis for a long period of storage (up to 6months).
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Modeling and Forecasting of Non-stationary and Non-linear Time Series Data
    (Department of Agricultural Statistics, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Ghose, Bikramjeet; Dr. P. K. Sahu
    As agricultural commodity prices are non-linear and non-stationary, forecasting them is considered a difficult undertaking. Due to the strong dependence of agricultural output on a range of biological and agro-meteorological parameters, conventional smoothing methods and statistical models sometimes fail to provide a satisfactory model for such series. Different data-driven and self-adaptive approaches have been developed periodically to efficiently capture such complicated patterns. With this backdrop, in this study, an empirical mode decomposition (EMD)-based neural network and support vector regression (SVR) approaches are proposed for forecasting wholesale prices of five important pulses and spices Arhar, Chickpea, Chili, Garlic and Onion. Wholesale price data of three prominent markets for each crop are chosen for modeling and forecasting. As the benchmark models time delay neural network (TDNN) and SVR models have been employed for the comparative evaluation. TDNN (Time-Delay Neural Network) models are designed specifically for modeling sequential data, utilizing fixed-length windows to capture temporal dependencies and patterns. By processing data through multiple layers with shared weights, TDNNs learn to extract relevant features from the input sequence. SVR applied to time series forecasting employs Support Vector Machine (SVM) principles within a regression context to predict future values based on historical time-series data. SVR seeks to identify a hyperplane that best suits the training data while minimizing forecast errors. By transforming input data into a higher-dimensional space and determining the optimal hyperplane with maximum margin from the data points, SVR effectively addresses nonlinear relationships and highdimensional datasets. EMD is employed in time series forecasting by breaking down the original data into Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs), representing its inherent oscillatory modes. Following decomposition, each IMF is analysed independently to discern its unique characteristics and trends. Forecasting methods are then applied to predict future values for each IMF. These forecasted values are subsequently amalgamated to generate the overall forecast for the initial time series. The experimental results clearly reveal the comparative superiority of the EMD based models over the bench mark models. Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) is utilized in time series forecasting to enhance prediction accuracy compared to traditional EMD. EEMD introduces randomness into the decomposition process to address mode mixing issues, resulting in multiple realizations of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs). By averaging these realizations, EEMD generates more stable IMFs, leading to improved forecasting performance, especially with noisy or complex time series data. Therefore, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) based models like EEMD-TDNN, EEMD-SVR models are developed to counter the mode mixing problem of EMD process. Results indicate that EEMD based models have outperformed other modeling techniques. Beside this, a new approach is taken to propose an EEMD-SVRTDNN- ARIMA model for price forecasting. For this, all the IMFs obtained from the EEMD method are categorized into high frequency, low frequency and trend component by using Fine to Coarse Reconstruction method. The high frequency components are modelled with SVR, low frequency components are modelled with TDNN and the trend components are modelled with ARIMA model. From the results, it is found that this new approach has performed even better than EEMD-TDNN and EEMD-SVR models in many cases.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on the diversity of underexploited fruits in red and laterite zone of West Bengal
    (Department of Fruit Science, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Mahato, Subrata; Dr. Fatik Kumar Bauri
    Underexploited fruits mean such fruit crops that are not fully or sufficiently utilized, these fruit crops are also called neglected, orphan, forgotten, wild edible and less known fruits. The fruits are not taste good unlike cultivated fruits but they hold good proportions of antioxidants, essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins (Mundarag et al., 2017). In West Bengal, so many such types of fruit crops are available but they are not fully utilized because of their lack of botanical knowledge and less information about food and nutritional value. Keeping all these in mind, the present study was undertaken to explore the fruit species of the red & laterite zone of West Bengal which are not cultivated but harvested from the wild. The underexploited fruit species selected were Buchanania lanzan, Diospyrus melanoxylon, Flacourtia indica, Gardenia gummifera, Zizyphus oeonoplia, Scleichera oleosa, and Semecarpus anacradium. The work entitled “Studies on the diversity of underexploited fruits in red and laterite zone of West Bengal” was specifically focused on the following three objectives. I. To survey for the variability available in different underexploited fruits of red and laterite zone, West Bengal. II. To characterize the available variability based on the morphological feature III. To study the in-situ performance of the identified elite plant and physicochemical characterization of different underexploited fruits of red and laterite zone, West Bengal. The information about the diversity of underexploited fruits was collected through surveys and field visits with the help of native knowledgeable people. The location of different underexploited fruits was identified through GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates. Observations were recorded for the following aspects- location, morphological features of plants and physicochemical characteristics of fruits. Based on the current study it can be concluded that these seven underexploited fruit species had a potentiation to provide year-round (except the few days of September and October months) food for consumption. The leaves and wood of these plants provide fuel for cooking, leaves are also source of fodder. Woods are used for preparing agricultural equipment, house construction, furniture making etc. Almost every part of these plants is used for preparing various household traditional medicines for curing diarrhea, stomach pain, insect bites, skin infections, arthritic, and wound treatment. Semeocarpus anacradium seed oil is used for domestic animal hoof wounds, hair care, and dyeing. Nut oil is used for lubricating bullock carts and improving the digestive system. Schleichera oleosa seeds' oil is edible and effective for hair fall and body pain relief. Kusum cake, a seed extract, is consumed by animals. The tree also plays as a host to lac insects. Buchanania lanzan nut is used in cosmetic industries and eaten as a nut. A considerable variation was observed in various morphological and physicochemical characteristics of all fruits.In term physicochemical, Diospyros melanoxylon, outperformed others in terms of fruit diameter (32.83 mm), weight (23.01 g), seed weight (4.41 g), dry weight (8.75), and lowest titratable acidity (0.27%). Semeocarpus anacradium produced longer fruits that is 35.24 mm. Gardenia gummifera was revealed to have the greatest seed number (64.63), pulp/seed ratio (14.36), and 1.44% titratable acidity. Flacourtia indica fruits had good pulp percentage (89.24 %), TSS (30.39 °Brix) , 18.34% total sugar, and 12.66% reducing sugar. Schleichera oleosa was found to be high in moisture (73.69%) and vitamin C (76.98 mg/100g). Buchanania lanzan has good nonreducing sugar content that is 9.68%. This study found that these fruits are available yearround to enhance the dietary diversity in the red and laterite regions of West Bengal.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE BIOFORMULATION AND OPTIMIZED DELIVERY SYSTEM OF EFFICIENT NATIVE PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA AGAINST SOILBORNE DISEASES OF TOMATO AND BRINJAL
    (Department of Plant Pathology, Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Kumar, Anshu; Dr. Ashis Roy Barmman
    Chitinolytic enzymes are known for their ability to degrade fungal cell wall and are important in biocontrol of plant pathogens. Hence, chitonyltic microbes are gaining meticulous attention for the management of phytopathogenic fungi. Further, there is a need to develop suitable media to enhance the production of chitinase in cost effective manner. In this work, cheap and readily available nutrient sources like sugarcane molasses, vermicompost, neem cake, groundnut cake, Baker’s yeast and shrimp shell chitin were used for the media optimization of potential chitinase producing biocontrol agent of Pseudomonas aeruginosa GP8. Concentration of various cheap and readily available carbon and nitrogen sources supporting significantly high bacterial population and chitinase activity were selected and ten rudimentary media were made by combining these nutrient. Various media screening parameters, viz., CFU count of P. aeruginosa GP8, chitinase activity and zone of inhibition against S. rolfsii were recorded and rank analysis was performed. Based on the cumulative rank of these four factors, overall rank was calculated and three media i.e., VMYC, MGYC and NMYC were selected for optimization. Response surface methodology and central composite design was employed to optimize the variables for maximum chitinase activity. In VMYC, linear model was accepted over quadratic model as difference between the adjusted R2 and predicted R2 was less in the linear model (adjusted R2= 0.8604 and predicted R2 = 0.8593) than the quadratic model (adjusted R2= 0.7913 and predicted R2 = 0.7840). However, quadratic model was selected in case of MGYC and NMYC. The best optimization observed for VMYC was vermicompost = 250 g/L; SM= 150 g/L; Baker’s yeast extract= 2.5 g/L and purified chitin = 0.5 g/L providing chitinase activity of 2.014 EU/ml. The final composition of the optimized MGYC media was sugarcane molasses =10 g/L, groundnut = 200 g/L, Baker’s yeast = 2.5g/L and chitin powder = 5 g/L providing maximum chitinase activity of 3.000 EU/ml. In the case of NMYC, the combination of neem cake = 199.52 g/L, sugarcane molasses =149.03 g/L, Baker’s yeast = 0.15 g/L, and chitin powder = 4.97 g/L showed highest chitinase activity of 2.264 EU/ml. Validation of optimization result indicated Model 2 as the best fit model for MGYC with highest mean prediction accuracy of 95.79 % and RMSE value of 0.057 followed by model 3 for NMYC (mean prediction accuracy of 95.61%, RMSE of 0.050) and model 1 for VMYC (mean prediction accuracy of 93.15%, RMSE of 0.077). The optimized media showed strong antifungal activity against Sclerotium rolfsii, and Fusarium spp. resulting in 65.19 % and 56.30 % reduction in pathogen’s mycelial growth over the control. Scanning electron micrographs showed mycelial deformation in the zone of interaction of GP8 and the pathogenic fungi S. rolfsii and R. solani. Moreover, an increase in secondary metabolites production was found in this optimized media. The cost of preparation of 10 L of media for NB was Rs. 375.95, Rs. 115.5 for VMYC, Rs. 155 for MGYC and Rs. 312 for NMYC. Thus, cost analysis depicts that the media cost is three times and two times less than the nutrient broth for VMYC and MGYC media, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa GP8 was grown in MGYC, VMYC, NMYC and NB media for preparation of talc and two liquid formulations (liquid-1 and liquid-2). These formulations showed superior rhizospheric colonization ability in tomato seeds and bacterial population of above 108 log CFU/ml was maintained for all the formulations. Evaluation of in vitro antagonistic potentiality of encapsulated bacteria against Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium sp. showed 10.62%, 4.63% and 17.65% increase in antagonistic activity (%) compared to non-encapsulated bacteria, respectively. The different bioformulations were applied to tomato and brinjal under field conditions as Soil treatment + Seedling root dip+ Soil drenching to study their effect on plant growth and biotic stress management. All the bioformulations improved plant height and yield significantly compared to NB formulation and reduced southern blight of tomato and collar rot of brinjal incited by S. rolfsii. However, field experiment on tomato and brinjal indicates T3 (Talc formulation from MGYC) as the superior formulation followed by T7 (Liquid-1 from MGYC) and T2 (Talc formulation from VMYC) considering plant height, yield and disease reduction.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Establishment of callus culture of Rosa spp. and studies on elicitor mediated enhancement of anthocyanin from callus
    (Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2025-01-03) Chettri, Kalyan; Dr. Jayoti Majumder (Sarkar)
    Characterization of rose varieties becomes essential for understanding, utilizing, and preserving the diversity among them, for their genetic improvement, cultivation, and conservation. With this purpose, 19 tropical rose varieties were evaluated via quantitative morphological and molecular markers. A significant degree of variation was observed across nearly all descriptors, suggesting a notable level of genetic diversity among the released rose varieties. Traits like flower diameter, flower yield/plot, and shelf life, considered to be of vital importance given the aesthetic value of rose, exhibited remarkable differences that would further aid in the selection of desirable varieties. The maximum flower diameter, flower yield/plot, and shelf life were recorded in Yellow Page, Lambada, and Delhi Princess, respectively. The varieties were evaluated by correlation matrix, hierarchical agglomerative clustering method-based dendrogram, network plot on phenotypic correlation, colour intensity graph including Red-Green-Blue (RGB) scattered plot. In the correlation matrix, it was found that more number of primary shoot contributes to higher flower yield, while increase in leaf area degraded the shelf life of the flower. Realizing the importance of molecular characterization, 10 selected polymorphic inter simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism primers were tested that amplified total 187 polymorphic loci with 94.4 % polymorphism. Cent percent polymorphism were found with SCoT-2, SCoT-18, SCoT-19, HB-12 and ISSCR3 primers. A principal component analysis based on molecular diversity highlighted that First Red, Local Selection 2, and Himroz exhibited distinct characteristics compared to the other varieties. The 19 varieties were grouped into 8 clusters via unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean-based dendrogram at 0.4 similarity co-efficient. The analysis revealed a significant genetic distance between Himroz, First Red, and Grand Gala, suggesting their potential to be utilized in hybridization programs for crop improvement. The distinguishable genetic background and high degree of variation revealed by molecular markers, specifically ISSR and SCoT, offer valuable insights that can contribute to the strategic improvement of roses. These findings provide a foundation for expediting rose breeding programs and comprehensive crop improvement strategies. Cyanidin is one of the most predominately found anthocyanins that plays a significant role in the pigment formation of rose, having industrial market demand. For the first time, this study aimed to investigate the impact of elicitation on the biosynthesis of cyanidin and the antioxidant activities in the callus of Rosa spp. L., comprising four commercially renowned varieties (First Red, Himroz, Mrinalini, and Jantar Mantar). The surface disinfected leaf explants were inoculated in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), α-naphthalene acetic acid and 6- benzylaminopurine (BAP) at varied combinations and concentrations. MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 2,4-D + 1 mg/L BAP was recorded to be the best callus proliferation medium, irrespective of the varieties. Himroz recorded the earliest (10.4 days) callus initiation, with 100% callusing frequency and 70.62% callus index with 1.34 g and 0.29 g fresh weight (FW) and dry weight, respectively, on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 2,4-D + 1 mg/L BAP within 6-week growth period. Furthermore, elicitation was carried out using jasmonic acid (JA) and yeast extract in varied concentrations. Irrespective of varieties, 50 μM JA showed the best performance in the cyanidin accumulation and antioxidant activities after a 10-week growth period. The cyanidin content was highest (109.50 μg/100 mg FW) in First Red, followed by Himroz (87.60 μg/100 mg FW). The highest (67.46%) DPPH inhibition in Himroz, maximum (58.32%) ABTS inhibition in First Red, and the highest (431.76 μmol TE/g FW) FRAP activities in Jantar Mantar were recorded when the calli elicited with 50 μM JA. The correlation study confirmed strong positive correlations of cyanidin with ABTS radical scavenging (0.688) and FRAP-reducing activity (0.608). Furthermore, application of JA at a lower (50 μM) concentration showed potential for augmentation of cyanidin levels and might prove to be an attractive alternative for nonconventional production of this commercially important pigment. This is the first report on studying the influence of plant growth regulators and elicitors on these four rose varieties for in vitro callus induction, improving cyanidin content and antioxidant activities.
  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Performance of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal in response to organic manure and biostimulants
    (Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Bidhan Chandra KrishiViswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, Nadia – 741252, 2024-01-02) GHOSH, TUSHAR; Dr. Arun Kumar Pal
    One of the most fragrant tropical flowering plants, Tuberose (Agave amica Medik.), formerly known as Polianthes tuberosa L., is a native of Mexico and a member of the Asparagaceae family. This plant’s relaxing white colour and alluring fragrance allowed it to spread over the world in the sixteenth century. This bulbous plant has narrow, linear green leaves in rosette pattern, red hues at base and sweet fragrant, waxy white flowers. The cultivar Prajwal used in this experiment is commercially cultivated, highly productive and single type. Neem cake and vermicompost are great sources of organic nutrients that have high fertility index. Seaweed and humic acid help roots absorb nutrients more effectively, which increases overall plant vitality and growth. Panchagavya may aid in immunity-building and growth-promoting processes inside the plant system. The growth and development of the plant are impacted differently by each of these compounds, which could potentially increase the flower quality and yield. Hence, taking these factors into account, the present study, entitled “Performance of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal in response to organic manure and biostimulants” was undertaken with the following objectives: i) To determine the effect of organic manure and biostimulants on the vegetative growth of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal and ii) To determine the effect of organic manure and biostimulants on the flowering attributes and bulb yield of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal. This investigation was conducted at the Horticultural Research Station, Mondouri, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya in 2018-19 (main crop) and 2019-20 (ratoon crop). The site of the experiment was located at 22.9°N latitude and 88.5°E longitude and at an elevation of 9.75 m above mean sea level. The experimental site's topography is in West Bengal’s Gangetic New Alluvial Plains. The monthly maximum and minimum temperature ranged from 25.41°C-35.31°C and 8.22°C-26.49°C respectively, and the monthly average relative humidity during the forenoon and afternoon fluctuated between 97.42-92.13% and 45.72-82.16% respectively, throughout the experimental time period. The results of this study were summarized by presenting the outcomes of the two sub-experiments conducted: Experiment 1: Effect of Vermicompost, Seaweed and Panchagavya on growth and flowering of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal. The study utilized a randomized block design, incorporating thirteen treatment combinations involving organic manure (vermicompost at rates of 1 kg/m2 and 2 kg/m2) and biostimulants (panchagavya at concentrations of 3%, 6%, and seaweed at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%), along with a control treatment. Each treatment was replicated three times. The results revealed that most of the phenological parameters like 50% bulb sprouting, 50% flowering and vegetative parameters like plant height, leaf length and leaf area index were found best with Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + 0.3% Seaweed, which is followed by Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + Panchagavya 6%, while the days taken to first spike emergence and leaf area was maximum under Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + Panchagavya 6% application. In case of flowering, yield, bulb and quality components, most of the parameters such as spike length, rachis length, spike weight, number of florets per spike, floret length and diameter, weight of 10 florets, spike yield, floret yield, number of bulbs per clump, weight of bulbs per clump, bulb diameter, fresh weight and dry weight of bulbs were noted maximum with Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + Panchagavya 6%. Among the biochemical parameters phenol, chlorophyll, phosphorus, potassium content of leaves were highest with Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + 0.3% Seaweed. Regarding economic parameters net return was found maximum under Vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + Panchagavya 6%. Therefore, the application of vermicompost 2 kg/m2 + Panchagavya 6% can be recommended for better vegetative growth as well as quality production of flower and bulb. Experiment 2: Effect of Neem cake, Humic acid and Panchagavya on growth and flowering of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Prajwal. The research employed a randomized block design, including eleven treatment combinations that consisted of organic manure (neem cake- 200 g/m2 and 400 g/m2) and biostimulants (panchagavya- 3%, 6% and humic acid- 500 ppm and 1000 ppm), in addition to a control treatment. Each of these treatments was replicated three times. The experimental outcomes indicated that almost all the phenological and vegetative parameters like first spike emergence, 50% flowering, leaf number, leaf area and leaf area index were noted best under Neem cake 400 g/m2 + Humic acid 1000 ppm. Regarding the flowering, bulb, quality and biochemical components, most of the parameters i.e. spike length, rachis length, spike weight, number of florets per spike, floret length and diameter, weight of 10 florets, number of bulbs per clump, weight of bulbs per clump, fresh weight and dry weight of bulbs, vase life, leaf chlorophyll and NPK content were recorded maximum with Neem cake 400 g/m2 + Humic acid 1000 ppm. In case of economic parameters, the maximum net return was produced by Neem cake 400 g/m2 + Humic acid 1000 ppm application. So, it can be concluded that Neem cake 400 g/m2 + Humic acid 1000 ppm may be recommended for boosting the vegetative growth, flower and bulb quality as well as production of Tuberose var. Prajwal with optimising return.