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Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa

In the imperial Gazetteer of India 1878, Pusa was recorded as a government estate of about 1350 acres in Darbhanba. It was acquired by East India Company for running a stud farm to supply better breed of horses mainly for the army. Frequent incidence of glanders disease (swelling of glands), mostly affecting the valuable imported bloodstock made the civil veterinary department to shift the entire stock out of Pusa. A British tobacco concern Beg Sutherland & co. got the estate on lease but it also left in 1897 abandoning the government estate of Pusa. Lord Mayo, The Viceroy and Governor General, had been repeatedly trying to get through his proposal for setting up a directorate general of Agriculture that would take care of the soil and its productivity, formulate newer techniques of cultivation, improve the quality of seeds and livestock and also arrange for imparting agricultural education. The government of India had invited a British expert. Dr. J. A. Voelcker who had submitted as report on the development of Indian agriculture. As a follow-up action, three experts in different fields were appointed for the first time during 1885 to 1895 namely, agricultural chemist (Dr. J. W. Leafer), cryptogamic botanist (Dr. R. A. Butler) and entomologist (Dr. H. Maxwell Lefroy) with headquarters at Dehradun (U.P.) in the forest Research Institute complex. Surprisingly, until now Pusa, which was destined to become the centre of agricultural revolution in the country, was lying as before an abandoned government estate. In 1898. Lord Curzon took over as the viceroy. A widely traveled person and an administrator, he salvaged out the earlier proposal and got London’s approval for the appointment of the inspector General of Agriculture to which the first incumbent Mr. J. Mollison (Dy. Director of Agriculture, Bombay) joined in 1901 with headquarters at Nagpur The then government of Bengal had mooted in 1902 a proposal to the centre for setting up a model cattle farm for improving the dilapidated condition of the livestock at Pusa estate where plenty of land, water and feed would be available, and with Mr. Mollison’s support this was accepted in principle. Around Pusa, there were many British planters and also an indigo research centre Dalsing Sarai (near Pusa). Mr. Mollison’s visits to this mini British kingdom and his strong recommendations. In favour of Pusa as the most ideal place for the Bengal government project obviously caught the attention for the viceroy.

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Subject: Agricultural Biotechnology × Author: Kumari, Priyanka × Start date: 2010 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on fidelity of wheat crosses using morphological and molecular markers.
    (Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), 2014) Kumari, Priyanka; Chaudhary, V. K.
    The present investigation pertaining to the hybrid identification in Triticum aestivum L. through morphological and molecular marker (SSR) analysis was conducted on eleven wheat genotypes (parental lines) and their eleven F1 hybrids. The heterotic effects in F1 hybrids were evaluated to investigate their performance and relationship with their parents for twelve morphological characters plant height, peduncle length, grain filling duration, number of effective tillers per plant, spike length, number of spikelets per spike, number of grains per spike, 1000-grain weight, grain yield per plant, canopy temperature, chlorophyll content and days to flowering. Highly significant genetic variability was present in parents and their cross combinations for the characters. The degree and direction of heterosis varied for different characters and for different hybrids. Cross PBW343 x Raj3765 exhibited significant heterosis and heterobeltiosis for maximum number of characters, i.e., eight out of 12, whereas PBW343 x DBW14 exhibited for minimum number of characters, i.e., two out of 12. Genomic DNA extracted from F1 hybrids and their parental lines were subjected to amplification profiling with twelve pairs of SSR primers which were identified based on the previous studies conducted on molecular characterisation of wheat genotypes in the Genetic Transformation Laboratory of RAU, Pusa for hybrid authentication. Outof 12 SSR markers used for assessment and authentication of 11 hybrids, 5 markers could clearly distinguish the respective hybrids. Marker Xgwm533 was able to clearly distinguish the maximum number of hybrids viz., PBW343 x Raj3765, PBW343 x Ipecarabea, Youngmai6 x Raj3765, Youngmai6 x C306, PBW343 x HI1563 and HI1563 x PBW343. It generated hybrid specific bands for the crosses Youngmai6 x Raj3765 and Youngmai6 x C306, whereas marker Wmc175 was able to authenticate only one cross, PBW343 x HD2733. The remaining three markers e.g., Wmc611, Xgwm265 and Xgwm413 were able to authenticate two crosses each, viz., PBW343 x Ipecarabea and PBW343 x chiriya3; PBW343 x DBW14 and PBW343 x Cuo/79/Purulla; Youngmai6 x Raj3765 and Youngmai6 x C306 respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that SSR markers are excellent genomic tools for parentage confirmation and hybridity determination, and would also enhance efficiency of wheat breeding programmes through marker assisted selection since it is more accurate and not effected by environment when compared with GOT.