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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: Entomology × Author: Ingle, Dipak Shyam Rao × End date: 2015 × Start date: 2010 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Biology and Seasonal Incidence of Shoot borer, Chilo infuscatellus Snellen in Sugarcane.
    (Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), 2015) Ingle, Dipak Shyam Rao; Chand, Hari
    The study on biology and seasonal incidence of shoot borer, Chilo infuscatellus Snell. experiments were conducted during 2014-15. The study on biology of Chilo infuscatellus was conducted in laboratory at Department of Entomology, whereas a field experiment was laid out at Research Farm of S. R. I., Pusa to assess the seasonal incidence of Chilo infuscatellus. The study on biology of sugarcane shoot borer under laboratory conditions revealed that the eggs were oval in shape, dorsoventrally flattened, looked like a scale of fish and were laid in masses on the under surface near to midrib of the leaf. Freshly laid eggs were creamy white in colour, which gradually changed to yellowish. The incubation period varied from 4.35 to 4.45 days (4.4±0.02). The larvae passed through five larval instars to complete the larval period. The total larval period varied from 16.66 to 17.23 days (16.94±0.12). The pupa was obtect type, brownish in colour and its period varied from 6.92 to 7.5 days (7.21±0.13). The male and adult period varied from 3.62 to 3.80 and 4.31 to 4.45 days, respectively. The per cent hatching of Chilo infuscatellus ranges from 78.3 to 92.4 per cent (85.35±3.15). Total life cycle C. infuscatellus from egg to adult emergence varied from 31.95 to 32.82 days (32.28±0.20). The absolute population of shoot borer (larvae) was noticed in the field from 1st fortnight of March, 2014 to 2nd fortnight of August. The peak population was recorded in the 1st fortnight of May. The relationship between population of insect and weather parameters showed significant positive correlation with maximum temperature i.e., as the temperature increased the corresponding population of insect also increased. The mean per cent incidence of shoot borer was recorded from March to (month), harvest of the crop. The maximum (9.32 %) incidence was recorded in the first fortnight of May, 2014 and lowest (1.2 %) incidence recorded in the second fortnight of August, 2014. The maximum temperature showed significant positive correlation with incidence whereas, relative humidity and rainfall were showed negative role. Extent of parasitization on shoot borer eggs by Trichogramma chilonis Ishii. was recorded the peak parasitization in the month of May which ranged from 12.3 to 15.6 per cent. The correlation analysis between parasitization and weather parameters, revealed that maximum temperature showed significant positive correlation whereas, relative humidity at 07 00 hrs and rainfall showed significant negative correlation.