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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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20151
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Subject: Genetics and Plant Breeding × Author: Agrawal, Rupesh Kumar × Start date: 1987 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Identification of sugarcane varieties tolerant to water-logging condition.
    (Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), 2015) Agrawal, Rupesh Kumar; Kumar, Balwant
    In a field experiment 16 varieties including two checks were planted with three replications in RBD at Paddy Block, RAU, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar during 2012-13 under low land area where its grand growth phase coincides with water-stagnation depth 40-45 cm for three months to identify Sugarcane varieties tolerant to water-logging condition. Investigation was carried out on variability, character association, path analysis and genetic divergence for the traits viz, Germination Percentage at 45 days, Number of Shoots at 120 days, Plant Height at 150, 240 and 360 days, Cane diameter, NMC, Single Cane weight, Red Rot Score, Brix at 10,11 and 12 month, Pol at 10, 11 and 12 month, Purity at 10, 11 and 12 month, CCS Per cent at harvest and Cane yield. Mean performance of four varieties viz. BO154, CoP092, CoX07067 and BO155 were found superior for most of the traits as well as it showed resistant to moderately resistant against red rot disease. Highly significant variation was observed for all traits except purity at 10 and 11 month stage and CCS percent at harvest it was due to the fact that these varieties were derived from parents having different ‘backgrounds’ geographical one i.e; originated at Pusa, Coimbatore, Sahjahanpur, Lucknow, Pantnagar, Seorahi. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean found for traits viz. number of shoots at 120 days, plant height at 240 and 360 days and single cane weight which will in favor of direct selection. Highly significant and positive correlation were exhibited between cane yield and cane diameter, number of number of millable canes, plant height at 150,240 and 360 days, single cane weight, germination per cent at 45 days and CCS per cent at harvest. Maximum positive direct effect on cane yield was exhibited by single cane weight followed by NMC, plant height at 150 days and CCS per cent at harvest while negative direct effect on cane yield showed by cane diameter, number of shoots at 120 days and plant height at 240 and 360 days. Five clusters were obtain by D2 statistics, cluster II has 8 varieties and cluster I having 5 varieties while rest clusters were monogenotypic. The maximum inter cluster distance was observed between cluster IV and V followed by cluster III and V, cluster I and V and cluster II and IV. Maximum contribution in the manifestation of genetic divergence was exhibited by cane yield followed by CCS per cent at harvest. Four varieties viz. BO154, CoP092, CoX07067 and BO155 were identified as water-logging tolerant varieties coupled with high to moderate sucrose on the basis of CCS (t/ha) and morphological appearance of plant at the time of harvest.