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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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20211
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Subject: Genetics and Plant Breeding × Author: BANIK, MAHAMAYA × End date: 2022 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    STABILITY ANALYSIS OF FODDER COWPEA (Vigna unguiculata) GENOTYPES FOR TOLERANCE TO DROUGHT
    (Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) BANIK, MAHAMAYA; NILANJAYA
    Cowpea crop has the immense potential to be used as an important fodder crop in future due to its adaptation capacity which makes it possible to grow in sandy, infertile soils and rainfall deficit areas. Fodder cowpea enhances intake and utilization of poor quality roughages which improves livestock productivity and production. Cowpea has more adaptability to stress conditions than other crops. Hence, it is necessary to study about genotype, environment and genotype by environment interaction under irrigated and drought environment. In this context, the present investigation with title ‘‘Stability analysis of fodder cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) genotypes for tolerance to drought’’ was carried out at Pusa farm of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar during kharif season of 2019 and 2020. The study was conducted with thirty fodder cowpea genotype under six environment and three replications in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with a spacing 45 x 10 cm. The environment combinations were E1 (Date of sowing 15th July 2019 in irrigated open field condition), E2 (Date of sowing 26th July 2019 in irrigated open field condition), E3 (Date of sowing 15th July 2019 in rain out shelter for drought condition), E4 (Date of sowing 15th July 2020 in irrigated open field condition), E5 (Date of sowing 26th July 2020 in irrigated open field condition) and E6 (Date of sowing 15th July 2020 in rain out shelter for drought condition). Drought condition was created after 15 days of sowing by with holing irrigation. It is evident from ANOVA that for majority of traits highly significant variation was obtained due to genotypes sources of variation across six environments except for days to maturity in E4 and E5; and for relative content in E1, E2, and E4 was found as non-significant. In ANOVA, significant G x E interaction obtained on pooled basis for all traits and genotypes interacted significantly with date of sowing and growing condition under rain-out shelter as well as in open field condition. The stability analysis revealed few stable genotypes ( > , bi=1, NS S2di) with fair stability and wider adaptation for some important traits which are G29 (FD-2258) for plant height, dry matter%, dry matter yield, green fodder yield; G3 (EC 390268) for leaf to stem ratio, seed yield per plant, harvest index%, production efficiency; G13 (EC 390252) for leaf length and leaf width. On the basis of stability and drought tolerance superior fodder cowpea genotypes were executed for important fodder yield and seed yield contributing trait and these are G29 (FD-2258) for plant height, green fodder yield, dry matter%, dry matter yield and biological yield per plant and G3 (EC 390268) for seed yield per plant, biological yield per plant; proline content and leaf to stem ratio. These stable genotypes can be used in future fodder crop improvement program to meet the fodder demand and also to increase quality fodder production at cheaper cost which is crucial to improve farmers’ income.