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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: Horticulture × Author: Gupta, Ramesh Kumar × Start date: 2010 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Cause effect relationship and genetic divergence study in cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]
    (Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar), 2018) Gupta, Ramesh Kumar; Pramila
    The present investigation was carried out with twenty-seven genotypes of cowpea entitled "CAUSE-EFFECT RELATIONSHIP AND GENETIC DIVERGENCE STUDY IN COWPEA [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.]” at Vegetable Research Farm of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar in Randomised Block Design with three replications during Zaid-2017. The quantitative traits under study were seed germination percentage, plant height, number of branches per plant, days to first flowering, first flowering node, number of nodes on main stem, peduncle length, number of pods per cluster, days to first picking, pod length, pod diameter, average pod weight, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, test weight, pod borer infestation percentage and pod yield per plant. Statistical analysis were carried out to study Analysis of variance, Genotypic and Phenotypic coefficient of variation, Heritability, Genetic advance, Correlation coefficient analysis, Path analysis and Genetic diversity. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the studied characters and also showed the presence of an ample amount of genetic variability among the genotypes. The phenotypic coefficient of variation was slightly higher than the corresponding genotypic coefficient of variation in magnitude. Indicating the role of genotype in the manifestation of these characters. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean were recorded for all the traits except seed germination percentage and days to first flowering, indicating the preponderance of additive gene action suggesting that selection in an early generation will be effective. Plant height, number of branches per plant, number of nodes on main stem, number of pods per cluster, pod length, average pod weight and number of pods per plant had given positive and significant correlation comprising their positive and direct effect with pod yield per plant. Suggesting that during the course of selection these traits may be considered as prime traits for enhancing the yield in cowpea. The maximum inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster II and V so, to have the heterotic recombinant for the seed germination percentage, days to first flowering, pod length, average pod weight, number of seeds per pod, number of pods per cluster, peduncle length, and pod diameter, for all these traits, genotypes present in these clusters may be used in crossing.