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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: Microbiology × Author: KUMAR, SAMALA MANOJ × End date: 2021 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM DIFFERENT COMPOST SAMPLES AND GUT OF EARTHWORM USED IN VERMICOMPOSTING
    (DRPCAU, PUSA, 2021) KUMAR, SAMALA MANOJ; Jaiswal, Aman
    Composting and vermicomposting are two examples of biological waste disposal systems that are generally regarded as environment friendly and long-term solutions for managing organic waste. Composting mechanism is regulated by complex community of microbes dominated by various bacteria. Earthworms are the driving force behind vermicomposting as the gut of an earthworm is a factory to manufacture the beneficial microbial density and their products to excrete thousand times more to enrich the surrounding soil. Proper understanding of microbiology and biochemistry should be deciphered. Therefore, in present study, bacteria were isolated from three different samples viz., mushroom compost, vermicompost and earthworm gut, which were collected from AICRP on Mushroom, Vermicomposting unit of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa on different media - Nutrient Agar, Trypticase soya agar, Ken knight agar, CMC agar and Kings B media. 20 isolates were obtained from compost, 40 isolates from vermicompost and 20 from earthworm gut. These isolates were checked for their staining ability viz., gram and endospore staining and found that 26 were gram positive, 54 gram negative and 11 were endospore formers. These isolates were further screened for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation activity and found that 10 isolates from mushroom compost, 19 from vermicompost and 8 isolates from earth worm gut were able to perform cellulose degradation activity whereas 8 from compost, 25 vermicompost isolates and 14 isolates from earthworm gut were able to degrade hemicellulose. These isolates were subjected to nutrient solubilization activities like phosphorous, potassium, zinc and siderophore production. 5 from compost, 17 from vermicompost and 10 isolates of earthworm gut respectively showed phosphorous solubilisation whereas 5 from compost, 16 from vermicompost and 11 isolates from earthworm gut showed potassium solubilization. In case of zinc solubilisation 10 from compost, 18 from vermicompost and 14 isolates from earthworm gut. 8 from compost, 21 from vermicompost and 12 from earthworm gut showed siderophore production. One isolate (MC-10) from mushroom compost and seven isolates from vermicompost showed all the six activities whereas none of the isolates from earthworm gut showed all activities together. However, some isolates showed a minimum of three activities and maximum four activities. In term of solubility indices, it was observed that earthworm gut isolates showed the highest Phosphorous, potassium and zinc solubility indices when compared to compost and vermicompost isolates. Those isolates which showed either of cellulose or hemicellulose activity and any three nutrient solubilization activities were further checked for biochemical reactions i.e., IMViC test. A total of 31 promising isolates were subjected to IMViC test in which 15 isolates showed positive for indole test. 16 showed MR test and 24 isolates showed VP test. 14 isolates were able to use citrate as a source of energy. Therefore, the promising bacterial isolates which showed cellulose and hemicellulose degradation activity and other nutrient solubilizing properties can be utilized in composting which will help in better and faster decomposition of waste and reduces the composting time period.