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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: Plant Pathology × Author: SINGH, NIDHI × End date: 2021 × Start date: 2021 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    STATUS OF FUNGAL DISEASES OF IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SAMASTIPUR, BIHAR
    (DRPCAU, PUSA, 2021) SINGH, NIDHI; Rai, Dinesh
    India is a treasure house of medicinal plants and is endowed with precious genetic diversity. They are not an exception and are also attacked by several pathogens, mainly the fungal pathogens that degrade the quality of medicinal active principle which may lead to health hazards instead of curing the disease. A survey was carried out on fungal diseases of economically important five medicinal plants viz. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Sarpagandha (Rauvolfia serpentina), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Mint (Mentha arvensis) and Mandukparni (Centella asiatica) in MAP germplasm blocks at Dr. RPCAU, Pusa and its neighbouring areas at different time intervals. During the survey, eleven fungal diseases namely leaf spot/ blight (Alternaria alternata), wilt (Fusarium solani) and downy mildew (Peronospora sp.) of Ashwagandha, leaf spot (Colletotrichum truncatum) and leaf blight (Alternaria sp.) of Sarpagandha, leaf spot (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) and leaf blight (Alternaria sp.) of Tulsi, leaf spot (Curvularia lunata) and leaf blight (Alternaria alternata) of Mint and leaf spots (Cochliobolus sp. and Alternaria sp.) of Mandukparni were recorded. There was an increase in disease incidence during November to January. The overall variation recorded in disease incidence of the medicinal plants varied from trace (wilt and downy mildew of Ashwagandha) to 60 per cent (leaf spot of Mandukparni and Sarpagandha). The PDI also varied from trace to 61.11 per cent among the plants. All the isolated pathogens varied significantly in most of their cultural and morphological characteristics. In vitro evaluation of native Trichoderma asperellum showed effective inhibition against the pathogens. Maximum inhibition percent was recorded against Fusarium solani i.e. 56.36 per cent followed by Cochliobolus sp. i.e. 55.38 per cent. Among the tested botanicals and essential oils, Garlic bulb extract was found most effective against most of the pathogens at both 5 and 10 per cent concentrations in showing complete inhibition (100%) followed by Neem leaf extract which showed maximum inhibition of pathogens (Alternaria spp., Fusarium solani, Colletotrichum truncatum, Curvularia lunata, Cochliobolus sp.) at 5 per cent concentration and Bael extract (Alternaria alternata, Cochliobolus sp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Alternaria spp., Colletotrichum truncatum) at 10 per cent concentration. This work may encourage other researchers to study these diseases further and their integrated management using biocontrol agents and plant extracts by properly testing their efficacy in the agrifields.