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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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2015 - 20182
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Subject: Plant Pathology × End date: 2018 × Start date: 2010 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on spot blotch of wheat caused by Bipolaris Sorokiniana (SACC.) Shoem
    (DRPCAU, Pusa, Samastipur, 2018) Kumar, Paritosh; Rai, R. C.
    Studies on spot blotch of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was carried out to ascertain the status of spot blotch disease of wheat in Bihar, to find out the variability of pathogen in Bihar and to find out a suitable culture media for growth and sporulation of the pathogen. Attempts were also made to estimate the yield losses; and to manage the disease by agronomical manipulations and through fungicides and botanicals. Bipolaris sorokiniana was mainly responsible for causing spot blotch of wheat in Bihar. The disease appeared 5 to 8 weeks after wheat sowing and the symptoms advanced after heading and spreaded very fast. The dark brown necrotic spots (boat shaped) occured on the leaves, crowns and stems with or without yellow halo around these. Lesions on the leaves in the start were few mm in size and extended as elongated dark brown spots and later on coalesced resulting into blight. In severe cases, at flowering stage 60 to 80 per cent leaf areas was turned into necrotic lesions. Intensity of spotting increased with the increase in the age of plants and reached maximum between boot to maturity stage of the crop. Minute spots were also observed on leaf sheaths, nodes, internodes and the glumes. The conidiophores of Bipolaris sorokiniana were light olivaceous brown in colour and emerged both singly or in a group of 2 to 6 from stomatal opening or directly through the epidermal cells of the host, bearing conidia on well defined geniculations and measured 81 to 193 μm long (average 155.20 μm), 6 to 8 μm wide (average 6.70 μm) having 2 to 9 septa (average 6.40). Conidia were formed singly at the tip of conidiophores and were dark olivaceous brown in colour, straight to slightly curved, widest at or near the middle, tapering towards both the abruptly rounded ends and measured 39 to 112 μm long (average 73.90 μm), 13 to 21 μm wide (average 16.70 μm) having 2 to 6 septa (average 3.70). Six groups of B. sorokiniana could be differentiated on the basis of colony colour, colony characteristics and colony diameter establishing the variability in Bipolaris sorokiniana. Remarkable variation in length, width, number of septa in spore and shape of spore were present. Oat meal agar medium and oat meal medium were best suited medium for radial growth and biomass production of Bipolaris sorokiniana, respectively. However, potato dextrose agar was best suited for sporulation of Bipolaris sorokiniana. Yield loss due to spot blotch varied between 7 to 30 per cent and loss in 1000-grain weight between 3 to 23 per cent, depending upon the levels of disease. Delayed sowing favoured incidence of spot blotch irrespective of nitrogen level and more disease developed at higher nitrogen level in all the three date of sowing. Higher levels of nitrogen at all the three date of sowing increased yield and 1000-grain weight and with delay in sowing, yield and 1000-grain weight decreased significantly at all the three nitrogen level. Propiconazole, Hexaconazole and Difenaconazole + Propiconazole at 250 ppm completely inhibited the mycelial growth of B. sorokiniana. Carbendazim and Copper oxychloride also produced cent per cent inhibition but at 500 and 1000 ppm, respectively. Mancozeb could not produce complete inhibition even at 1000 ppm. Spot blotch of wheat could be effectively and economically controlled by two foliar sprays of either Propiconazole or Hexaconazole @ 0.1 per cent at fifteen days interval but on the basis of cost- benefit ratio Hexaconazole had an edge over Propiconazole. Among botanicals eucalyptus leaf extract was highly effective in inhibiting the growth of B. sorokiniana. Garlic clove extract was second best plant extract in inhibiting the growth of B. sorokiniana. All the six plant extracts (garlic clove, eucalyptus leaf, neem leaf, onion bulb, ginger rhizome and black cumin) could significantly reduce PDI when compared with untreated check. Two sprays of garlic clove and eucalyptus leaf extracts @ five per cent were equally effective in reducing disease to 50 per cent and increasing grain yield. Two spray of Propiconazole (0.1 %) at 15 days interval under timely sown condition was best in controlling spot blotch of wheat with significant increase in yield over unsprayed crop. With the delayed sowing (26th December) there was significant decrease in disease control with significantly less yield. Hexaconazole was equally effective and on the basis of cost- benefit ratio, had an edge over Propiconazole.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Studies on etiology and management of root rot of papaya
    (Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), 2015) Kumar, Rahul; Singh, S. K.
    In the present investigation papaya root rot was found to cause 60-95 per cent disease incidence resulting in failure of crop in the state. Fusarium solani was established as a causal organism of root rot of papaya in Bihar. Disease incidence was found to decrease with increasing plant spacing. June – July planted crop was found to favour the disease development while March-April planted crop recorded low disease incidence and higher fruit yield. Potato dextrose agar was found appropriate media for proper growth of pathogen whereas sporulation (macro conidia) was favoured in Carnation leaf media. Among native and commercial bioagent tested against the pathogen, Trichoderma viride (native) was found most effective in suppression of the pathogen. Among botanicals, Adenocalymma alliaceum (wild garlic) was found highly effective in checking the development of disease under sick pot condition. Among fungicides, carbendazim and thiophanate methyl showed good efficacy in checking the growth of pathogen in vitro. Again, among fungicides, thiophanate methyl showed best compatibility with Trichoderma viride in vitro. All the oil cake- mustard cake, neem cake, castor cake were found compatible with Trichoderma viride, but mustard cake was also found to be the efficient inhibitor of the pathogen. The most effective treatment for the management of disease was integration of disease free seedling + mustard cake (10%)+wild garlic (10%)+dipping of seedlings in thiophanate methyl (0.1%) for 30 min. + soil drenching with thiophanate methyl (0.1%) solution three times, 1st at time of transplanting, second at 3rd month after transplanting (MAT) and third at 5th MAT+ soil application of Trichoderma viride @50g/plant three times 1st at time of transplanting, second at 3rd MAT and third at 5th MAT+ soil application of Pseudomonas florescence @ 50g/plant three times 1st at time of transplanting ,second at 3rd MAT and third at 5th MAT.