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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: Plant Physiology × Author: Kumar, T. Muni Sai × End date: 2024 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ELUCIDATING THE EFFECT OF HEAT AND WATER DEFICIT STRESS COMBINATION IN WHEAT (Triticum aestivum L.)
    (RPCAU, Pusa, 2023) Kumar, T. Muni Sai; Kumar, Shailesh
    In the context of global climate change, the influence of environmental stresses such as heat and drought on agricultural production is a crucial concern. The present study was aimed to quantify effects of Drought stress [DS], heat stress [HS] and combined heat and drought [HS+DS] during heading and grain filling stages on wheat yield and to identify physio-biochemical traits which were strongly associated with improved yield and tolerance of wheat under stressful conditions. Wheat genotypes were treated to individual and combined stress treatments under controlled experimental circumstances, simulating heat and drought conditions. To investigate the interactive impact of these stresses on wheat plants, physiological, biochemical, and morphological characteristics were evaluated. Independent and combined drought and heat stress negatively affect wheat yield and physiology. Five promising wheat genotypes were exposed to [HS], [DS] and [HS+DS] treatments after heading stage. Sowing was done on 28th November, 2022. Grain yield was reduced by 31.9%, 61.6% and 66.6% under HS, DS and HS+DS respectively. There was significant (P<0.05 to <0.01) genetic diversity observed for traits across the genotypes. Major traits that contribute to the yield loss under HS, DS and HS+DS was grain yield, seed set and total biomass. On the other hand traits such as SPAD, relative water content and transpiration rate were positively correlated with yield and biomass. Under heat stress, wheat plants exhibited reduced photosynthetic efficiency, altered antioxidant enzyme activity, and changes in hormonal regulation. Drought stress led to decreased water potential, stomatal closure, and accumulation of ROS species. Grain yield is reduced due to reducing metabolism and mobilization of reserves to developing grains and leaves. A significant variations was observed in the combination of HS and DS where all the traits measured showed higher variations than the individual HS and DS. More over genotypes under HS showed more grain yield and helps to maintain more biomass. During individual and combined stress we have seen accumulation of more ROS species which causes damage to the plant system. Genotypes having a major contribution under different stress treatments may lead to improved varieties with heat and drought tolerance. To best of over knowledge, the present study which used physiological and biochemical traits to explain the variation in grain yield and related traits in wheat genotypes. This study also aimed to find the root morphology under combination of heat and drought stress. The findings show complex alterations in root morphology and architecture as a result of combined heat and drought stress. Combination of both stress resulted in a reduction in root growth characteristics such as volume, area, and length. Root volume, area and length was reduced by 42.8%, 27.8% and 32% respectively when compared to control.