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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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2003 - 200952010 - 20183
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Subject: Soil Science × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Morphological and bio chemical characterization of Winged bean Rhizobium and its impact as seed Inoculant either singly or Combinedly with PGPR towards Yield Attributing Characters and Yield of Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)”
    (Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, 2018) Kumari, Shweta; Yadav, R.C.
    A laboratory investigation for morphological and bio-chemical characterization and physiological properties of winged bean Rhizobium with a purified culture; and a field experiment consisting of four seed-inoculation treatments [No inoculation, Rhizobium, PGPR(Bacillus) and Rhizobium+PGPR(Bacillus)] and three nitrogen levels [0, 20 and 40 kg ha-1] in RBD (factorial) with three replications for evaluation of two winged bean germplasm IC-17002 and DLN-9, during crop season in the year 2014-15 and with better-performing IC-17002 in 2015-16 to find out impact of the Rhizobium as seed inoculant alone or in combinedly with PGPR on yield attributes and yield of winged bean were conducted at Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi Farm of RPCAU, Pusa (Bihar). The pure-culture of winged bean Rhizobium isolate was Gram-negative rod-shaped with a dimension of 0.59 μm x 1.81μm. The Rhizobium tested vis-à-vis (pea, gram, lentil and moong-rhizobia) showed a wide diversity in tolerance for its growth at different pH values, though neutral pH being the optimum. The winged bean-Rhizobium isolate produced 64.6 μg mL-1 of IAA at 72h of incubation with antibiotic-resistance and carbon-utilization test, the Rhizobium isolate was found to be resistant to vancomycin (30μg) and utilized a wider group of carbon sources than other rhizobia. The Fatty-Acid-Methyl-Ester (FAME) profiling confirmed that it belonged to Rhizobium-miscellany group. Seed inoculation and nitrogen levels greatly influenced nodule-parameters, nitrogenase activity and yield attributes, value of which were the highest with the combined inoculation of Rhizobium+PGPR (Bacillus), followed by seed inoculation of Rhizobium alone, and differed significantly among themselves at both 60 and 120 days after sowing (DAS). Nitrogen application @ 20 kg ha-1 recorded significantly higher nodule parameters over the control. The inoculation x nitrogen interaction effect was found to be significant with respect to nodule parameters. The combined inoculation of Rhizobium+PGPR (Bacillus) at 20 kg N ha-1 appeared significantly superior to other treatment combinations. S, Fe and Mo in the nodule recorded higher at 60 DAS than at 120 DAS. Rhizobium inoculation alone caused higher S and Mo content in nodule, whereas combined application of Rhizobium and PGPR recorded the highest Fe content at both growth stages. Nitrogen application @ 20 kg ha-1 increased Fe content significantly over no-nitrogen application at 120 DAS. The highest nitrogen content in pod was noted by combined inoculation of Rhizobium and PGPR treatment, followed by Rhizobium alone. Nitrogen @ 20 kg ha-1 was found to be superior to the higher level of N application. The combined inoculation of Rhizobium and PGPR at 20 kg N ha-1 proved better than the other treatments. The treatments recorded greater N and P content of winged bean plant at 60, 120 DAS and at harvest. In seed, Rhizobium and PGPR inoculation in combination recorded more N content than other treatments and was found to be at par with Rhizobium inoculation alone. Nitrogen application @ 20 kg ha-1 recorded higher N, P and K in seed of winged bean in first year only. Protein content in green edible pod, seed and tuber was significantly increased by combined inoculation of Rhizobium and PGPR over the control and was at par with the treatment of Rhizobium inoculation alone, whereas basal nitrogen @ 20 kg ha-1 favoured more protein content than higher level of nitrogen. After harvest of winged bean, the highest available soilnitrogen build-up was recorded with the treatment of Rhizobium inoculation alone. Seed-oil content (33.76 %) recorded the highest in the treatment with seed inoculation of PGPR at zero nitrogen application. The study proved the multiple-utilitarian potential of winged bean including its role in soil fertility improvement which was best with seedinoculation of Rhizobium-miscellany and PGPR either alone or in combination with basal dose of 20 kg N ha-1.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect Of Amendments On Soil Water Relations Under Rice-Wheat Cropping System In Light Texture Soil
    (Rajendra Agricultural University;Samastipur, 2004) Singh, Yanendra Kumar; Rajendra Prasad
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Boron Availability In Old Alluvial Soils Of Nawada District
    (Rajendra Agricultural University;Samastipur, 2003) Prabhat Kumar; Singh, R.R.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Distribution, Reactions And Transport Of Cd And Ni In Sludge Treated Old Alluvial Soils
    (Rajendra Agricultural University;Samastipur, 2004) Vipin Kumar; Pandeya, S. B.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Influence Of Green Manuring On Chemistry Of Native Zinc In Calcareous Soil Under Rice - Wheat System
    (Rajendra Agricultural University;Samastipur, 2006) Sunil Kumar; Singh, A. P.
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    Long - Term Effect Of Fertilizers And Organics On Transformation And Distribution Of Available Nitrogen And Carbon Sequestration
    (Rajendra Agricultural University;Samastipur, 2006) Nikhat Yasmin Azmi; J. Prasad
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Sorption and availability of zinc in Diaralands of Bihar
    (Rajendra Agricultural University, 2010) Kumari, Madhavi; Yadav, K.
    The present investigation on “Sorption and availability of zinc in Diaralands of Bihar” was conducted to elucidate the relative influence of soil properties on available zinc, critical limit of zinc in soil and plant, distribution of zinc fraction in soil, zinc adsorption, kinetic of adsorption and desorption and solubility relationship of zinc in diaraland soils of Bihar under laboratory and pot condition. One hundred twenty six cultivated soils of low, medium and upland physiography were collected for zinc delineation. Based on available zinc and organic carbon content 24 bulk soil samples were collected for evaluation of critical limit taking maize as test crop. Out of these 24 soils, 10 soils were selected for adsorption, kinetics of adsorption, desorption and solubility relationship of zinc. Soils were neutral to slightly alkaline in reaction having 78 per cent deficiency in available Zn. The extent of Fe, Mn and Cu deficiency was 30, 11 and 4 per cent respectively. The chemical fractionation of zinc in soil indicated that a very small portion of total zinc was distributed in comparatively more soluble forms and most of the zinc remained as residual fraction. The critical limit of available zinc was 0.75 mg kg-1 whereas the critical concentration of zinc in 45 days old maize plant tissue was 22.5 mg kg-1. The dry matter yield, Zn uptake and zinc concentration in maize plant increased with graded level of zinc. Step down multiple regression analysis and path analysis suggested that water soluble + exchangeable zinc, crystalline oxide bound zinc and amorphous oxide bound zinc are the major pool of soil zinc which contributed towards available zinc, dry matter yield of maize and Zn uptake by maize. Adsorption isotherm studies indicated that most of the soils produced L-type adsorption behaviour whereas a few soils produced S-type of adsorption isotherm. Out of several sorption model tested, freundlich adsorption model was found best fit for adsorption data. Kinetic of Zn adsorption could be best explained through Elovich kinetic model, however, the kinetics of desorption was diffusion controlled. The estimated stability constant is very much close to the theoretical value of Zn-soil but slightly higher than that of Zn (OH)2, hence Zn (OH)2 along with Zn-soil control the solubility of Zn in these soil.