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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: Soil Sciences × Author: DEVI, RODDA CHANDANA × Start date: 1994 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN DIFFERENT DENSITY PLANTATIONS OF SEMAL (Bombax ceiba L.) WITH SESAMUM-LENTIL CROPPING SYSTEM
    (Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) DEVI, RODDA CHANDANA; Das, Dipty Kumar
    The present investigation was carried out at agro forestry research area of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur) in calciorthent of the north-west alluvial plain of north Bihar. Yield performance of sesamum-lentil cropping system during Kharif and Rabi season of 2020-21, changes in physicochemical properties of soil, litterfall, nutrient return, litter decomposition, and nutrient release pattern were studied under different densities of 6-year-old Bombax ceiba plantations. The experiment was in randomized block design comprising five treatments (5 × 2 m, 5 × 3 m, 5 × 4 m, 5 × 5 m, and treeless control) replicated 4 times. The soil texture of the research area is sandy loam with a pH of 8.5, low level of organic carbon (0.36%), available N (169 kg ha-1), P2O5 (24.2 kg ha-1) and K2O (132.3 kg ha-1) with the higher percentage of free calcium carbonate (36%). The carbon storage and carbon sequestration potential of the plantations have been also estimated. In Kharif season sesamum (Sesamum orientale var. Krishna) and in Rabi season lentil (Lens culinaris var. HUL 57) were grown as intercrops applied with the recommended doses of fertilizers. The crop yield, tree growth, biomass yield, and carbon sequestration potential were tested by one-way analysis, whereas soil physicochemical properties and soil carbon stock was tested by two-way analysis of variance, where agroforestry systems were considered as the first factor and soil depth as the second factor. The yield parameters were measured after the harvest of each crop and soil properties were measured before sowing and after harvesting of each crop. The yield of intercrops decreased under the agroforestry systems. Yield decrement was 14.0 to 46.2% and 9.81 to 34.5% in grain and straw of sesamum, whereas 17.8 to 37.7% and 13.5 to 23.7% in grain and straw of lentil, respectively. The nutrient content in grain and straw of sesamum and lentil was found higher in the agroforestry system and uptake was found higher in sole cropping. The relative light intensity was recorded higher in the Kharif season and among the treatments, sole crops received maximum light intensity. There was a noticeable improvement in soil properties (pH, EC, and BD), nutrient status (N, P2O5, and K2O), soil organic carbon (SOC), SOC stock, and active carbon. Availability of plant nutrients was higher in the upper (0 - 15 cm) soil layer than the lower soil layer (15 - 30 cm). The yield of the crops, nutrient uptake by grain and straw, and average light intensity were found lower in higher density (5 × 2 and 5 × 3 m), whereas nutrient content in grain and straw, soil properties improvement found maximum in higher density. There was a 24.79 to 41.81% increase in SOC stock after harvest of lentil crop up to 0-30 cm soil depth. In the winter and rainy seasons, there were 54.38 to 59.81% and 41.44 to 49.73% litterfall occurred, respectively. The nutrients returned by litterfall was in the sequence of Ca > N > K > Mg > P and the higher litterfall and nutrient return occurred in lower spacings. For the total decomposition of leaf litter, it took 11 and 12 months in higher and lower density, respectively and it took 71 to 86 days for half decay of litter. The widest spacings (5 × 4 and 5 × 5 m) had height and diameter at breast height on average 19 % and 26 % higher. The volume of the tree was significantly superior under the plantations in higher spacings. The total biomass (26.5 Mg ha-1) was maximum in the higher density (5 × 2 m) plantations, followed by 5 × 4 m (25.8 Mg ha-1). Total carbon storage varied from 10.0 to 12.6 Mg ha-1 in 5 × 3 and 5 × 2 m spacing respectively. The maximum carbon sequestration rate was 1.53 Mg C ha-1 year-1 in both 5 × 2 and 5 × 4 m spacing.