Thumbnail Image

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.

Browse

20211
Reset filters
Subject: Soil Sciences × Author: Kumari, Kinga Priyanka × End date: 2021 × Start date: 2021 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
Reset filters

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ThesisItemOpen Access
    POTASSIUM DYNAMICS, USE EFFICIENCY AND BALANCE IN CALCAREOUS SOILS AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE UNDER RICE-WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM
    (DRPCAU, PUSA, 2021) Kumari, Kinga Priyanka; Singh, S.P.
    Rice wheat cropping system (RWCS) is the main fundamental for employment, livelihood and income for the people in Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP) regions of our India, Pakistan,Nepal and Bangladesh. The area covered by all these countries under IGP is 13.5 mha. Out of this 10.5m ha is under India only and it contributes 40% of country’s total food basket. With introduction of high yielding varieties (HYV’s) through green revolution, the productivity of RWCS in these regions was remarkably increased. The intensive practices of cultivation lead to inadequate replenishment and heavy removal of nutrients and resulted in deficiencies and depletion of nutrient reserves in soil. In these types of uneven situations, change of farming system from conventional to conservation agriculture will help in maintaining the soil health with care from which plant getting its requirements. The straw is a rich source of potassium and also its availability varies with tillage practices, so the present study on “Potassium dynamics, use efficiency and balance in calcareous soils after fifteen years conservation agriculture under rice-wheat cropping system” was carried out in randomised block design with 3 replications and 11 different treatments combinations of conservation agriculture practices during kharif-2020 under a long term trial of BISA-CIMMYT, Pusa running since kharif-2006. The different treatments were T1:Puddled and Transplanted Rice –Conventionally Tilled Wheat (PuTR-CTW), T2:Puddled and Transplanted Rice-Zero/No Tilled Wheat (PuTr- ZTW), T3: Permanent Beds of Directly Seeded Rice-Permanent Beds of Directly Drilled wheat (PBDSR-PBDDW); T4: Permanent Beds of Directly Seeded Rice-Permanent Beds of Directly Drilled wheat- First time intensive tillage after 15 years of no tillage and then fresh beds of Directly Seeded rice and wheat every year (PBDSR-PBDDW-ITDSRW), T5:Zero/No-Tilled Direct Seeded Rice-Conventionally Tilled Wheat (ZTDSR-CTW), T6: Zero/No-Tilled Direct Seeded Rice-Zero/No-Tilled Wheat Without Residue (ZTDSR-(ZTW-R)), T7: Zero/No-Tilled Direct Seeded Rice-Zero/No Tilled Wheat Without Residue-Intensive Tillage after 15 years and then continuing the tillage for Direct Seeded rice and wheat every year (ZTDSR-(ZTW-R)-(CTDSR-CTW)every year), T8: Zero Tilled Direct Seeded Rice-Zero Tilled Wheat with Residue Retention (ZTDSR-(ZTW+R)), T9: Zero/No-Tilled Direct Seeded Rice-Zero/No Tilled Wheat With Residue-Intensive Tillage after 15 years and then continuing the tillage for Direct Seeded rice and wheat With Residue Retention every year (ZTDSR-(ZTW+R)-CTDSR-(CTW+R)every year), T10:Unpuddled Transplanted Rice-Zero Tilled Wheat (UPTR-ZTW) and T11: Zero Tilled Rice- Sesbania Brown Manure-Zero Tillage Wheat (before 2010,Wet Direct seeded Rice(WDSR)-Zero tilled Wheat rotation was practiced (ZTR-BM-ZTW). The results indicate that available K and water soluble K was maximum in surface soil and declined with depth. Intensive tillage after 15 years did not show any significant changes in rice yield over their respective untilled one treatment. But, significant increase in K availability in the intensive tilled plots without crop residue retention was recorded, while, it declined significantly under the intensive tilled plots with crop residue retention. Crop residue retention enhanced the potassium content and uptake by the rice crop and also helps in the partitioning of K more towards de-husked rice grain than the husk. In all the treatments, overall contribution of muscovite mineral K was highest (52%) followed by feldspar (42%) and biotite (6%). Significant and positive correlation among various forms of K indicates dynamic equilibrium in soil.Application of crop residue with conservation tillage improved the potassium use efficiency than the conventional method. The negative potassium balance was observed under all the treatments but its intensity was low in the treatment where conservation tillage practices with crop residue retention was followed in comparison to conventional method. Thus, conservation agriculture practices with no tillage and crop residue retention is a good option for enhanced crop productivity and improved potassium dynamics and its balance in soil.