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

20201
Reset filters
Subject: Soil Sciences × Author: Sarkar, Sudip × End date: 2020 × Start date: 2017 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
Reset filters

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Soil health and carbon stock assessment under different agroforestry systems in calcareous soil
    (DRPCAU, Pusa, 2020) Sarkar, Sudip; Das, Dipty Kumar
    A field-cum-laboratory investigation for soil health and carbon stock assessment under four treatments: Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), Simarauba (Simarouba glauca DC) and Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) plantations and control (without trees) and five replications with soil sampling from two depths (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) in calcareous soil was undertaken during in the year 2018-19 at Research area of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar. Earlier Kadamb plantation was being intercropped with three varieties of Turmeric (Rajendra sonia, Rajendra sonali and NDH-92), and the rest two plantations with four tuber crops [Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus campanulatus, var. Gajendra), Turmeric (Curcuma domestica, var. Rajendra Sonia), Ginger (Zingiber officinale, var.Nadia) and Arbi (Colocasia esculenta, var. Sahasramukhi)] along with the recommended doses of the fertilizers. The objectives were to study soil biological, physical and chemical properties as well as to study carbon stock in trees and soil biomass. Soil properties were tested for significant differences by two way analysis of variance, where agroforestry system considered as first factor and soil depth as second factor. Soil biological properties were assessed four times in the month of June (summer), September (autumn), December (winter) and March (spring), while physical as well as chemical soil properties were analyzed only once in the month of June. There were noticeable improvements of various biological, physical and chemical indicators of soil confirmed in agroforestry systems (AFS) over control plot. Seasonal variations of soil biological parameters were recorded; and in the month of June showed highest biological activities, whereas lowest was recorded during December. Variations of soil biological, physical and chemical properties were also found with soil depths. Availability of plant nutrients was higher in upper layer of soil over lower soil layer. Agroforestry development leads rise of soil organic carbon and storage of soil carbon. Soil carbon stock in the 0-15 cm and 15-30 cm depths, in Simarouba AFS was 13.6 and 3.7 per cent higher over Kadamb AFS which in turn had 2.3 and 3.8 per cent higher carbon stock over Litchi AFS, at the respective depths." Averaged over the various agroforestry systems, 86.7% of total tree biomass contributed to the above ground biomass and remaining 13.3 % provided for the below ground biomass. Simarouba trees had 20.5 % higher long-lived carbon storage over Kadamb trees which was 10.9 % higher long-lived carbon storage over litchi trees. CO2 emission mitigation by trees varied from 14.92 q tree-1 by Simarouba trees to 11.16 q tree-1 by litchi trees. Overall Simarouba plantation showed better soil biological, physical and chemical properties followed by Kadamb and Litchi. Simarouba plantation was also found to have significantly higher soil carbon stock than all other treatments irrespective of the soil depths. Thus, this study provided good ideas about potentiality of agroforestry development for sustainable soil use and mitigates atmospheric carbon dioxide.