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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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ThesisItem Open 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 KumarThe 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.ThesisItem Open Access EFFECT OF LONG-TERM CROP ESTABLISHMENT AND RESIDUE MANAGEMENT ON N, P, K, S TRANSFORMATIONS AND SOIL HEALTH UNDER RICE-WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) BORPATRAGOHAIN, BIDISHA; Kumar, VipinThe dominant agricultural system prevailing in the Indo-Gangetic Plain is the cereal based cropping system comprising of rice-wheat. Soil quality and health is in the limelight and considered as a vital component of conservation agriculture towards agricultural sustainability. The main challenges confronted by the farming community of Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) in Bihar under intensive conventional tillage rice-wheat based cropping system are shortage of manpower, water, energy; high cost of production, diminishing farm returns and unpredictable climatic conditions. To address these loopholes of conventional system, conservation agriculture management systems of crop production are being established. The implementation of conservation agriculture centered on least soil manipulation, surface crop residues retention with practical crop rotation is the need of the hour. The goal of our research was to study how crop establishment and residue management affected soil health indicators, and yield as well as different fractions of the macronutrients (N, P, K and S) through various crop establishment, tillage practices and crop residue combinations in the cropping system of rice-wheat. A long term experiment was established in collaboration with CIMMYT, India, since Monsoon, 2006 with eight different tillage, crop setup, and residue management combinations. The study was performed during 10th June 2019 to 12th October 2019 and 14th November 2019 to 25th March 2020 (two seasons). The site experiences hot and humid summers and has cold winters. The average rainfall of 1344 mm, 89.7 % (1107.8 mm) of which receives throughout the time of monsoon (mid-June to mid-September) while, the winter North-East monsoon rains are scanty and received during January-February. The soil of the experimental site belongs to order Entisol, texture being sandy loam with alkaline pH (8.86), medium SOC (0.48 %) and soil available N, P, K (205.62, 9.35, 136.10 kg ha-1). The trial was set up Randomized Block Design having eight treatment details replicated thrice within a block. The treatments were: puddled transplanted rice-conventional tillage wheat (T1); Puddled transplanted rice-zero tillage wheat (T2); Zero tillage rice-zero tillage wheat on permanent beds having 100 % crop residues (T3); Zero tillage rice-conventional tillage wheat without residues (T4); Zero tillage rice-zero tillage wheat on permanent bed (without residues) (T5); Zero tillage rice-Zero tillage wheat having 100% crop residues (T6); Direct seeded broadcasted rice-Zero tillage wheat (only rice residue in wheat cycle) (T7); Zero tillage rice with brown manuring-zero tillage wheat (without residues) (T8). The study aimed to assess how treatments affected yield, nutrient absorption, and the transformation of various pools of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur, as well as measure soil health in a rice-wheat system. The following are the findings of the present study which revealed that the adoption of zero tillage and crop residue amplified grain yield of rice by 3.91-15.49% although; treatment T8 showed the greatest improvement (by 15.49 percent) as compared to T1's standard procedures. While, in wheat, of zero tillage and residue retention practices increased the grain yield by 34.13- 63.94% over T1 and highest increment (by 63.94%) was established with T3. Treatments T6, T8, T3, T7, and T5 showed a significant increase in system yield by 33.12%, 32.46%, 31.78%, 22.64% and 21.96%, respectively over conventional practices. The nutrient uptake followed similar trend of yield with rice and wheat. The adoption of zero tillage and residue retention practices T3, T5, T6, T7 and T8 revealed higher total N, P, K, S uptake by rice crop by 38.39-26.00%, 10.25-26.64%, 11.05-31.29% and 10.04-37.70%, respectively over the conventional practice (T1). The total uptake of N, P, K and S by wheat crop was to the tune of 27.33-72.13%, 30.13-73.79%, 27.10-79.72% and 41.63-117.92% over conventional practices (T1) by T3, T4, T5, T6, T7 and T8, respectively. Similarly, total micronutrient uptake cations (Iron, manganese, copper and zinc) by rice crop were boosted with the involvement of zero tillage and residue retention to the tune of 11.12-34.83%, 12.73-37.56%, 9.91-41.77% and 10.04-37.71% over conventional practices for T3, T5, T6, T7 and T8, respectively. Likewise, the total uptake of iron, copper and zinc by wheat crop was to tune of 34.67%, 33.48%, 38.44% and 41.00%, respectively over conventional practices (T1). Different N-fractions in soil were ranked in order of dominance: Total N > Total hydrolysable-N > Non-hydrolysable-N > Hydrolysable ammonical-N > Exchangeable ammonical-N > Amino acid-N > Unidentified-N > Hexoseamine-N > Nitrate-N. The treatment ZTR-ZTW+ R showed the highest forms among most of the N fractions, along with ZTR-ZTW (B) + R and ZTR-ZTW (B) + R and ZTR+BM-ZTW being at par. The major pool of P in the soil was organic-P. Excluding Al-P and Fe-P, all the other forms of P was increased with zero tillage, residue management and brown manuring. The following was the average order of various fractions status of P: Organic-P > Ca-P > Mineral-P > Saloid-P > Fe-P > Al-P. The total-K ranged between 14800.2 mg kg-1 to 15643.0 mg kg-1 due to different treatments. Lattice-K contributed the major fraction of K in soil. Retaining residues on soil surface and zero tillage had increased the amount of all forms of K. The order of the availability of different K forms in the soil is as follows: Total-K > Lattice-K > Non-exchangeable-K > Exchangeable-K > Water soluble-K. The total-S varied from 225.27 to 294.43 mg kg-1 due to different treatments. Organically bound-S contributed the major fraction of S in soil. Retaining residues on soil surface and zero tillage had increased the amount of all form of S except residual-S. The availability of different S pools was in the order: total-S > organically bound-S > residual-S > inorganically bound-S > distilled water soluble-S > sulphate-S. The correlation coefficient study specified that all the fractions of N, P, K and S were in dynamic equilibrium showing positive significant relationship with the majority of plant and soil attributes. The pH and EC content at the commencement of the experiment in 2006 were higher as compared to values obtained under conservation agriculture plots. However, when conservation techniques were used, available macro and micronutrients were enhanced compared to their baseline data which were obtained before the trial began in 2006. Involvement of CA practices significantly altered the soil health parameters viz. soil physico-chemical and biological properties. After one cycle of rice-wheat, conservation agriculture increased the wet aggregate stability (%). The CA (ZTR-ZTW (B)+R, ZTR-ZTW(B)-R, ZTR-ZTW+R, DSR-ZTW+R.R and ZTR+BM-ZTW) practices recorded increase to the tune of 38.15%, 17.24%, 34.48%, 28.87% and 32.75%, respectively over the control. The CA practices increased the soil organic carbon with time as the increment in SOC (0- 15 cm soil depth) with conservation agriculture adoption (T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7 and T8) was by 16.37- 86.04% over conventional practices. The active carbon varied between 165.0 mg kg-1 in conventional plot to 373.3 mg kg−1 in ZTR-ZTW (B) +R. The treatment ZTR-ZTW (B) +R was significantly superior and at par with ZTR-ZTW+R (62.4 mg kg−1) and ZTR+BM-ZTW (61.6 mg kg−1). The magnitude of increase in active carbon was 4.36%, 15.57%, 46.66%, 95.81%, 97.87%, 106.06% and 126.24% over control. Soil respiration varied between 1.53 CO2 mg g−1soil in control plot to 1.88 CO2 mg g−1soil in ZTR-ZTW (B) +R. The magnitude of increase in soil respiration was 1.30%, 4.57%, 7.84%, 10.45%, 16.33%, 18.30% and 22.87% over control in treatments ZTR-CTW-R, PTR-ZTW, ZTR-ZTW(B)-R, DSR-ZTW+R.R, ZTR+BM-ZTW, ZTR-ZTW+R and ZTR-ZTW(B)+R, respectively. The magnitude of increase in ACE protein was 6.37%, 9.96%, 12.75%, 19.92%, 23.90%, 26.69% and 28.29 % over control in PTR-ZTW, ZTR-CTW-R, ZTR-ZTW(B)-R, DSR-ZTW+R.R, ZTR-ZTW+R, ZTR-ZTW(B)+R and ZTR+BM-ZTW, respectively. Hence, conservational agricultural system contributed to higher production of ACE protein. The ZT with residue retention was found to be superior over CT due to congenial crop-soil environment. Thus, long term effect of crop establishment with varying degrees of residue retention improved different pools of soil nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur; soil health parameters and thereby, enhanced the soil health in the long run.ThesisItem Open Access “MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY AS A TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT OF SOIL QUALITY IN CALCAREOUS SOILS(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) Kumari, Vandana; Laik, RanjanA study entitled “MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY AS A TOOL FOR ASSESSMENT OF SOIL QUALITY IN CALCAREOUS SOILS” was carried out at Department of Soil Science, Dr, Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa with the objective to evaluate the variability in soil quality parameters, soil quality index and feasibility of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for prediction of soil quality indicators under rice-wheat system in 275 soil samples collected from West Champaran, East Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts of Bihar which are calcareous in nature. Soil samples were analyzed in the laboratory for different physical, chemical and biological properties by Cornell Soil Health Laboratory Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) standard operating procedures. Soil textural class of the samples varied from clay to sand with most frequent textural class of silt loam. A wide variation was observed for soil quality parameters which included Wet Aggregate Stability (WAS) (0.24-88.93 %) with mean 24.78 %; pH (5.76-9.67) with mean 8.39 (±0.53); electrical conductivity (EC) (0.11-2.77 dSm-1) with mean 0.41 dSm-1 (±0.27); free calcium carbonate (CaCO3) (0.04-54.1%) with mean 18.78 % (±12.64) and soil organic carbon (SOC) (0.14-1.26 %) with mean 0.63 % (±0.20). Among the soil major nutrients, the variation of available N was between 120.35-315.30 kg ha-1 with mean 204.5 kg ha-1 (±34.24); available P2O5 was between 0.90- 422.62 kg ha-1 with mean 103.73 kg ha-1 (±91.77); available K2O was between 31.05-1471.01 kg ha-1 with mean 204.98 kg ha-1 (±146.35) and available S was between 0.37-538.44 ppm with mean 39.3 ppm (±61.41). The variation in available soil micronutrients were as follows: Zn between 0.04-3.30 ppm with mean 0.77 ppm (±0.66); Cu between 0.00-5.18 ppm with mean 1.45 ppm (±0.75); Fe between 2.42-31.65 ppm with mean 10.5 ppm (±5.13); Mn between 0.00-13.82 ppm with mean 4.14 ppm (±2.74); and B between 0.00-7.6 ppm with mean 0.52 ppm (±0.67). Among the soil biological properties, active C, autoclaved citrate extractable protein (ACE), and respiration varied between 6.96-731.38 mg kg-1, 0.32-4.26 g kg-1 and 0.05-4.25 mg CO2 g-1 respectively and their mean values were 256.46 mg kg-1 (±193.4), 1.72 g kg-1 (±0.80) and 0.54 mg CO2 g-1 (±0.34) respectively. The first seven principal components (PCs) factors obtained with principal component analysis (PCA) of twenty soil quality parameters with eigenvalues >1 explained that CaCO3, pH, sand, protein, Fe, S, EC, silt, SOC, N, clay, B and K2O contributed 67.86 % of the soil variability in calcareous soil of Bihar. The soil quality index (SQI) values of all the 275 samples of calcareous soils of Bihar lied between 0.29-0.64 with a mean 0.47, which belongs to a low class of SQ. In the MIR spectroscopy study, principal component regression (PCR) and partial least square regression (PLSR) algorithm in OPUS software were used for understanding the quality of prediction level of the soil studies. Best models for residual prediction deviation (RPD) values with ―MIR-PLSR‖ were obtained for SOC, available N, free CaCO3, sand, silt and clay. Prediction for pH, EC, micronutrients (except B), WAS, active C, protein and respiration were observed as fair models. This indicated that MIR spectroscopy has great potential for simultaneous estimation of a number of soil properties in larger soil sample size and is useful for the prediction of soil quality parameters.ThesisItem Open Access EFFECT OF ORGANIC AMENDMENTS ON SOIL CARBON POOL PARAMETERS, CANE PRODUCTIVITY AND JUICE QUALITY OF SUGARCANE IN CALCAREOUS SOIL(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) Priyadarshi, Rashmi; Thakur, S.K.Sugarcane is a long duration and nutrient-exhaustive crop. The excessive and imbalanced use of chemical fertilizer has raised problems like deterioration of soil health. The soil organic carbon content is continuously declining due to the nonaddition of organic matter which is a matter of great concern. Restoration of organic matter is thus, needed for maintaining soil health and improving productivity through the addition of organic amendments. A field experiment was therefore, conducted during 2018-20 at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa (Bihar) to assess the “Effect of organic amendments on soil carbon pool parameters, cane productivity and juice quality of sugarcane in calcareous soil”. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with eight treatments and thrice replications. The organic treatments comprised of FYM @ 20 t ha-1, biocompost (BC) @ 20 t ha-1, vermicompost (VC) @ 5.0 t ha-1, green manure with moong, sugarcane trash @ 10 t ha-1, FYM + BC+ VC (1: 1: 0.5) @ 20 t ha-1. The results revealed that the application of organic amendments significantly increased the soil organic carbon content & stock and different organic carbon pool parameters in post-harvest soil. The percent increase in soil organic carbon content and stock due to the addition of the organic amendments over control ranged from 22.75 - 47. 25 and 6.49 - 23. 50 % after harvest of sugarcane ratoon, respectively. The significantly higher value of watersoluble carbon (49. 89 - 56. 22), water-soluble carbohydrate (193.07 - 203.63) soil microbial biomass carbon ( 238.80 - 243.15 mg kg-1) and CO2 evolution ( 52.56 - 65.04 mg 100 gm-1 soil day-1) was recorded in organic treated plots over control after harvest of the ratoon crop under sugarcane plant - ratoon system. In organic treatments, a significant decrease in bulk density (4.1 - 6.8 %) and increase in porosity (5.1 - 8.4%) were registered over control in post- harvest soil after the ratoon crop. The available N, P2O5 & K2O content in soil significantly increased due to the addition of the organic amendments over control which ranged from 236.25 - 266.28, 24.41 - 34.40 & 117.24 - 124.41 and 249.48 - 272.58, 30.15 - 40.18 & 119.26 - 127.05 kg ha-1, in sugarcane plant and ratoon crops, respectively. A positive and significant correlation was obtained between carbon pool parameters and soil quality parameters. The application of different organic amendments significantly increased the number of tillers & millable cane and cane yield in sugarcane plant and ratoon crops. However, a non-significant effect on cane germination, height, girth and single cane weight were observed. The addition of organic amendments showed higher cane and sugar yield which was at par with RDF. The plant and ratoon cane yield in organic treatments varied from 43.69 - 85.86 and 35.87 - 77.27 t ha-1 and sugar yield from 4.92 -10.70 & 4.06 - 10.56 t ha-1, respectively. The N, P & K uptake by sugarcane plant and ratoon crops varied from 200.01 - 292.7, 17.9 - 19.8 & 200.5 - 278. 9 and 152.0 - 255.6, 10.6 - 15.9 & 170.0 - 249.9 kg ha-1, respectively. The maximum B: C ratio in sugarcane plant and the ratoon crops was registered in the treatment receiving green manuring with moong (2.29 & 2.98) which was at par with treatments receiving sugarcane trash @ 10 t ha-1 (2.13 & 2.71), vermicompost @ 5.0 t ha-1 (1.93 & 2.37) and farmyard manure @ 20 t ha-1 (2.18 & 2.92), respectively. Thus, the application of FYM @ 20 t ha-1 or vermicompost @ 5.0 t ha-1 or sugarcane trash @ 10 t ha-1 or green manure with moong was beneficial for restoration of soil carbon stocks, maintaining soil health, enhancing cane & sugar yield and getting economic returns under sugarcane plant-ratoon system in calcareous soil of Bihar.ThesisItem Open Access Soil health and nutrient fractions (P, K, and Zn) as influenced by long-term application of organics and inorganics in calcareous soil under rice-wheat cropping system(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) DAS, RAJESWARI; Kumar, MukeshTo examine the sustainability of any management practices long-term experiments are regarded as important tools. The long-term experiments could precisely evaluate the effect of continuous application of primary, secondary and micronutrients on overall soil health and crop productivity. Long-term fertiliser experiments could monitor the trends in crop yield resulting from changes in soil fertility. In India, several long-term studies have shown wide variability in crop productivity, and it is essential to monitor the long-term changes in crop yields, soil nutrient status, and nutrient supplying capacity to ensure and improve crop productivity. These considerations have prompted to undertake the present investigation, which was carried out in an on-going field experiment started in Rabi 1988-89 under AICRP on STCR project at Research Farm of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur, Bihar, India. The experiment was carried out with rice (Cv. Rajshree) and wheat (Cv. HD- 2733) as test crops for Kharif (2019) and Rabi (2019-20), respectively. The experimental site experienced a sub-tropical climate with an average annual precipitation of 1345 mm, the summer was hot and humid and too cold winter and the experimental soil belonged to order entisols. The experiment was conducted in a split-plot design with four levels of fertilizers viz. no NPK (Fo), 50% of the recommended dose of NPK (F1), 100% of the recommended dose of NPK (F2) and 150% of the recommended dose of NPK (F3) were applied as treatments in main plots. The main plots were divided into four sub-plots in which treatments viz. no manures (M0), compost @ 10 t ha-1 (M1), crop residue (M2), and compost + crop residue (M3) were superimposed over NPK levels making a total of 16 treatment combinations with three replications. The study intended to assess the effect of the organic and inorganic treatments on soil health, nutrient fractions and crop performance in rice-wheat cropping system. Most of the observations were recorded thrice i.e., before transplanting of rice, after harvesting of rice and after wheat harvest. The experimental findings of the effect of long-term application of organics and inorganics on soil physical properties revealed a significant reduction in bulk density up to the application of 150% NPK as inorganics, and a 15% decline was observed due to conjoint application of compost and crop residue over control (no organics). Soil penetration resistance reduced significantly due to the application of compost and organics down to a depth of 60 cm, and the maximum reduction (19%) over control (no organics) was observed with the conjoint application of compost and crop residue. Water holding capacity and volumetric moisture content increased significantly up to 150% NPK as inorganics, and conjoint application of compost and crop residue recorded the highest percent increase (27.5% and 12.5%, respectively) over control (no organics). Mean weight diameter of water-stable aggregates increased due to conjoint application of organics and inorganics and a recorded 1.5-fold increase over absolute control (no NPK, no organics). No significant changes were observed with soil pH and EC. Whereas, Soil organic carbon increased up to 1.7-fold over absolute control (4.44-4.91 g kg-1), up to 2-fold over 31 years of continuous application of organics and inorganics over control and was recorded highest (8.22-8.42 g kg-1) with the conjoint application of 150% NPK + compost + crop residue. Availability of N and P2O5 increased significantly up to 150% NPK, and with organics were recorded highest with the conjoint application of organics and inorganics. Due to the interaction effect between organics and inorganics, a 2-fold increase in the soil available N and a 4.5 fold increase in available P2O5 was observed with 150% NPK + compost + crop residue over absolute control (187.36-190.71 kg ha-1 and 13.71-15.25 kg ha-1, N and P2O5 respectively). Conjoint application with organics performed better than the sole application of organics at all the three graded doses of NPK, i.e., 50%, 100% and 150%. No interaction effect was observed between organics and inorganics for available K2O content and responded up to 150% NPK and recorded highest with the conjoint application of compost and crop residue (144.12- 152.99 kg ha-1). After 31 years of continuous application of NPK, compost and crop residue available N, available P2O5 and available K2O were enhanced to a tune of 2-fold, 3.4-fold, and 1.6-fold, respectively, over control. Observations of soil biological properties revealed a 3-fold increase in soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, a 2-fold increase in soil respiration and an 8-fold increase in soil dehydrogenase activity over absolute control due to the interaction effect of 150% NPK+ compost + crop residue. Also, 150% NPK+ compost + crop residue was 30% superior over absolute control for soil alkaline phosphatase activity. The distribution of different fractions of revealed that continuous application of organics and inorganics significantly affected all the fractions of P, and the highest total P was recorded with 150% NPK+ compost + crop residue. Among inorganic P fractions Ca10P and Ca8P (28% and 10%) contributed highest towards total P. Ca2P, and Ca8P increased by six times and 4.5 times, respectively over absolute control due to periodic application of 150%NPK + compost + crop residue. All the fractions of P were positively correlated with each other except for Ca10P. Among different forms of K, Structural K and non exchangeable K contributed highest (78% and 21%) towards total K. All the fractions of K increased due to increased application of inorganic fertilizers and organics, the treatments receiving 150% NPK and combined application of compost and crop residue recording the highest. Available K was highly correlated to non exchangeable and structural K. Most of the Zn in soil were present in form and was found as residual Zn (92% of total Zn). The highest rice yield (50 q ha-1) in terms of grain was observed with 150% NPK + compost + crop residue, and the same trend was followed with yields of wheat crop (46.11 q ha-1). Yield maximisation was observed with the conjoint application of compost and crop residue and inorganic fertilisers at all three doses as compared to the sole application of fertilisers. Nutrient uptake in terms of N, P, K and Zn followed the yield trend in both crops. Application of 100% NPK and 150% NPK performed equally in economic terms (B: C) though yield maximisation was observed with 150% NPK. Conjoint application of crop residue along with 150% NPK resulted in the best economics. This signifies the pronounced response of organics in calcareous soils. Balanced application of organics and inorganic fertilisers provided a favourable environment for rice and wheat crops growth in the experimental calcareous soil. For yield maximization, farmers can be recommended with 100% recommended dose of NPK, but for sustainable crop production and soil health in calcareous soil, 150% NPK + compost + crop residue should be recommended. 100% crop residue returning along with 150% NPK could be most economical to enhance crop yield beyond the recommended dose of fertilisers.ThesisItem Open Access Study of Changes in Soil Properties and Ground Water Quality at Industrial Effluent Disposal Site of Bela at Muzaffarpur District(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) RANI, SONAL; SINGH, A. K.The present investigation had been planned to see a potential change in soil and ground water contamination due to disposal of industrial effluents in surrounding areas of Bela at Muzaffarpur district. Altogether, 15 soil and ground water each sample from various sources were collected at different locations in vicinity of the discharge point of the tannery effluents at 100m interval. The data obtained from the investigation revealed that there was 230% increase in organic carbon, 183% increase in Nitrogen content, 121% increase in Phosphorus, 72% increase in Iron and 318% increase in Chromium in surface soils at discharge point of the effluent water as compared to the farthest point (1400m) from the disposal site. Tannery industrial effluents contains 124% more salt content, 330% more Na, 122% more Chloride, 103% more Ca+ Mg, 113% more carbonate + bicarbonates, 245% more SAR, 18% more Iron and 175% more Cr than groundwater, which makes it unsuitable for irrigation. However, the results indicated that by and large, effluent water contained more amount of much amount of all quality parameters followed by hand pump followed by deep Tube well. Based on the irrigation classes, majority of the ground water samples fall under C2S2 class which indicated that the ground water can safely be used for irrigation purpose. Further, observations confirmed that majority of the ground water samples of various sources (away from the disposal sites) may be used as effective sources of irrigation. However, a few samples nearby vicinity of disposal sites were fall under C3S4 class, which were not found safe for irrigation.ThesisItem Open Access RELATIONSHIP OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES WITH SULPHUR FRACTIONS IN CALCAREOUS SOILS OF BIHAR(Dr.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) JAISWAL, SHUBHAM; Tiwari, SanjayThe present investigation on the relationship of different physico-chemical properties with different pools of sulphur was carried out on the bulk of soil samples collected from four different districts (Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, East Champaran and West Champaran). These 160 soil samples from four districts were chosen on the basis of variations in their available sulphur content. Thus, 20 sulphur deficient and 20 sulphur sufficient soil samples were considered for the study. Among the different forms of sulphur, organic sulphur constituted the major fraction of total sulphur, while water soluble-S and sulphate -S being the minor fractions of total-S. The pH, CaCO3, organic carbon and sand fraction emerged as the most dominant soil properties in determining the variations in different forms of S as evidenced by correlation studies. The trend of variations in different pools of sulphur was found as; total S > organic S > residual S > inorganic S > sulphate S > water soluble S among the different districts considered for the study. The significant and positive correlations among different forms of S evinced the existence of dynamic equilibrium among their various forms. Correlation coefficient (r) study between different physico-chemical properties and different pools of sulphur showed that sand, clay, pH, free CaCO3 and organic carbon contents emerged as most promising soil physical and chemical parameters in governing the availability of different forms of sulphur in soils of these four districts.ThesisItem Open Access IMPACT OF LONG-TERM SOIL TEST CROP RESPONSE BASED FERTILIZER APPLICATION ON PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY IN CALCAREOUS SOIL UNDER RICE- WHEAT CROPPING SYSTEM(DR.RPCAU, Pusa, 2021) KUMAR, SHASHIKANT; Jha, ShankarA field experiment was conducted to study the effect of long-term soil test crop response based fertilizer application on phosphorus availability in calcareous soil under rice-wheat cropping system during Kharif 2019 at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur. The treatments comprised of STCR based yield target approach with 35, 40 and 45 q ha-1 with or without IPNS and in IPNS, 5 tonnes of compost ha-1 were applied. Among the different fraction Ca-P was the dominant fraction followed by Residual P. The different phosphorus forms comprised of Labile P (3.17 – 9.93 kg ha-1), Fe/Al P (9.95 – 23.88 kg ha-1), Ca-P (258.27 – 374.19 kg ha-1), Occluded P (16.62 – 33.41 kg ha-1), Residual P (76.34 – 120.28 kg ha-1), Organic P (37.77 – 127.41 kg ha-1) and Total P (405.41 – 661.43 kg ha-1) in surface soil and Labile P (1.10 – 4.42 kg ha-1), Fe/Al-P (5.46 – 8.37 kg ha-1), Ca-P (135.31 – 240.71 kg ha-1), Occluded P (9.49 – 19.86 kg ha-1), Residual P (68.24 – 94.98 kg ha-1), Organic P (16.98 – 45.09 kg ha-1) and Total P (237.97 – 384.29 kg ha-1) in sub surface varied significantly due to different treatment combination. The treatment T9 with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS shows maximum of labile P, Fe/Al-P, Occluded P, Residual P and Organic P in both the depth of soil and Total P was found highest in T9 under surface layer of soil but in sub surface, it was observed highest under T3 receiving general recommended dose. Ca-P was found highest in treatment T3 receiving general recommended dose in both the layer of soils. The soil available P (3.28 – 6.52 kg ha-1 in surface layer and 1.39 – 3.46 kg ha-1 in sub surface layer) before sowing of rice and available P in post harvest soil (2.79 – 5.89 kg ha-1 in surface layer and 1.17 – 2.46 kg ha-1 in sub surface layer) varied significantly as per the treatments. The treatment T9 with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS shows maximum amount of available P in both pre sowing as well as post harvest soil. The mean bulk density value ranged between 1.30 – 1.40 Mg m-3 and water holding capacity ranged between 31.51 – 35.18 %. Lowest bulk density and highest water holding capacity found in the treatment T9 with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS. Alkaline phosphatase activity found much higher over Acid phosphatase might be due to calcareous nature of soil. The treatment T9 with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS shows significant higher activity of alkaline phosphatase (41.09 μg PNP g-1h-1 in surface and 24.20 μg PNP g-1h-1 in sub surface soil), acid phosphatase (0.527 μg PNP g-1h-1 in surface and 0.081 μg PNP g-1h-1 in sub-surface layer of soil) and PSB (19.27 104 cfu g-1) over control. Overall, the highest plant P uptake was also observed in the treatment T9 (13.59 kg ha-1) with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS followed by T6 (12.89 kg ha-1) with YT of 45 q ha-1. Grain yield and straw yield is a direct function of different growth and yield attributes of plants like plant height, number of tillers/m2, number of grain/panicle, test weight etc. The treatments T9 with YT of 45 q ha-1 + IPNS shows maximum plant height (125.9 cm), number of tillers/m2 (199), number of grains/panicle (135) followed by T6 with YT of 45 q ha-1. Test weight didn’t show any significant changes amongst the different treatments. This increase in all the growth and yield attributes of plants under T9 resulting in increase in grain and straw yield. Grain and straw yield of T9 (4.43 and 5.52 t ha-1) was observed significantly higher over the control. P balance was found negative under the control and it shows increasing trend with increase in fertilizer dose. Lower P balance was observed in integrated plot might be due to low input, more uptake and better utilization of nutrients. Available P was found positively and significantly correlated with alkaline phosphatase, PSB, acid phosphatase, different forms of P except Ca-P and water holding capacity in surface soil. It was found to be negatively correlated with bulk density of soil. Under sub-surface condition, available P was found to be positively and significantly correlated with alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, all other forms of P except Ca-P and Total P. STCR based IPNS treatment not only helps in achieving the yield target with least use of input but also helps in improving the condition of soil health and increasing the farm income.ThesisItem Open Access Screening of nitrogen efficient rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes under nitrogen deficient calcareous soil(DRPCAU, PUSA, 2021) SAHOO, SANKET; SINGH, PANKAJ‘A field experimentation was led at Dr. RPCAU Soil Science Research field, under A.I.C.R.P. project, during Kharif season of 2020-21 in a nitrogen deficient (mineralizable nitrogen = 198.9 kg ha-1) sandy loam calcareous soil to study about yield, nutrient uptake capacity and ‘nitrogen use efficiency’ of ten rice genotypes under different ‘levels of nitrogen’ and screening of nitrogen use efficient genotype. The experimental design was split-plot, assigning three levels of nitrogen (0, 60 and 120 kg N ha-1) to the main plot and ten rice varieties (CNN-1, CNN-2, CNN-3, CNN4, CNN-5, BCV-1, MTU-1010, Vardhan, Rasi, T1-93) to the subplots with three replications. Sub-plot size was 7.2 m2 and recommended doses of fertilizer was N : P : K :: 120 : 60 : 40 and ZnSO4 @ 25 Kg ha -1. The results of this investigation were found as, yield and nitrogen uptake of varieties increase linearly with nitrogen doses. But, yield and uptake between genotypes varies on the basis of their genotypic characteristics. The highest agronomic efficiency and physiological efficiency was attained by genotype CNN-5, while the highest apparent nitrogen recovery and utilization efficiency was attained by genotype TI-93, the highest Agro-physiological efficiency was attained by both CNN-5 and CNN-3. However, the highest ‘physiological efficiency index of nitrogen’ and ‘nitrogen harvest index’ was attained by CNN-3. On the basis of ‘Grain Yield Efficiency Index (GYEI)’ BCV-1, Vardhan, MTU-1010 and CNN-5 were found nutrient efficient genotypes, CNN-2 and Rasi were found nutrient inefficient genotypes and CNN-4, CNN-3, CNN-1, TI-93 genotypes were found moderately susceptible. On the basis of average yield of genotypes at low nitrogen level and average Physiological Efficiency Index of Nitrogen (PEIN) of genotypes, BCV-1 and CNN-5 were found efficient and responsive (ER), although both have different yield potential, Vardhan, MTU-1010 were found efficient and non-responsive (ENR), however only CNN-3 was non-efficient and responsive (NER) genotype and CNN-1, CNN-2, CNN-4, Rasi and TI-93 were non-efficient and non-responsive (NENR) genotypes. Among all genotypes under study, BCV-1 was found the best genotype in calcareous soil.
