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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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1992 - 199912020 - 20211
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Author: Kumar, Deepak × Start date: 1980 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Response of mustard [Brassica Juncea (l.) Czern and Coss] to terminal heat stress and its amelioration by Brassinosteroid
    (DRPCAU, Pusa, 2021) Kumar, Deepak; Kavita
    Mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss] is an important oilseed crop belonging to family Brassicaceae (Syn. Cruciferae) which is sensitive to heat and is adversely affected by terminal heat stress in terms of growth and yield. Brassinosteroid treatment of plants can enhance the growth under terminal heat stress condition, which is an eco-friendly approach to sustainable agriculture. The present investigation entitled “Response of mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss] to terminal heat stress and its amelioration by Brassinosteroid.” was conducted with two objectives viz., to identify contrasting set of mustard genotypes against terminal heat stress, and to study the response of brassinosteroid on morphophysiological and biochemical traits in contrasting mustard genotypes under terminal heat stress. For the identification of contrasting set of mustard genotypes to terminal heat stress, experiment was conducted with two sowing dates i.e. normal and late sown at Research farm, Tirhut College of Agriculture, Dholi, Muzaffarpur, Bihar in RCBD, replicated thrice with 20 genotypes viz., NPJ-213, DRMR 15-9, DRMR 1191-2, DRMR 1C192, DRMR 2017-15, PRO 5222, RGN 368, JD 6, NRCHB 101, DRMR 2300, DRMR 1616-47, RH 749, DRMRIC16-39, RLC 7, RH 1599-41, DRMR 1153- 12, DRMR 2059, RH 919, RMWR 09-1 and LES 54. On the basis of percent reduction in seed yield, one set of mustard genotypes i.e. tolerant (DRMR 15-9) and susceptible (RH 1599-41) were taken for evaluating the effect of brassinosteroid on morphophysiological and biochemical parameters viz., plant height, number of branches per plant, relative water content, membrane stability index, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll stability index and antioxidative enzymes (catalase, peroxidase) and biochemical (proline) under normal and late sown conditions. The selected cultivars were sown in pots in CRD and foliar application of brassinosteroid (24- epibrassinolide) i.e. control, 10 ppm and 20 ppm were applied at flowering stage. Results showed that mustard genotypes on exposure to terminal heat stress, experienced reduction in quantity of yield at harvest. Genotype DRMR 15-9 had the minimum reduction in yield while RH 1599-41 showed the maximum reduction in yield and hence rated as relatively tolerant and susceptible genotypes, respectively. Morphological (plant height, number of branches per plant) and physiological parameters (relative water content, membrane stability index, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll stability index) remarkably decreased due to terminal heat stress and conversely increased in all the brassinosteroid treatments over control (without brassinosteroid), whereas biochemical (proline) and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase) were remarkably increased due to terminal heat stress which was further increased by foliar application of brassinosteroid. On the basis of present study it was concluded that, terminal heat stress adversely affected morpho-physiological and biochemical attributes of mustard genotypes. These parameters were best improved under control as well as terminal heat stress with the foliar application of brassinosteroid @ 20 ppm during flowering stage. Hence, this treatment can be used in ameliorating terminal heat stress.