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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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Author: Rani, Ediga Usha × End date: 2019 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Physiological response of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotypes to salinity stress and its mitigation through microbial inoculation
    (Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Samastipur (Bihar), 2018) Rani, Ediga Usha; Kavita
    Lentil is an important legume crop which is highly sensitive to salinity and is adversely affected by salt stress in terms of growth and yield. Inoculation of plants with microbes such as Trichoderma viride, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas can enhance plant growth during salt stress, which is an eco-friendly approach to sustainable agriculture. The present investigation entitled “Physiological response of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotypes to salinity stress and its mitigation through microbial inoculation” was conducted with two objectives viz., to identify contrasting sets of lentil genotypes against salinity stress on the basis of physiological traits, and to study physiological response of microbes application in contrasting genotypes under salinity stress. For the identification of contrasting sets of lentil genotypes to salinity stress, experiment was performed in Petri dishes with seventeen genotypes. All genotypes were subjected to control and salinity stress (4.0 and 8.0 dSm-1) for 7 days and physiological parameters viz. germination percentage, seedling length, seedling dry weight, germination relative index, vigour index-І and vigour index-II were observed. Results showed a significant decrease in values of these parameters under salinity stress compared to control condition. Among genotypes, the least reduction in germination percentage, seedling length, seedling dry weight, germination relative index, vigour index-І and vigour index-II value were observed in genotypes RLG-234 and RLG-254 while the maximum percent reduction was observed in LL-931 and SJL 7-2. For the second objective, contrasting set of genotypes i.e., tolerant (RLG-234 and RLG-254) and susceptible genotypes (LL-931 and SJL 7-2) were sown in CRD with three replications in plastic pot filled with soil having EC 4.0 dSm-1. The contrasting genotypes were primed with different commercial formulation of microbes (Trichoderma viride, Pseudomonas fluorescence, Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma viride + Pseudomonas fluorescence, Trichoderma viride + Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescence + Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma viride + Pseudomonas fluorescence + Bacillus subtilis) and morpho-physiological and biochemical response under salinity stress was studied. Results showed that morphological (root length, shoot length, root dry weight, shoot dry weight) , physiological (relative water content, membrane stability index, total chlorophyll content) biochemical (proline, soluble protein, total free amino acids) and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase) were significantly increased in all the treatments over control (without microbial inoculation), whereas lipid peroxidation and protease activity was significantly decreased in all the treatments. Sodium content was decreased while potassium content was significantly increased in both root and shoot. Potassium- sodium ratio was higher in shoot than in root. On the basis of present study it was concluded that, salinity stress adversely affected morpho-physiological, biochemical attributes and nutritional content (Na and K) in lentil genotypes. These parameters were improved under salinity stress with the combined application of Pseudomonas fluorescence, Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma viride showing synergistic response in ameliorating salinity stress.