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Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat

Assam Agricultural University is the first institution of its kind in the whole of North-Eastern Region of India. The main goal of this institution is to produce globally competitive human resources in farm sectorand to carry out research in both conventional and frontier areas for production optimization as well as to disseminate the generated technologies as public good for benefitting the food growers/produces and traders involved in the sector while emphasizing on sustainability, equity and overall food security at household level. Genesis of AAU - The embryo of the agricultural research in the state of Assam was formed as early as 1897 with the establishment of the Upper Shillong Experimental Farm (now in Meghalaya) just after about a decade of creation of the agricultural department in 1882. However, the seeds of agricultural research in today’s Assam were sown in the dawn of the twentieth century with the establishment of two Rice Experimental Stations, one at Karimganj in Barak valley in 1913 and the other at Titabor in Brahmaputra valley in 1923. Subsequent to these research stations, a number of research stations were established to conduct research on important crops, more specifically, jute, pulses, oilseeds etc. The Assam Agricultural University was established on April 1, 1969 under The Assam Agricultural University Act, 1968’ with the mandate of imparting farm education, conduct research in agriculture and allied sciences and to effectively disseminate technologies so generated. Before establishment of the University, there were altogether 17 research schemes/projects in the state under the Department of Agriculture. By July 1973, all the research projects and 10 experimental farms were transferred by the Government of Assam to the AAU which already inherited the College of Agriculture and its farm at Barbheta, Jorhat and College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara, Guwahati. Subsequently, College of Community Science at Jorhat (1969), College of Fisheries at Raha (1988), Biswanath College of Agriculture at Biswanath Chariali (1988) and Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science at Joyhing, North Lakhimpur (1988) were established. Presently, the University has three more colleges under its jurisdiction, viz., Sarat Chandra Singha College of Agriculture, Chapar, College of Horticulture, Nalbari & College of Sericulture, Titabar. Similarly, few more regional research stations at Shillongani, Diphu, Gossaigaon, Lakhimpur; and commodity research stations at Kahikuchi, Buralikson, Tinsukia, Kharua, Burnihat and Mandira were added to generate location and crop specific agricultural production packages.

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20191
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Subject: Soil Science × Author: Chauhan, Manoj Kumar × End date: 2019 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    CHANGES IN SOIL BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AS EFFECTED BY THE APPLICATION OF ORGANIC INPUTS IN RICE-TORIA SEQUENCE
    (AAU, Jorhat, 2019-07) Chauhan, Manoj Kumar; Baruah, Rajen
    The field trials were conducted to assess the changes in soil chemical and biological parameters along with yield and yield attributing characters of rice and toria crops in sequence during 2015-17. The treatment combinations were as Control (T1), 50% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF)+50% biofertilzer (BF) (T2), 50% RDF+50% Enriched Compost (EC) (T3), 100% RDF (T4), 100% BF (T5) and 100% EC (T6). The data were recorded at various stages of crop growth and soil samples were analysed for different characters at different stages of rice and toria crops. The results showed that the treatment T3 consisting of 50% EC and 50% RDF recorded the highest accumulation of N (265.49 and 258.01 kg/ha), P (23.14 and 23.00 kg/ha), and K (152.94 and 148.38 kg/ha) at maximum tillering stage of rice and flowering stage of toria, respectively but remained at par with 100% RDF treatment in both the crops during the period of investigations. The accumulation of organic carbon (12.49 g/kg soil in rice and 12.14 g/kg soil in toria) was recorded significantly higher than 100% RDF treatment (11.01 g/kg soil in rice and 10.60 g/kg soil in toria) at similar stages of both the crops which remained at par with 100% EC (T6) treatment. Soil accumulation of Organic carbon (OC), N, P and K was found higher in T6 treatment over T5 treatment. However, soil accumulation of OC, N, P and K gradually declined from maximum tillering stages of rice and flowering stage of toria to harvesting stage of both the crops. Although no significant changes in soil pH was recorded, but the lowest pH was recorded in T4 treatment in both the crops ranging from pH 5.19 to pH 5.22, even lower than the initial soil pH value of 5.24. The results revealed that the bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes population varied with the treatments and with the stage of the crops. The treatments comprising of 50% EC and 50% RDF (T3) recorded the highest bacterial population of 19.63 cfu x105/g and 19.25 cfu x105/g soil at flowering stages of rice and toria, respectively. The fungal population was 9.12 cfu x105/g soil in rice and 8.88 cfu x105/g soil in toria, respectively. The actinomycetes population was 45.75 cfu x104/g soil in rice and 45.12 cfu x104/g soil in toria at flowering stages of rice and toria crops and declined thereafter at harvesting stages of both the crops. The microbial diversity in T3 and other organic treatments found significantly higher than 100% RDF and control treatment. Soil respiration, microbial biomass carbon, and soil enzymes (fluorescein di-acetate activity, dehydrogenase activity, acid phosphatase activity and urease activity) behaved differently with different treatment whereas T3 (50% EC + 50% RDF) exhibited the best performance over other treatments at all the stages of rice and toria crops during both the years. All the biological parameters were found at their peak at flowering stages and declined thereafter at harvesting stages of both the crops. All the bio-chemical properties in treated plots in rice-toria sequence were found significantly higher than the untreated control and even over the initial values of each parameters. Unlike soil bio-chemical properties, agronomic parameters of rice (no. of tillers/hill, plant height, panicle length, grain and straw yield) and toria (plant height, no. of siliqua/plant, grain and stover yield) crops recorded higher values in 100% RDF (T4) treatment which remained at par with, 50% EC + 50% RDF treatment (T3). The grain yield of rice (45.09 q/ha) and toria (893.38 kg/ha) in the 100% fertilized plots (T4) were found at par with T3 treatment (43.72 q/ha in rice 885.63 kg/ha in toria) receiving 50% EC and 50% RDF, but both recorded significantly higher yield over sole application of biofertilizer, enriched compost and control treatment. The beneficial effect of INM treatment (T3) that facilitated favourable soil conditions were reflected in grain yield of both rice and toria crops which was equivalent even with 100% RDF treatments. Rice yield was more closely and positively correlated (at p<0.05) with OC (r=0.587*), N (r=0.932*), P (r=0.746*) and K (r=0.972*) as compared to soil enzymes such as acid phosphatase (r=0.637*), urease (r=0.512*). Similarly, a strong relationship was also recorded among toria yield with OC, N, P and K and other soil biochemical properties. Furthermore, soil respiration and MBC exhibited strong relationship both in rice (r=0.961*) and toria (r=0.966*) crop. All the soil biological properties registered positive correlation with chemical properties of soil.