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Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi
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ThesisItem Open Access ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY OF PIGEON PEA BASED INTERCROPPING SYSTEM THROUGH NITROGEN MANAGEMENT USING NANO UREA(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2024) Peeyush Kumar Jaysawal; S. KarmakarPulse is an important protein source for large portions of vegetarian population. Among the pulses pigeon pea is the prime Kharif pulse grown under rainfed condition in India and because of its slow initial growth, intercropping with cereals is a common practice where nitrogen management is a cumbersome process. Keeping these facts in view, a field experiment entitled “Enhancing productivity of pigeon pea based intercropping system through nitrogen management using Nano urea” was carried out during Kharif season for two consecutive years, 2021-22 and 2022-23 at Agronomy Research Farm, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi to find out a suitable pigeon pea based intercropping system with suitable nitrogen management using nano urea for improving productivity and profitability. The experimental soil was sandy-loam in nature having moderately acidic pH (5.51), low in organic carbon (4.83 g/kg) and available nitrogen (193.5 kg/ha), medium in available phosphorous (22.5 kg/ha) and potassium (201.8 kg/ha) along with microbial population of bacteria (28.9 × 106 cfu/g of soil), fungus (38.8 ×104 cfu/g of soil) and actinomycetes (8.7 ×106 cfu/g of soil). The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with five cropping systems in main plots viz. C1: sole pigeon pea, C2: sole sweet corn, C3: sole baby corn, C4: pigeon pea + sweet corn (1:1) and C5: pigeon pea + baby corn (1:1) and the sub-plots comprised of five nitrogen management practices viz. N1: 100% RDN, N2: 50% RDN, N3: 50% RDN+ two spray of nano urea (4ml/litter), N4: 50% RDN + two spray of urea (2%) and N5: control with three replications. A uniform dose of phosphorous and potash was applied as basal, as per the recommendation of the crops. The crop varieties used were Birsa Arhar 1, Sugar 75 and BVM 2, as test crops to raise pigeon pea, sweet corn and baby corn, respectively. Periodic observations on growth, yield, quality, nitrogen use efficiency, soil fertility; economics and agronomic indices were recorded and analyzed using the standard statistical procedure wherever possible. Mean data of growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, harvest index, protein content, carbohydrate content and N content were recorded maximum in sole crop of pigeon pea, sweet corn and baby corn. Among the intercropping systems, sweet corn intercropped with pigeon pea in additive series recorded maximum values of growth parameters, yield attributes, yield, harvest index, protein content, carbohydrate content and N content under 100% recommended dose of nitrogen which was closely followed by 50% recommended dose of nitrogen with two spray of nano urea. The phenological observations of sweet corn and baby corn i.e., days to 50% tasseling, days to 50% silking, tasseling-silking interval and days to 1st picking were recorded earlier under sole sweet corn and baby corn as compared to their intercropping system. The pigeon pea equivalent yield (3,869 kg/ha), protein yield (790 kg/ha), total N uptake (196.6 kg/ha), total P uptake (18.74 kg/ha), gross return (₹2,62,633/ha), net return (₹1,75,174/ha) were recorded maximum under pigeon pea + sweet corn intercropping system with application of 100% recommended dose of nitrogen which was found significantly superior over all other combinations except pigeon pea + sweet corn intercropping grown with 50% recommended dose of nitrogen + two spray of nano urea. However, maximum B:C ratio (3.03) was found with the application of 50% recommended dose of nitrogen + two spray of nano urea which was comparable to 100% recommended dose of nitrogen under pigeon pea + sweet corn intercropping system. Maximum LER (1.81) was registered under pigeon pea + sweet corn which was significantly superior over pigeon pea + baby corn intercropping system. Regarding nitrogen use efficiency, maximum partial factor productivity (52.5 kg economic yield/kg N applied), agronomic efficiency (24.1 kg economic yield increase/kg N applied), apparent recovery efficiency (115.4%), economic nutrient use efficiency (3.2 kg economic yield/₹ invested in nitrogen) and partial nutrient balance (1.43kg N uptake/kg N applied) were obtained with 50% recommended dose of nitrogen + two spray of nano urea and minimum with 100% recommended dose of nitrogen. After two crop cycles, a marginal improvement in soil organic carbon (4.86 g/kg) and available nitrogen (206.1 kg/ha) was recorded with 100% recommended dose of nitrogen whereas, increase in microbial population of bacteria (30.58 ×106 cfu/g of soil) and actinomycetes (9.17 ×106 cfu/g of soil) in soil was found with 50 % recommended dose of nitrogen + two spray of nano urea as compared to their initial values. Based on two years of experimentation, it may be concluded that pigeon pea intercropped with sweet corn (1:1 in additive series) is a promising intercropping system which can be grown either with 100 % recommended dose of nitrogen or with 50 % recommended dose of nitrogen + two spray of nano urea for harnessing high productivity, nutritional quality, profitability and maintaining soil health under rainfed acid lateritic condition of Jharkhand.ThesisItem Open Access Isolation, Screening of Lignocellulose Decomposer and Its Impact on Crop Residue Decomposition, Soil Properties and Yield of Crops(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) Shinde Reshma Bhausaheb; D.K. ShahiIn India, the top ten crops generating about 686 Mt of residues are estimated to hold the potential to supply 5.6 Mt of NPK nutrients to the soil. When left on the field, crop residues decompose into different organic substances through the action of various soil microbes over time. The isolation of native fast-degrading microbes from areas and their inoculation can potentially enhance crop residues' decomposition speed and nutrient release process. Considering this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted to study the isolation and screening of lignocellulose decomposer and its impact on crop residue decomposition, soil properties, and yield of crops at the research farm of ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, FSRCHPR, Ranchi, India. Fifteen strains of fungi and six bacteria were isolated as pure colonies from various sources, out of which seven isolated microbial cultures (IMC) were identified as lignocellulose decomposers. IMC 18 and IMC 4 had shown higher enzyme activities for decomposing cellulose and lignin and were identified as Trichoderma viridi and Aspergillus niger. The efficiency of these strains was tested through on-field trials to establish them as potential lignocellulose decomposers. The field experiment was laid out in a factorial randomized block design (FRBD) with two factors, consisting of three crop residues [paddy (C1), black gram (C2), and ragi straw (C3)] and five microbial inoculation treatments [control (T1), A. niger (T2), T. viridi (T3), A. niger + (1%) nitrogen application (T4) and T. viridi + (1%) nitrogen application (T5)] for each crop residue. In total, there were fifteen treatment combinations with two replications each. The decomposition and nutrient release patterns of all three crop residues were studied using litter bag techniques. Among the three types of crop residues, black gram straw exhibited the highest decomposition rate, followed by paddy straw and ragi straw. In treatment T5, where microbial inoculation was applied, over 90% of black gram straw decomposed within six months of field placement, while for paddy and ragi straw, this occurred within eight and nine months, respectively. Contrastingly, in the control treatment (T1) without microbial inoculation, over 90% decomposition of black gram straw occurred in eight months, while for paddy and ragi straw, it took ten and eleven months, respectively. The highest decomposition t99 period of 23.25 months was observed for ragi straw in the control treatment, while the shortest t99 period of 10.55 months was noted for black gram straw in treatment T5. In treatments with microbial inoculation, decomposition rates were 8.5-25% higher compared to the control. The sequence of straw decomposition rates in the microbial treatments followed the order: control < T2 < T3 < T4 < T5. Furthermore, the release rates of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) were higher in the microbial-inoculated treatments compared to those without inoculation. N, P, and K release rates followed the order K > P > N. The application of crop residues led to an increase in available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the soil. Treatment C1, involving paddy straw application at 5.0 t ha-1, exhibited the highest available N (264.0 kg ha-1) and P (34.0 kg ha-1). In contrast, treatment C3, with ragi straw at the same rate, showed the highest available K (337.3 kg ha-1). Among microbial treatments, the inoculation of Trichoderma culture with nitrogen supplementation (T5) resulted in a significant rise in available NPK (267.34, 35.99, and 340.73 kg ha-1, respectively) in the soil. Applying crop residues (paddy or ragi straw at 5.0 t ha-1) enhanced the yield of field pea, moong bean, and maize cropping systems by 5-12%. In microbial-inoculated treatments, notably higher grain yields were observed for field pea (4.21-11.7%), moong bean (4.35-11.6%), and maize (4.91-10.39%) compared to the control. Among microbial treatments, T5 demonstrated significantly higher grain yields (10.39-11.7%) and straw yields (7.37-19.67%) across all three crops. The present study illustrated that inoculation of Trichoderma and Aspergillus spp. culture, along with nitrogen supplementation, can be a practical approach for in situ residue management, leading to the proliferation of beneficial microorganisms that hasten the degradation process of crop residues. Adding crop residues (paddy or ragi straw @ 5.0 t ha-1) not only increased the yield of field pea, moong bean, and maize cropping system but also improved the other soil fertility parameters such as organic carbon, available NPK, DTPA-Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn content, soil microbial count and soil enzyme activity like dehydrogenase and FDA. These factors are necessary to achieve sustainable production and minimize soil nutrient depletion. The application of crop residues and inoculation of Trichoderma spp. or Aspergillus spp. and nitrogen supplementation has the potential of this environment-friendly technology for in situ straw management and nutrient sources in the low input cropping system.ThesisItem Open Access GENETIC STUDIES ON THREE F2 POPULATIONS OF RICE (Oryza sativa L.) USING MOLECULAR MARKERS(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) Jenny Priya Ekka; Krishna PrasadThe selection of superior genotypes highly depends on the genetic information obtained from the segregant’s relatives and some from their own performance for particular traits, which are expressed throughout their growth period. Any research stand firm on the building blocks of the variation observed in the raw materials and the knowledge of genetics. The phenotypic selection is directly proportional to the additively genetic basis of the observed variance, which Due to the manifold effects of the genes controlling the polygenic trait, the selection becomes complicated. As well as continuously changing climate, sometimes vague, and sometimes erroneously ideal, often causes the improvement resulting from selection to be much less effective than what could be achieved. The accumulation of genetic knowledge about the traits their interaction among themselves and the environment around them, justifies an exploration of better selection criteria for solving this problem for one trait at a time or for several traits with an independent culling level for each trait. The present work use of combined selection for assessment of F2 segregants using various indexes, estimators of individual additive genetic value, which consider the phenotypic value of the individual and the mean phenotypic value of the individual family and with view of the necessity of drought tolerant varieties, the present research programme is proposed utilizing new cross combination made between Naveen x IR64 Drt1, IR 36 x BVD 111 and IR 64 Drt1 x Vandana. Grown in three different blocks containing three different fertilizer dosage for identification of superior segregants that have lesser duration, consumer preferable grain types and high yield under water stress condition also. In the study the coefficient of variation was higher for yield characters like number of tillers, flag leaf area (cm2), number of panicles per plant, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, number of filled grains, number of unfilled grains, biomass, grain test (1000) weight (g) and yield per plant (g) in all the 3 crosses even in the 3 different blocks. For the root traits all the root characters under study like total root length (cm), projected root area (cm2), number of root tips per plant, number of root segments, average root diameter (mm), root volume (cm3) and root dry weight (g) also had wide range of variation. From the study of skewness characters like number of tillers, number of panicles per plant, number of chaffy seeds, biomass per plant, yield per plant, pulled root length, number of root tips, number of root segments, root volume and average root diameter showed complementary gene action through positive skewness for each of the cross. In all the cross number of tillers as found to had Platykutosis showing involvement of many genes. Among all the crosses number tillers, number of grains, total number of spikelets, projected root surface area and root dry weight were observed to have positive highly significant correlation with plant yield. The grain phosphorous observed to have lower and desirable grain content in F2 progenies of cross 3 (IR 36 xBVD11). From the molecular study there was an observed segregation distortion, due to which the deviation of the F2 progenies in the 3 crosses were deviated to either the maternal or the paternal side, which was observed for chromosome 6 and chromosome 2 for all the root length, root-shoot ratio, root volume, dry root weight, and fresh root weight for drought tolerances. The segregants having found homozygous or heterozygous for the concerned molecular marker for the root traits can be affirmative for the presences of the desirable gene and thus can be selected for superior root traits and similarity with only one parentsThesisItem Open Access EFFICACY OF ZINC (Zn) AND SULPHUR (S) CONTAINING FERTILIZER ON PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY OF WHEAT GROWN UNDER ACID SOIL OF JHARKHAND(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) Pooja Bharti; B. K. AgarwalA field experiment entitled “Efficacy of Zinc (Zn) and Sulphur (S) containing fertilizer on productivity and profitability of wheat grown under acid soil of Jharkhand” was conducted during Rabi 2021-22 at the experimental farm of Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand with an objective to compare the performance of different sources of zinc and sulphur containing fertilizer on yield attributes, yield, economics of the wheat crop along with the translocation study of zinc and sulphur in different plant parts and their nutrient uptake. In addition, soil samples were analysed for changes in chemical properties of soil viz. soil reaction (pH), electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC), available N, available P, available K, available Zn and available S content. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Block Design (RBD) replicated thrice with seven treatments. The treatments were T1- 100% NPK (120: 60: 40), T2- 100% NPK + 1.5 kg Zn through Zinc Sulphate, T3- 100% NPK + 2.5 kg Zn through Zinc Sulphate, T4- 100% NPK + 5.0 kg Zn through Zinc Sulphate, T5- 100% NPK + 1.5 kg Zn through Techno-Z, T6- 100% NPK + 2.5 kg Zn through Techno-Z and T7- 100% NPK + 5.0 kg Zn through Techno-Z. The results revealed that maximum growth and yield attributes viz. no. of spikes/m2 (358.86), no. of grains/spike (48.39), 1000 grain weight (41.93 g), ear head length (11.55 cm) and ear head weight (4.53 g) were recorded at peak with treatment T7. Whereas, the treatment T3, T4 and T6 showed statistically at par results with T7 in case of all yield attributing characters. It was also observed that the highest grain yield (48.20 q ha-1 ), straw yield (73.42 q ha-1 ) and harvest index (39.64 %) was achieved with the treatment T7 and the treatment T3, T4 and T6 showed statistically at par results. However, the highest B:C ratio i.e., 2.32 was found with the treatment T4 whereas in case of T7 it was only 2.04. This was only because of the higher cost of Techno-Z in comparison to that of Zinc Sulphate. As far the study of Zn translocation was concerned, the data disclosed that the highest Zn content was in lower leaf as compared to that of middle leaf and upper leaf respectively. Whereas, among all the treatments, the highest Zn content was reported in treatment T7 in case of lower leaf. It had 48.38% and 55.90% higher Zn content as compared to middle leaf and lower leaf respectively. This implied the moderately immobile nature of Zn in plant system. In case of lower leaf and middle leaf the maximum Zn concentration was reported with the treatment T7 and in case of upper leaf the peak was found with the treatment T4. However, the highest Zn concentration in grains (46.5 mg kg-1 ), straw (62.9 mg kg-1 ) and husk (20.00 mg kg-1 ) was reported with the treatment T4. In case of sulphur, results showed that maximum S content was found in the lower leaf in comparison to middle leaf and upper leaf respectively. It was due to the immobile nature of S in plant parts. Whereas, among all the treatments, the highest S concentration was reported in treatment T7 in all plant parts. When compared to that of lower leaf the percentage decrease in sulphur content in case of middle leaf and upper leaf was 48.06% and 55.81% respectively for treatment T7. The highest concentration of sulphur in grain (0.193%), straw (0.114%), husk (0.061%) was recorded with the treatment T7. For grains, T7 showed 16.64% higher values than that of treatment T4. In case of soil, maximum reduction in pH in post- harvest soil was 0.09 and it was common for 5 treatments (T1, T3, T4, T6 and T7) and least reduction in pH was 0.02 for T5 treatment. There was hardly any change in the EC values in case of post-harvest soil due to application of different sources of Zn and S containing fertilizers. Whereas, organic carbon content decreased in the post- harvest soil and maximum reduction was 0.25 for treatment T4 and least reduction was 0.08 which was common for 3 treatments (T1, T3 and T7). The Nitrogen (N) content varied from 242.00 to 267.70 kg ha-1 and 231.50 to 263.50 kg ha-1 for pre-sowing and post- harvest soil respectively. Highest Available N (267.70 kg ha-1 ) was found with the treatment T4 at both the stages. The peak of phosphorus (P) content (32.72 kg ha-1 ) in soil at pre- sowing stage was noted down with treatment T6 and at post- harvest stage with the treatment T3 (31.88 kg ha-1 ). In case of potassium (K), the maximum concentration at both the stages was found with treatment T4. For, zinc the highest content at pre-sowing stage (0.72 mg kg-1 ) and post-harvest stage (1.04 mg kg-1 ) in soil was observed with treatment T4. Similar trend was reported in case of sulphur, the maximum concentration at both pre- sowing (9.72 mg kg-1 ) and post harvest soil (9.57 mg kg-1 ) was found with that of treatment T4.ThesisItem Open Access Studies on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Cycling in Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Gamhar) based Agroforestry System in Ranchi District of Jharkhand, India(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) ABHISHEK KUMAR; M. S. MalikThe present investigation entitled “Studies on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Cycling in Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Gamhar) based Agroforestry System in Ranchi District of Jharkhand, India” was conducted at Faculty of Forestry, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi in order to evaluate the performances of two years aged Gamhar (Gmelina arborea) trees intercropped with leguminous crops viz. Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan var. UPAS-120), Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata var. Swarn mukut) and Urad (Vigna mungo var. Birsa Urd-1) in agroforestry system as well as sole cropping during 2020-21 and 2021-22. The experiment was laid out in RBD with seven treatments viz. T1 (G. arborea + C. cajan), T2 (G. arborea + V. unguiculata), T3 (G. arborea + V. mungo), T4 (Sole G. arborea), T5 (Sole C. cajan), T6 (Sole V. unguiculata) and T7 (Sole V. mungo) replicated thrice. Growth parameters of trees and intercrops, yield attributes of intercrops, litterfall by Gamhar tree with leaf-litter decomposition pattern, changes in soil properties and carbon sequestration were assessed along with the economic analysis. Gamhar showed better incremental growth in terms of tree height (1.08 m), DBH (2.68 cm), collar diameter (2.87 cm), number of branches per tree (7.11), crown width (1.16 cm), crown length (0.81cm), leaf area index (0.40), stem volume (3.89 m3 ha-1) and tree biomass (5.57 t ha-1) when intercropped with pigeon pea (T1), which were respectively15.86, 15.02, 17.14, 21.54, 26.09, 20.15, 37.93, 39.25 and 26.98 percent higher than sole Gamhar (T4) in two years pooled data. The variation in growth and yield of intercrops between sole cropping and intercropping did not reveal any significant difference, however the values were on a higher side under sole cropping. At 90 DAS, the average maximum plant height (89.86 cm), no. of leaves plant-1 (117.62), no. of primary branches plant-1 (9.15), root length (49.58 cm), number of root nodules plant-1 (24.21), dry shoot biomass (44.12 g plant-1), dry root biomass (9.48 g plant-1), crop biomass at harvest (2.76 t ha-1), no. of pods plant-1 (59.37); and yield in terms of grain yield (5.37 q ha-1), stover yield (17.71 q ha-1), biological yield (23.08 q ha-1) were recorded in sole pigeon pea (T5) in two years pooled data. However, maximum average pod length (21.57 cm), pod diameter (6.40 mm), no. of seeds pod-1 (7.41) weight of seeds pod-1 (0.63 g) and 1000 seeds weight (85.02g) at 90 DAS were observed in sole cowpea (T6) in the pooled data. Total average annual litterfall by Gamhar tree was 1326 kg ha-1yr-1, of which maximum observed in February (480 kg ha-1yr-1) in pooled data. The average annual nutrient return through litterfall was maximum under Gamhar + pigeon pea (T1) wrt. total nitrogen (20.31 kg ha-1yr-1), total potassium (15.17 kg ha-1yr-1) and total phosphorus (1.96 kg ha-1yr-1). The faster rate of leaf litter decomposition was observed in sole Gamhar (T4), with highest average value of annual decay constant, k (3.62) and lowest value of half-life period, t0.5 (3.30 months) in two years pooled data. Soil chemical parameters viz. pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, available N, P and K and soluble Ca and Mg were shown better improvement under agroforestry. The values of all other parameters, except soil pH, had shown a decreasing trend with increase in soil depth. After second year of crop harvest, maximum soil EC (0.24 dSm-1), organic carbon (0.53%), available N (263.33 kg ha- 1), available P (26.51 kg ha-1), available K (285.67 kg ha-1), soluble Ca (379.28 kg ha- 1) and soluble Mg (130.28 kg ha-1) in 0-15 cm soil depth and maximum soil pH (6.43) in 30-45 cm soil depth were recorded in Gamhar + pigeon pea (T1), as compared to their initial values of 0.18 dS m-1, 0.45%, 222.17 kg ha-1, 20.57 kg ha-1, 256.18 kg ha-1, 341.29 kg ha-1, 116.36 kg ha-1 and 6.25 respectively, during 2021-22. Gamhar trees showed maximum average annual carbon sequestration (2.62 t ha-1yr-1), CO2 sequestration (9.60 t ha-1 yr-1), carbon credit (9.60) and carbon offset price (Rs. 2975 ha-1yr-1) under intercropping with pigeon pea (T1) in pooled data, and the percent gain over sole Gamhar (T4) was 26.98%. The total average annual carbon sequestration (3.82 t ha-1yr-1), CO2 sequestration (14.01 t ha-1yr-1), carbon credit (14.04) and carbon offset price (Rs. 4,344 ha-1yr-1) of the system (trees + intercrops) were also found maximum for Gamhar + pigeon pea (T1) system in pooled data. Economic analysis revealed that the system fetches higher economic worth in second year due to better tree growth and intercrop yield. The highest average annual gross return (Rs. 74,846 ha-1yr-1), net return (Rs. 48,029 ha-1yr-1), land equivalent ratio (2.35) and combined net present value (Rs. 82,912 ha-1) of the system were estimated for Gamhar + pigeon pea (T1) in the two years pooled data. However, maximum average benefit cost ratio (3.32) and hence, maximum internal rate of return (104.07%) was obtained in sole Gamhar (T4) due to low cost of only tree cultivation. Thus, the study indicated that Gamhar based agroforestry system with leguminous intercrops mainly pigeon pea not only enhance the growth rate of Gamhar, but also maximize crop yield, nutritional status of the soil and carbon sequestration potential, besides augmenting net income. Hence, it can be a suitable and economically viable option for uplifting the livelihood status of farmers in the degraded and marginal lands of plateau region of Jharkhand, India.ThesisItem Open Access Growth, Yield and Quality Assessment of Trees and Fodder Crops under Agroforestry System in Ranchi District of Jharkhand(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) Firoz Ahmad; M.S. MalikIntegration of trees with fodder crops under agroforestry systems in the humid and sub humid region is a strategy for year-round fodder production and insurance against fodder scarcity. During 2019-2021, a field trial entitled “Growth, Yield and Quality Assessment of Trees and Fodder Crops under Agroforestry System in Ranchi District of Jharkhand” was conducted using the fodder tree Melia azedarach (Bakain) along with the four fodder crops viz., Para grass, Hybrid Napier, Stylo and Charabadam at the research field of Agroforestry situated at the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry campus, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) involving nine treatment combinations replicated thrice. The treatments comprised of Bakain + Stylo, Bakain + Charabadam, Bakain + Para grass, Bakain + Hybrid Napier, sole Bakain, sole Stylo, sole Charabadam, sole Para grass and sole Hybrid Napier. Growth parameters of tree species (Bakain) i.e., diameter at breast height (cm), tree height (m), tree volume (m3/tree), crown diameter (m), number of branches (per tree), number of leaves (per branch), leaf area index; yield attributes of the tree species (Bakain) i.e., green leaf biomass (t/ha), dry leaf biomass (t/ha), fresh weight of the standing trees, dry weight of the standing trees as well as quality attributes of the tree (Bakain) and fodder crops i.e., crude protein content (CP%), crude fibre content (CF%), neutral detergent fibre (NDF%), acid detergent fibre (ADF%), ash content (AC%), ether extract (EE%) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE%), were recorded during both years of experimentation. The growth attributes of fodder crops i.e., plant population, number of branches, number of leaves per tillers and leaf area index; yield attributes of fodder crops i.e., green fodder yield (t/ha), dry fodder yield (t/ha), leaf weight (t/ha), stem weight (t/ha), leaf: stem ratio were observed. Rainfall use efficiency, palatability trial, carbon sequestration potential and economic analysis of the system were also taken into consideration. Results reflect that Bakain intercropped with Stylo recorded better growth with regard to tree height (10.46 m), DBH (17.59 cm), crown diameter (6.28 m), LAI (3.07), number of branches (571.33), fresh biomass (111.69 t/ha) and dry biomass (80.98 t/ha) produced, tree volume (0.253 m3), as well as leaf fodder quality in terms of CP content (12.89%), ADF (37.37%), AC (3.04%) and EE (4.80%), however, sole Bakain contains more CF (53.96%) and NDF (35.21%). Among different intercrops, Stylo recorded more tillers (295.83), crude protein content (15.74%), yield of crude protein (12.16 q/ha), rainwater productivity (0.28 q/ha/mm), carbon sequestration (140.31 t/ha), carbon credit (514.96), gross return (₹.1,86,705 /ha), net return (Rs.1,34,632 /ha) and LER (2.56). However, Hybrid Napier as sole or intercropped recorded highest LAI (4.08), GFY (869.23 q/ha), DFY (149.55 q/ha), NDF (60.62%), ADF (48.24%), CF (62.38%) and EE (5.69%) along with the highest Benefit: Cost Ratio (4.67). Improvement in soil chemical properties was better under intercrops than sole tree or grasses. Among the intercrops, Charabadam intercropped with Bakain has been found to put forth a better impact on soil improvement. The study concludes that the Bakain + Stylo based agroforestry system is viable in degraded or waste land with medium to low fertility for round-the-year production of quality fodder as well as climatic amelioration. This will certainly help improve fodder scarcity for the livestock and uplift the livelihood conditions of farmers in the plateau region of Jharkhand.ThesisItem Open Access CHARACTERIZATION OF MAIZE (Zea mays L.) GENOTYPES USING MORPHOPHYSIOLOGICAL TRAITS AND MOLECULAR MARKER(Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, 2023) Priyanka Kumari; Manigopa ChakrabortyMaize (Zea mays L.) belongs to family, Poaceae, having worldwide growing versatility ranges from 58° N to 40° S; from below sea level to altitudes higher than 3000 m and in areas with 250 mm to more than 5000 mm of rainfall per year. Germplasm distribution across the world’s geographical area represents the wide spectrum of exploitable genetic variability for specific purpose like higher productivity or quality or combination thereof under drought stress. Drought stress being the integral part of any agro-ecosystem affecting the growth and development of crop plants. Drought is one of the major constraints in deciding maize productivity all over the world. In India, out of total maize area about 4.0 million hectares are prone to drought. Drought effects the growth and development of plants in variety of ways. For development of drought tolerant maize cultivars, the knowledge of critical sensitive stages and consequences of moisture stress, variability of germplasm, screening techniques and breeding strategies to be adopted are having very crucial importance for getting the effective result. Classical and/or molecular breeding approaches can be adopted for incorporation of available drought stress tolerant genes in appropriate genetic background. The present experiment was conducted to identify the inbreds and hybrids suitable for irrigated (30kpa) and moisture stress (50kpa) for that significant traits to be used for selection under theses environments. To determine best selection method, mean performance values, correlation coefficient, components of variance and heritability, diversity, Stress tolerance indices were analysed. Keeping above facts in mind 4 testers (drought tolerant) and 8 lines were used for development of thirty two single cross hybrids to study the genetics of yield and yield attributes under normal moisture (30kpa) and under, moisture stress condition (50kpa). Twelve parents (8 lines and 4 testers) were mated in LX T mating design, thirty two hybrids were developed and compared with checks (CM600 (inbreds), Suwan Composite, BAUMH-5 (hybrids), 1532 X Suwan (hybrids)). All the forty eight genotypes were evaluated at Research Farm, Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand, during kharif 2020 seasons. Extensive phenotyping for morphophysiological characters along with stress indices were done for all the trials. The experimental materials were found to be significantly different from each other for all the characters under normal moisture (30kpa) and under, moisture stress condition (50kpa) and this is evident from the analysis of variance for RBD. This showed the inherent genetic difference among the genotypes under study. Correlation studies delineated that crop yield under moisture stress indicated highly significant positive genotypic and phenotypic correlation with plant height, ear height, number of plants with grain yield and number of kernels per row. This suggested that these characters can be considered for selection of plants tolerant to moisture stress. This reflected preponderance of nonadditive gene action in controlling these traits which further suggested reliable crop improvement through selection of such traits. Different genotypes responded differentially under different environments for the expression of different quantitative traits. The genotype which performs well in one environment may not perform same on the other environments. Grain yields were higher under the optimum environment compared to stress environments. Four tester parents BAUIM-1, BAUIM-2, BAUIM-5, IC622968 were found to be significantly superior stress condition for maximum number of traits including grain yield (GY/P) and yield attributing traits. These tester parents may be used for development of improved lines and hybrids for the respective environments where they were found to be significant. All the thity two Hybrids viz., IC624174 XBAUIM-2, IC624159 X BAUIM-2, IC624148 X BAUIM-2, IC624160 X BAUIM-2, IC624180 X BAUIM-2,IC624161X BAUIM-2, IC624157 XBAUIM-2, IC624151 X BAUIM-2, IC624174 XIC622968, IC624159 XIC622968, IC624148 XIC622968, IC624160XIC622968, IC624180X IC622968, IC624161 XIC622968, IC624157 X IC622968, IC624151 XIC622968, IC624174 XBAUIM-5, IC624159 XBAUIM-5, IC624148 XBAUIM-5, IC624160X BAUIM-5, IC624180 X BAUIM-5, IC624161X BAUIM-5, IC624157X BAUIM-5, IC624151 XBAUIM-5, IC624174 XBAUIM-1, IC624159 X BAUIM-1, IC624148 X BAUIM-1, IC624160 X BAUIM-1, IC624180 XBAUIM-1, IC624161 XBAUIM-1, IC624157 X BAUIM-1, IC624151 X BAUIM-1 under stress condition were found to be significantly superior for maximum number of traits than the best check including grain yield (GY/P ) observed through the standard heterosis. These superior hybrids may be used for cultivation or development of superior segregants depending upon their gene action and effect. The analysis of variances for L x T analysis under normal moisture condition (30kpa) and moisture stress (50kpa) revealed significant difference in environments for all the forty six morphophysiological traits confirming diverse nature of environments selected, which influenced the expression of the traits studied among each other in relation to the performance of the genotypes. All The traits showed non-additive genetic variance with over dominance effect of genes under all the environmental situations indicating the over expression of heterozygous loci for these characters. The predominance of non-additive gene action on implies that breeding gains can be made via inbreeding followed by crossbreeding. The type of genetic effects for grain yield is highly variable, depending on the type of parents and environments under consideration. Molecular analysis indicated that the genotypes IC622968 and IC624176 were the most diverse ones. These diverse parents can be used for development of superior hybrids and segregants tolerant to stress condition. These superior hybrids may be used for cultivation or development of superior segregants depending upon their gene action and effect. The hybrids were good performer (heterotic) across the different moisture regimes under variable moisture regimes. These hybrids may be recommended for cultivation under wide range of environment. For leaf characters angle between blade and stem under irrigated condition and non-irrigated condition maximum frequency of (55.55%) and (72.22%) as found for “small” state of expression while minimum frequency (4.44) found for “medium” state of expression under moisture stress condition. AMOVA (Analysis of molecular variance) revealed mean sum of squares due to genotypes showed highly significant differences for all the traits under study at 5% and 1% level of significance. In molecular Dendrogram picture using Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.52 to 0.95. Further this 2 main clusters were classified into 6 subcluster. Further, Cluster A showed four subcluster and Cluster B showed two subcluster.
