Himalayan Times (1962)

Six

Himalayan Times

June 24, 1962

I A R.I. Serves the Nation

( Continued from page 1 )
and this is provided by
the Indian Council of
Agricultural Research.

Besides sponsoring re-
search on all important
fundamental and applied
problems relating to agri.
oulture, the Indian Council
of Agricultural Researoh
is also direotly managing
the project for the intensi-
fication of regional reseuich
in Cotton, Millets and
Oilseeds, a scheme with
researoh oentres in muny
States.

To create a centre
where fundamental re-
searoh on all sciences bssio
to agriculture oould ho
curried out in an inten-
sive and effective manner,
the Govt of India estab-
lished the Indian Agricul-
tural Researoh Institute
at Pusa in Bihar State
in 1905. Following the
earthquake with rooked
Bihar in 1934, the Ins-
titute was shifted to New
Delhi. It undertakes re-
searches particularly : of
the basic, long-term type
so as to supplement what
is being done by the State
Departments of Agriculture
the Commodity Commit,
tees and other bodies. It
' it now well-recognised
that for advances in
applied reseaob it is abso-
lutely essential that.funria-
mental researoh should be
carried out to provide
scientific information with-

out which further progress
becomes impossible. No
country can depend for
its fundamental research
entirely or even mainly
on other ootontries. Thus
the I.A.R I. has an im-
portant part to play as
oue of the leaders always
looking out for new ideas
in research, testing out
results which may be of
possible value if confirmed
and also imparting post-
graduate training at a
level which makes it un-
necessary for a Urge
number of Indian student!
to go abroad for training
in the major branches of
agricultural science.

The I.A.R I n w has
the status of a Univer-
sity and imparts post
graduate training at a
high level, leading to the
degrees of M.bo. and Ph.D.

In recent years the
Institute has expanded
very greately It possesses
the most modern reeearch
tools and is well-equipped
for instance, for researoh
on the application of
atomic energy in agri-
culture, A separate radio-
tracer Laboratory with
attached class houses,
exists in the division of
Chemistry for using radio,
isotopes in nutritional and
bioobemioal experiments.
Facilities for conducting
experiments with radio-
isotopes are alto available
in the Divisions of Agro-
nomy, Botany, Entomo-

logy andplant Pathology,
the Institute possesses a
three arru'GnnimaGarden'
with a central source of
200 curries of Cobalt 60
encased in a lead oontainer
and operated by a remote
control mechanism fabri-
cated by the Atomic
Energy Establishment,
Trombey. The Institute
has also equipments suoh
as an electron microscope,
X ray diffraction appara
tm, spectrophotometers
and various other modern
electronic instrummts It
i« also pioposed to «• t
up a Pl.ytotron, i e an
artificial climate bouse,
where plants can be grown
and tested under controlled
'oo>uditions.

Apart from this the
Instil ute has one of the
finest agricu'tural libra-
ries in this part of the
world, large comprehen-
sive iiii m-it collections of
insects and fungi which
are' invaluable for the
^identification of pests
and disease-oausing orga-
nism*, and also very ex*
tensive liv ng plant collec-
tion The latter constitute
a very important asset
for the workers on plant
breeding. The Institute is
direotly under theMin.stry
of Food and Agrioulture,
but works in very close
oooperation with the
Indian Council of Agri-
cultural Researoh. Many
research projects, some
of which are sponsored
by the Iudian Counoil of