Jute is predominant crop in West Bengal and BCKV can boast of holding a prestigious position in the AICRIP forum in Jute and allied crops where it has actively been involved in research on this crop since its inception in 1972. This is reflected in the activities like variety developmentCrop Improvement, germpalsm analysis and cataloguing, its utilisation, make interspecific crosses and mutation studies.Taking studies on the seed production programe, detailing the management procedure, checking the species/genotype –interaction effect in fertilizer schedule, weed management with chemicals/ intercropping, drought management practices, retting technology with CRIJAF formulations, d. Demonstartion of jute gunny bags has been a new focus for the economic benefit of the farmers. It has also been actively engaged in studying the weed flora and soil characterization in the jute belt of West bengal in recent past.The best part of this is the recent involvement in the TSP where the recent findings are directly transferred to the land for the economic uplifment of this weaker section .

year of start : Late Prof. P. N. Bhaduri established this center at Burdwan University in 1973 and this center was shifted to BCKV when Prof. Bhaduri joined this university as Emeritus Scientist. He was the Investigator-in-Charge of this project till his last date of his service at BCKV. The project is continuing and can boast of successfully conducting and reporting all the trials till date.It held the annual workshops of jute in 2016 and 2018

• About 7 acre land identified in university teaching farm, Mondouri for project work of Jute and allied fibres
• A well setup lab has been developed at Directorate of Research, Kalyani facilitating with the following equipment as per NRC grand during this period.
• Micro processor based ph conductivity system, Air flow fineness tester for jute fibre (NIRJAFT), Fibre extracter machine (CRIJAF), UVVIS spectrophotometer, Environmental shaker, Precision balance(0.1 mg – 210 gm), Refrigerator (320 litr), Flame photometer, Hot air oven, Field weighing machine, Grinder, Fume chamber.
• Full concrete retting tank of (25 ft×7.5 ft×5 ft) ×2 at the university farm for working with ribbon retting, consortium trial etc
• Additional 2 acre of land has been brought under cultivation for seed production of jute varieties in joint venture with the Director of Farms

• To conduct Initial, Advanced and National evaluation trials (IET, AVT, NET) as per programme of the Co­ordinated project for identifying early maturing, fast growing high yielding varieties with superior fibre quality of jute and sunnhemp.
• To screen germplasms of jute and sunnhemp for eva­luation of morphological physiological traits, fibre quality and fibre yield.
• To improve fibre yield of jute by breeding works
• To carry on fundamental and applied research work on jute particularly olitorius jute extensively grown in Nadia and Murshidabad districts and on sunnhemp to overcome incompatibility barrier.
• To make the crop more remunerative studies are being taken for harvesting higher seed yield thereby increasing the economy
• Mutation studies have been taken for creation of variability and selection of desirable new mutant type
• Studies on the fertilizer schedule in jute crops
• Overall study of the hydrophysical character of soil from the jute cultivating districts in WB
• Study of the weed flora in jute fields
• Economic improvement of the TSP farmers under jute cultivation in two blocks of Nadia districts
• Popularistion of jute cultivation through farmers training- meeting programme and quality seed production taken at different Govt farms

Altogether of 120 trials were conducted ( 92 in breeding and 28 in agronomy). Apart from this it has been actively involved in transfer of technology by TSP.

Achievement:

(Variety identified and released within last five years. Technology developed, patents and awards/honours with brief description.)

Crop Improvement:

• 1. BCCC 2 successfully completed till adaptive trials but could not be identified due to only 2% improvement over JRC 517
• BCCO 6 has been notified, both for high yield( 6% over the checks ) and better fibre quality TD 3 grade against TD4 in the checks. This has already been notified and taken to farmers field where it was appreciated by the farmers and block level Administrative officers and there is demand for seed. In this case we are thinking of taking the seed production in Bankura and Birbhum Districts.
• BCCC 1 is under the process of notification for improvement in yield ( .53% over the checks )and fibre quality W5 against W6 in the checks. This will be taken to the Capsularis belt in N 24 pgs and Hooghly in this present year, already the area has been demarcated.
• Centre has started on mutation studies in olitorius for selction of variants and character specific studies, isolation of desirable mutants and the effects on herbicide tolerance
• Also Interspecific crosses were targetted not only for widening tne genetic base but gaining information on genetic analysis on fibre and seed yield

Crop Production:

• Jute seed cum fibre production: crops was sown on 15th June on upland (0-10 cm water) situation with good drainage facility, it produces 19.5 q fibre and 8.47 q jute seed/ha, respectively.
• fibre yield increases significantly upto NPK application of 80:17.5:33.3 kg/ha level .
• Cyperus rotundus was the dominant weed (density 40-77.3/m2 and IVI 56-90.6%) in the experimental farm as well as farmer’s field. Among grass weeds Digitaria sanguinalis was the predominant from other. Phyllanthus niruri is dominant broad leaved weed from the rest.
• The highest fibre yield was recorded with the treatment Nail weeder- 1st at 5 DAE and 2nd at 10 DAE + 1 HW within row at 15 DAE.
• Integrated weed management in jute : Pretilachlor 50 % EC @ 900ml ha-1 at 45-48 hours of sowing with irrigation + one hand weeding (15 DAE) followed by Jute + Green gram (TMB 37) (1:1 replacement series) gave comparable B:C ratio of 1.14- 1.11. However the practice of Jute + Green gram (TMB 37) (1:1 replacement series) can be equally appreciated as the B:C ratio was 1.08
• All drought management practices recorded significantly higher plant height and basal diameter of jute as compared to rainfed control. The highest fibre yield was found with treatment of sowing time 30th March to 3rd week of April with one irrigation + 80 kg N +18 Kg P+ 33 Kg K/ha. It has been found that additional remunerative crop can be successfully grown along with rice crop.
• Demonstration trial for use of jute fabrics/gunny bags in crop production. to increase use of jute bags in agriculture sector and increase revenue from unit land area in unit time. Ridge gourd was grown as component crop on reinforced soil columnuse of nail weeder 1st at 05 DAE and 2nd at 10 DAE plus one hand weeding at 15 DAE was very effective to suppress the weed biomass

• 1. BCCO-6 and BCCC-1 has been released and notified in 2017 1nd 2018
• fibre yield increases significantly upto NPK application of 80:17.5:33.3 kg/ha level .
• Jute seed cum fibre production: crops was sown on 15th June on upland (0-10 cm water) situation with good drainage facility, it produces 19.5 q fibre and 8.47 q jute seed/ha, respectively
• Demonstration trial for use of jute fabrics/gunny bags in crop production ---Ridge gourd was grown as component crop and the average production of the vegetable crop was 20.2 q/ha in addition to rice grain yield of 56.2 q/ha and the system of rice+ ridge gourd recorded net return of Rs. 57761.00/ha over sole rice crop which recorded a yield of 56.2 q/ha with net return of Rs. 41931.00/ha
• Total No of Publications : 31

BCKV had been suceesful in implementation of the benefits obtained from the Research and Technological advances and the impact has been clear from the overwhelming response shown that this TSP was started with 10 ha with 125 farmers, under two villages Matigacha and Srikrishnapur under N 24 pgs in 2015 for jute and later extended to jute and succedding crops in 14. Ha of land with 133 farmers. However the component wise response was different in the two villages

• 1. This centre hosted 12th annual group meeting, 2016 during this period. 2. 3. 4.
• Was successful in releasing one variety of Tossa Jute ( C olitorius) BCCO 6 and one variety of white Jute ( C capsularis) BCCC 1 was identified during 2012-17
• 4 M Sc and Two PhD students has successfully completed the thesis work in Breeding / Agronomy in jute
• Popularisation of the newly released variety This has been taken to popularise the newly released variety of BCKV , BCCO 6 in the farmers field at Panchkahania, Haringhata block, Nadia
• A new variety of C. capsularis BCCC-2 was found to be promising in four years coordinated trials conducted by AINPJAF, including Adaptive Trials, in respect to the check varieties JRC 698 and JRC 321 , with produce of 27.93 q/ha . It was found that the proposed variety showed yield advantage of improvement 6-7% over the checks JRC 698 and JRC 321 in the mean over four years of coordinated trial. The variety exhibited average Fibre Tenacity of 15.6 g/tex and fineness of 1.68 tex has enough potential to replace /supplement the widely cultivated varieties like JRC 698( successful in four years Coordinated trial and will be placed for SVRC )