Katihar District Research Articles

Precision Fertilization Strategies for Maximizing Jute Yield in Alluvial Soils of Seemanchal Region of Bihar

This research explores precision fertilization techniques to enhance jute production in Katihar district, Bihar, crucial for small farming households in the Seemanchal region, aiming to replace indiscriminate nitrogen application with the Soil Test Targeted Yield (ST-TY) method, crucial for the economic and environmental value of jute, known as the "golden fiber." Over two years (2019-2020) in the Seemanchal region's Katihar district, an experiment compared Soil Test Targeted Yield (ST-TY) method with traditional practices, revealing minimal impact on soil properties but significant decreases in available nitrogen and phosphorus levels raising concern over nutrient management. Notably, achieving a targeted fiber yield of 32.52 qha-1 through specific fertilizer applications (83:35:19 N:P:K kg/ha) with organic matter consistently outperformed other methods. The method resulted in superior plant growth (385 cm) and fiber production (32.52 q ha-1), yielding the highest net income (96884 Rs ha-1) and benefit-cost ratio (3.44), showcasing its economic viability. This underscores the importance of tailored fertilizer strategies and organic materials for enhancing jute cultivation, suggesting broader adoption potential in Seemanchal and beyond.

Assessment of physico-chemical properties of soil from different blocks of Katihar district, Bihar

Assessment of physico-chemical properties of soil from different blocks of Katihar district, Bihar

Profile characteristics of cultivators of two major makhana ecosystems in Katihar District of Bihar State

Profile characteristics of cultivators of two major makhana ecosystems in Katihar District of Bihar State

Kosi-Ganga-River-Creek 35 years’ Additive Time Series and Seasonal Analysis Using Remote Sensing Data.

Climate change effect can be observed around the globe but the most devastation is faced by economically weak and farmers in India. Kosi-Ganga-River-Creek area has witnessed frequent floods and heavy rainfall over the years. The study area is the creek where Kosi and Ganga river joins together in the Katihar district of Bihar, India. Two variables, total daily precipitation (PTot) and max daily air temperature (Tmax) (remote sensing climatological data) were fetched from ERA5 dataset using Google Earth Engine Coder to assess the climate change in the study area. The data shows stochastically fitting in further forecasting methods is as important to conduct as settings the approach reliability. This study applied exclusively time series analysis (such as decomposing a time series, seasonal subseries, and autocorrelation function (ACF) and lag time series) along with descriptive statistical analysis for both parameters of the dataset. The study found the changes in Tmax over the 30-year time period show significant variability in temperature. Tmax peaked during the year of 1990, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2014 whereas a drop in Tmax before and after such rise was observed in the series pattern. The exponential increase in the seasonal monthly precipitation (Ptot) also correlates with the temperature increase. However, the increase is more during non-monsoon seasons like January, February and March. Although significant reduction in Ptot can be observed during May, June, July, August and September. The changes in Ptot and Tmax have caused severe damage to the agriculture and economy of the area. Thus it is essential to study climate change and forecast the probable changes in future along with other climatological conditions to mitigate the extreme weather effect. Without proper study, monitoring, assessment and management policies in Bihar will most likely continue to suffer due to agricultural losses, lively hood, life, economic losses and infrastructure.

Freshwater Prawns Diversity (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the River Koshi, Eastern Bihar

Introduction: The river Koshi is one of the major tributary of river Ganga, which originated from the northern slopes of the Himalayas and flows southwards through north Bihar with draining of the Ganga basin near Kursela, in District Katihar, eastern Bihar.
 Objectives: Diversity and abundance of freshwater prawns were studied from January 2020 to December 2022 in the Koshi river of district Katihar eastern Bihar, India.
 Methodology: The prawn was collected from the bank of Koshi river with the support of fishermen at Kursela in Katihar district, eastern Bihar and preserved in 5% formalin for further study.
 Results: Koshi river is also known as Saptakoshi for its seven upper tributaries, that transports a large amount of nutrient and perhaps encourages species prosperity both culturally and individually. The efficiency of water is significant and therefore the freshwater prawns are divers. Prawn is a very important foodstuff in developing countries, due to high protein content and its other nutrition values. In present study we identified & reports commercially and physically important total four species of prawn belonging to Macrobrachium genius in the river Koshi around Kursela, in Katihar district eastern Bihar. They are namely Macrobrachium gangeticum, M. gandaki, M. tiwari and M. lamarrei. The composition of prawn species among which M. lamarrei and M. tiwari were dominant species throughout the year. Whereas the catch of M. gangeticum and M. gandaki were restricted during June to September.
 Conclusion: The current investigation important to the presence of commercially important and environmentally sustainable inhabitants available in the river Koshi, Kursela Katihar, eastern Bihar. The suggests to needs appropriate management and conservation strategies to prevent the further loss of populations from this site. The details of data collected are in the flesh in this communication.

A profile of makhana-cum-fish culturist at Katihar district of Bihar

A profile of makhana-cum-fish culturist at Katihar district of Bihar

Soil-landform relationship and pedogenesis of flood plain soils of Mahananda sub-basin, Bihar

Alluvial flood plain soils are one of the major soil groups in northern Bihar and are highly heterogeneous as a result of the hydromorphic environment in which they are formed. Hence, the present investigation was carried out to understand the soil-landform relationship in Katihar district of Bihar. Five major landforms like old alluvial plains (1.97%), young alluvial plains (35.64%), meander plains (30.85%), flood plains (25.35%) and, char land and point (4.5%) were identified after visual interpretation of Sentinel-2 data in conjunction with survey of India toposheet and digital elevation model (SRT DEM). The detailed soil survey was carried out to understand the variability in the study area and 200 soil profiles were studied in different identified landforms. The soils of active alluvial plain (flood plain, char land and point bar) showed wide range of soil morphological properties with lithological discontinuities. Low chroma and value in soils of meander plain due to poor drainage conditions and high groundwater table showed gleying characteristics. The soils of young alluvial plain and active alluvial plain showed irregular distribution of clay content, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and organic carbon (OC). This study indicates that the soil-landform relationship in alluvial floodplains of Mahananda sub-basin partially followed due to mass movement of sediments from Himalayas, periodic flooding and deposition of alluvium during different fluvial cycles of Mahananda river and its tributaries. This was further confirmed by study on pedogenic indices of different landforms. The study on pedogenic indices in two selected sites (window area) away from the Mahananda river like fine sand/total sand, very fine sand/total sand, sand/silt, silt/clay, index of weathering and CEC/clay in the study area doesn't follow the trend in the flood plain as compared to nearly stable land. This may be due to the effect of shifting of river course and their tributaries in the selected two window areas across the different landforms. To overcome the above mentioned problems in soil-landform relationship in the study area, the identified landforms were further sub-divided based on the local factors like percentage of crop cover and moisture content. In revised landforms soil types present in each landform showed soil-landform relationship. Thus, the knowledge on soils in relation to landforms vis-a-vis soil properties and their pedogenesis is useful in understanding their potentials and problems for sustainable land use planning.

Conceptualization and development of multi-layered groundwater model in transient condition

Effective management of water resource is essential in arid and semi-arid areas of India. In Bihar, for drinking purpose humans, livestock is dependent on the groundwater as well as in agricultural areas groundwater plays an important role in irrigation directly or indirectly. There is rise in the groundwater demand due to rapid population increase and fast industrialization. To meet this groundwater demand, excessive withdrawal of groundwater is a point of concern due to limited storage of it. Assessment of the groundwater was done by preparing a numerical model of the groundwater flow. This model is capable of solving large groundwater problems and associated complexity with it. In this study, a transient multi-layered groundwater flow model was conceptualized and developed for the Koshi River basin. In north Bihar plains, the Koshi River is one of the biggest tributaries of the Ganga River system. Koshi originates from the lower part of Tibet and joins the Ganga River in Katihar district, Bihar, India. After model development, calibration of the model was also done, by considering three model parameters, to represent the actual field conditions. For validation of the model, fifteen observation wells have been selected in the area. With the help of observation well data, computed and observed heads were compared. Comparison results have been found to be encouraging and the computed groundwater head matched with the observed water head to a realistic level of accuracy. Developed groundwater model is used to predict the groundwater head and flow budget in the concerned area. The study revealed that groundwater modeling is an important method for knowing the behavior of aquifer systems and to detect groundwater head under different varying hydrological stresses. This type of study will be beneficial for the hydrologist and water resource engineers to predict the groundwater flow behavior, before implementing any project or to implement a correction scheme.

English

BACKGROUND Conjunctivitis is one of the most common nontraumatic eye complaints and is one of the most frequently reported diseases in the outpatient and emergency departments. Bacterial conjunctivitis has been reported as one of the most common type of infectious conjunctivitis after viral infections. It is also considered as the primary cause of acute conjunctivitis in children. This study was conducted to isolate and identify organisms causing bacterial conjunctivitis and to determine their in vitro susceptibility or resistance. METHODS This descriptive study was conducted in the Departments of Ophthalmology and Microbiology at Katihar Medical College from December 2018 to May 2020. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from 175 patients using structured questionnaire. External ocular specimens were collected using sterile swabs and inoculated on blood agar, MacConkey’s agar and chocolate agar. Presumptive isolates were further identified by a series of biochemical tests. All isolated organisms were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility against various antibiotics using the Kirby-Baur disk diffusion method. RESULTS A total of 175 samples were collected, out of which, 62.8 % (110 / 175) showed growth of bacteria. Maximum cases of bacterial conjunctivitis were seen in the age group 11 - 20 years. The male to female ratio was 2.7:1. Maximum frequency of bacterial conjunctivitis was observed from May to September. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteria isolate 65.5 % (72 / 110) followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis 19.1 % (21 / 110). Most of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were found to be sensitive to moxifloxacin 98.6 % (71 / 72) and gentamicin 95.8 % (69 / 72). 25 % (18 / 72) of Staphylococcus aureus strains were found to be resistant to cefoxitin and were considered as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. Maximum numbers of gram-negative strains were sensitive to moxifloxacin 100.0 % (9 / 9) followed by tobramycin 88.9 % (8 / 9). Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains showed maximum sensitivity to moxifloxacin 100.0 (8 / 8) followed by ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin 62.5 % (5 / 8). CONCLUSIONS This study provides an insight into the organisms isolated from cases of bacterial conjunctivitis in Katihar District of Bihar. Determining the susceptibility pattern of these pathogens to available antibiotics is crucial for effective management of bacterial conjunctivitis especially when treatment has to be given empirically. KEY WORDS Bacterial Conjunctivitis, Antibiogram

THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL BANKING ON THE GROWTH OF MICRO, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (MSMES) IN INDIA: A CASE STUDY

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to formulate a multiple regression model by considering those factors which are positively affecting the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Methodology: The data used in this study are primary in nature which are collected through questionnaire method. The questionnaire involves the nature and size of business and opinion of the owners and managers of 454 MSMEs in Katihar district, a semi-urban area of Bihar in India, regarding the various favourable factors of digital banking on a Likert scale of 1 to 10. Findings: The findings of the study suggest the various favourable factors of digital banking with significant coefficients i.e. Level of Easiness in accepting payments, Level of Easiness in making payments, Level of Easiness in Managing the expenditure of Business, Level of Time Saving, and Level of Check on Misappropriation or Theft of Cash are contributing towards the growth of MSMEs in India. Research Implications: This research will be helpful to the bank managers and policy makers to encourage the MSMEs of semi-urban areas to use digital banking by stressing on only significant favourable factors and also to take necessary steps so that the MSMEs could reap the full benefits of digital banking. The study could give a new insight regarding the extent of contribution of digital banking towards the growth of MSMEs in rural and semi-urban area.

Study of Prevalence of Hypertension and its associated risk factors among adult tribal population (18 years and above) in a rural community of Katihar District, Bihar

Study of Prevalence of Hypertension and its associated risk factors among adult tribal population (18 years and above) in a rural community of Katihar District, Bihar

First report of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense VCG 0125 and VCG 01220 of Race 1 infecting Cavendish bananas(Musa sp. AAA) in India.

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) is the most devastating disease affecting commercial and subsistence cultivation of banana (Musa spp.) worldwide. Generally, the Cavendish bananas are resistant to Foc race 1 that destroyed cv. 'Gros Michel' (AAA) and susceptible to tropical race 4 (TR4), which is causing severe epidemics in different banana-growing countries including India (Thangavelu et al. 2019). In 2019, a roving survey was conducted in major banana growing states of India such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu to assess the incidence of Fusarium wilt disease in Cavendish bananas and also to characterize the pathogens by different methods including Vegetative Compatibility Grouping (VCG) and molecular methods. The Fusarium wilt incidence in cv. Grand Naine (Cavendish group-AAA) was 6-65% in Bihar, 30-45% in Uttar Pradesh, 5-15% in Gujarat and 15- 21% in Tamil Nadu. For characterization, a total of 61 samples from the Fusarium wilt infected Cavendish bananas were collected and single spore culture of Foc was obtained. The morphological characterization revealed the presence of one to two oval- to kidney-shaped cells in false heads and sickle-shaped macroconidia and a foot-shaped basal cell. The pathogenicity was demonstrated by adopting randomized block design with five replications on cv. Grand Naine. The Koch's postulate was successfully completed by re-isolation of the inoculated Foc pathogen and characterization by PCR method. The VCG analysis carried out using nit-M testers of all known VCGs indicated the presence of VCG 0125 from the Foc samples collected from cv. Grand Naine grown in Uttar Pradesh (Siswabazar of Maharakanj district) and Tamil Nadu (Cumbum of Theni district), VCG 01220 from the Foc samples collected from cv. Grand Naine grown in Uttar Pradesh (Siswabazar of Maharakanj district) and Gujarat (Kamrej of Surat district,) and VCG 01213/16 from Foc samples collected from Uttar Pradesh (Siswabazar of Maharakanj district) and Bihar (Falka village of Katihar district) . The molecular confirmation of these VCGs 0125, and 01220 (Foc R1) isolates was carried out by PCR method using the primer set SIX6b_210_F and SIX6b_210_R (Carvalhais et al. 2019) for Foc R1, primer sets Foc TR4-F & Foc TR4 -R (Dita et al. 2010) for Foc TR4 and primer set Foc-1/Foc -2 (Lin et al. 2009) for Race 4. The results showed that only the primer set for Foc R1 has generated the expected amplicon size of 210 bp in the Foc isolates of VCG 0125 and 01220. Besides, the sequencing of Translation Elongation Factor (TEF) 1-α gene and BLAST searches in Genbank for the representative Foc isolates of VCG 0125 (Genbank no. MW 286800) showed 99.84% similarity to Foc R1 (KX365393.1) and Foc isolates of VCG 01220 (Genbank no. MW 286803) showed 99.69% similarity to Foc R1 (KX365413.1). Further, a phylogenetic analysis performed using the TEF1-α gene sequences showed that the Foc race 1 isolates (VCGs 0125 and 01220) from India were grouped with known Foc race 1 isolates from Tanzania and Australia. Based on the experimental results the study has confirmed the presence of VCGs 0125 and 01220 of Foc Race 1 in cv. Grand Naine in India. As these VCGs are most widely distributed and do not found to infect Cavendish bananas so far (Mostert et al. 2017), this report is very important from the quarantine and management perspectives. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of VCGs 0125 and 01220 of Foc Race 1 in cv. Grand Naine in India.

English

English

Factors Adversely Affecting the Usage of Digital Banking by MSMEs in India (A Case Study of Katihar District in Bihar)

Factors Adversely Affecting the Usage of Digital Banking by MSMEs in India (A Case Study of Katihar District in Bihar)

Land suitability assessment for optimal cropping sequences in Katihar district of Bihar, India using GIS and AHP

The main objective of the study is to assess land suitability for suggesting suitable crop sequences in Katihar district of Bihar, India. We first selected site-specific factors and assigned their weights using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for land suitability assessment. The layers of factors were integrated to prepare land suitability map. The findings revealed that of the total area (3.05 million ha), the largest area (48.5%) was marginally suitable for agriculture followed by moderately suitable (30.8%) and highly suitable (2.9%). Nearly 17.8% area was found unsuitable for agriculture. Rice–maize–rice, rice–maize–jute and maize–maize–rice were found suitable crop sequences in all suitability classes. Multilinear regression analysis between land suitability and factors shows that soil texture, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, pH and drainage proximity influenced land suitability. The study suggested soil reclamation, application of adequate amount of fertilizers, assured irrigation and flood control for sustainable crop sequences in the study area. Land restoration and soil reclamation measures should be taken to transform unsuitable areas for crop cultivation. Use of integrated geographical information system and AHP approach for analyzing land suitability and crop sequences may add a new dimension in spatial information science.

Exploring Optimal Cereal Crop Sequence Using Cultivated Land Utilization Index and Yield in Katihar District, India: A Sub Division Level Analysis

The present study attempts to identify the suitable crop sequences in an agriculturally productive district of Bihar, India. Rice-rice-vegetables, rice-maize-rice, rice-maize-maize, rice-maize-jute, rice-pulse-rice, rice-pulse-jute, rice-pulse-potato, and maize-maize-rice were found to be the suitable crop sequences in the area under study. Findings revealed that most of the blocks were found suitable for suggested crop sequences, while only two blocks (namely Balrampur and Barsoi) showed low potential in the rice-maize-rice sequence. Use of farm machinery, application of efficient farm inputs, and irrigation is required to maximize the yield and achieve long-term agricultural sustainability in this district.

Assessment of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Married Women in A Rural Area of Katihar District

Assessment of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Married Women in A Rural Area of Katihar District

Morbidity and behavioural problems among adolescents in Hajipur village of Katihar district, Bihar

Background: Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is a gateway to health promotion since key behavior patterns that influence health and longevity have their origin in adolescence. The aim and objectives of the study were to study the morbidity and behavioural problems among adolescents.Methods: A community based cross sectional descriptive study was at Hajipur village, a rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Katihar Medical College, Katihar, Bihar. 400 adolescents (213 boys and 187 girls) were included in the study. Systematic random sampling technique was used.Results: Among 400 adolescents, 25% of the adolescents having some health problem during the survey; predominant problems were psychological and behavioral in nature. 6.25% of adolescents were addicted (tobacco chewing), 1.5% abused drugs, 9.75% were depressed and 7.5% had anxiety disorder. Higher number of adolescents (29%) had history of worm infestation. 9.75% adolescents were suffering from upper respiratory tract infection and also had ear, nose, throat, eye, skin, and or dental problems.Conclusions: The adolescents had higher rate of morbidity and behaviour problems.

Seasonal variations in physico-chemical characteristics and water quality of Kosi River at Bhagalpur and Katihar District of North Bihar

The aim of this study is to assess physico-chemical characteristics, pollution studies from January 2017 to October 2017 of lower Kosi area. The range of various parameters of river water (The ambient temperature ranged between 17.2°C-32.4°C, water temperature 15°C-32°C, electrical conductivity 81–256 μS, depth 1–4 m total dissolved solids 41-130mg/l, pH 7.9–8.9, dissolved oxygen 8.8–16 mg/l, free carbon dioxide 4–60 mg/l, total alkalinity 14–26 mg/l, total hardness 32–158 mg/l, chlorides 1.9–9.9 mg/l, calcium hardness 60–140 mg/l, nitrate-nitrogen 0.017–0.117 mg/l, phosphate-phosphorus 0.11–0.2 mg/l, biochemical oxygen demand 0.4–4 mg/l, chemical oxygen demand 5.376–67.08 mg/l) exhibit seasonal fluctuations. Agricultural practices are performed both the side of river. This was due to allocthonous nutrients brought in to the river from the surrounding catchment area. The WQI at all sites III in pre-monsoon and winters at site II were in poor category. The above study indicated that the river water is slightly inclined towards eutrophication. Therefore, the conservation and management of this river water stretch is very much required.

Diffusion of Agricultural Technologies through Social Network Analysis in Selected Villages of Bihar, India

Diffusion of innovative research has a large impact on extension practice. Innovation is understood as an idea, practice or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption. Information on technology adoption and diffusion in a given society is important for focusing future research, extension-related development efforts aiming at benefiting majority of Bihar farmers. The identification of the roles of social networks that influence technology adoption and diffusion is important to identify and design measures to remove or alleviate the constraints affecting diffusion of innovation. This study was undertaken in three villages in Sameli block in Katihar District of Bihar. The extent of functional contributions of social networks and their implications in the diffusion of maize close-spacing variety (P3522) and identification of options for enhancing the role and sustainability of these social networks for promoting agricultural technology in the study area was the focus of this study. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to select respondents from 90 sample households from three villages in khaira panchayat, from which three group discussions were conducted. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used to obtain reliable information from primary and secondary sources. Data analysis was done using sociometric matrix, percentage and frequency, mean and standard deviation and co-efficient of variation using Ucinet software. The study revealed that relatives, friends, neighbours and input dealers were the most important nodes of information source for seed and planting material (SPM) sources, and they were influential networks in the adoption and diffusion of maize close-spacing variety (P3522). The findings revealed that the highest ties were fertiliser/pesticide and plant protection network (294), followed by government scheme/programme (252), irrigation (235), animal husbandry, market information, credit (213), agricultural package of practices (205) and SPM (202) ties.