University of Calcutta

History

Year of Establishment : 1954

History of the department : University of Calcutta is one of the few pioneer institutions in the country to realize the practical necessity of creating facilities for agricultural education and research. Efforts in this direction began as early as 1913 with the creation of “Sri Rashbehari Ghosh Professor” chair in the Department of Botany with special reference to Agriculture.Soon after it was followed by creation of another endowment chair designated as “Khaira Professor of Agriculture’ in 1920.The Khaira Professor in Agriculture was instrumental in the formation of the Royal Commission in Agriculture in 1926 and the recommendations of the commission led to the establishment of Imperial Council of Agricultural Research which has been renamed as Indian Council of Agricultural Research after independence.Calcutta University started I.Sc(Ag) course in agriculture in 1939 at Barrackpore but it was discontinued in 1941 with the onset of second World War in 1941.In 1949, the entire establishment was shifted to Jhargram with the establishment of the first agricultural college. In 1952, The Govt. of West Bengal shifted the agricultural degree college from Jhargram to Ranikuthi(Tollygunge), Kolkata. Again in 1958, the degree college was shifted to Haringhata in Nadia which finally came into existence as Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya in 1974.

However, the Khaira Professor of Agriculture returned to Calcutta University and got himself engaged in organization of a post graduate department. A beginning was made in teaching of M,Sc(Ag) course in “Agricultural Botany” in Ballygunge Science College Campus of the University in 1954.The Department of Agriculture was upgraded to a full fledged Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary science in 1956.  Professor Tarun Kumar Bose, eminent horticulturist was the first alumnus of this department and has played a key role in horticulture education at national level. Prof. P.K. Sen another illustrious faculty member of the college and a leading horticulturist of the country took decisive steps in laying the foundation of the College of Agriculture and making its presence felt across the country. Thereafter, in the year 1990 the subjects were compartmentalized and M.Sc(Ag)degree in Horticulture was conferred. To enter into the main stream of agricultural education and research as envisaged by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the University College of Agriculture was reorganized and restructured as Institute of Agricultural Science in 2002 with introduction of course credit system of teaching in six of its sister departments, Horticulture being one of them.

Since the inception of horticulture as a separate subject and thereafter upgraded to designated course curriculum, a plethora of eminent personalities comprising of alumnus and teachers in the field of Horticulture with specialization in different sub disciplines viz. pomology, olericulture, floriculture and landscaping,postharvest technology, plantation crops, medicinal and aromatic plants etc, have made significant contribution in horticulture research and education at national and international levels.