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This advisory branch was established in 1957 at Thakurbari with a campus of 5 ha, which is 28 km by road from Tezpur. This branch has a soil-testing laboratory, a 0.5 ha mother bush plot and approximately 4.50 ha area under tea for carrying out regional field trials. ActivitiesThe basic objective of this branch is transfer of technology through advisory visits, field demonstration for grass root level workers, area scientific committee (ASC) seminars on agriculture and manufacturing, quarterly advisory bulletin, etc. The ASC seminars on Agriculture are held annually and on Manufacture once in two years. The soil-testing laboratory offers analytical service to the member estates at a nominal cost. North Bank tea areasThe North Bank area lies within 26°-27°60' N latitude and 86°40'-95°26' E longitude. The tea estates in North Bank are scattered over a 300 km long strip of land between the Himalayan range and the river Brahmaputra on the northern bank of the river with steep slopes from north to south. Through this landscape a number of swiftly flowing rivers run from North to South almost parallel to each other. The region receives on an average 1800-1900 mm rainfall annually with 4.5-16°C and 26-33°C, as minimum and maximum temperatures, respectively. The distribution of rainfall is highly uneven with 97.5% of the received during April to October. The soils are mostly deep, alluvial both of old and recent origin and loamy to sandy loam in texture. The red bank soil, an extension of the old alluvium of the Indo-Gangetic plains is encountered in some areas like Tezpur, Biswanath and Boroi. In general, the area has good drainage outlets except in some places because of instable channels as well as high rate of siltation, occasional flooding and erosion. The majority of the tea gardens that are served by this branch are concentrated in four districts, viz., Darrang, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur and Nagaon. The newly emerging tea areas in non-traditional tea growing state of Meghalaya are also under the jurisdiction of this centre. Service functionIn regard to services rendered to the member estates, the number of advisory visits is two routine visits in a year and 10-15 demonstrations at estate level are held for training grass root level workers and supervisors. Agricultural and Manufacturing seminars are held annually under the aegis of Area Scientific Committee (ASC) formed by leading tea planters of the area. The branch has a small clonal plot of about 0.5 ha. About 3,50,000 single nodal cuttings are distributed yearly to the member estates for propagation. Following is a list of planting materials available at this branch:
The branch also undertakes regional field trials for technology refinement in nearby member gardens. North Bank Advisory CentreAdvisory Officer-in-Charge:Asstt. Advisory Officer:Mr.Dimbeswar Gogoi,M.Sc.,Agri. For more information and service, contact:
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