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Subject: Agricultural Engineering × Author: KAU × End date: 2015 × Start date: 2015 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Suitability of drip automation systems for optimal irrigation scheduling
    (Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2015) Manasa, K; KAU; Rema, K P
    Automation in irrigation management refers to those innovations which partially or fully replace manual intervention from watering operations. Automized irrigation includes automation at regional level or farm level. Recently, technological advances have been made in soil water sensors for efficient and automatic operation of irrigation system by which exact quantity of required water can be supplied to the crop. Automatic soil water sensor-based irrigation seeks to maintain a desired soil water range in the root zone that is optimal for plant growth.The present study was conducted to evaluate the suitability of drip automation systems for optimal irrigation scheduling. The field experiment was done in the rain shelter in the research plot of Nodal Water Technology Centre, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during the months of October 2014–March 2015. The experiment was done for tomato variety Akshaya in rain shelter with 4 treatments of irrigation levels. The experiment was laid out in CRD with 3 replications. The main objectives of the study were to evaluate the performance of sensor based automated drip irrigation systems, scheduling irrigation for tomato based on the best performing drip automation system and to evaluate the cost economics of drip automation system with optimal irrigation scheduling. Irrigation was provided using sensors through drip automation system at 40 per cent, 50 per cent and 60 per cent moisture depletion levels (MDL) from the available moisture content. Control was irrigated at the rate of 2 l/plant/day. Crop growth parameters such as height of the plant, number of days to first flowering, number of days to initial budding, number of days to first harvest, root length and root dry weight were observed. During all the stages, plant height significantly varied in all treatments. All the parameters were found to be better in 50 per cent MDL treatment compared to other treatments. Yield parameters such as number of fruits and total yield were recorded. There was no significant difference in number of fruits per plant in all the treatments. Yield was significantly higher in 50 per cent MDL than that of other treatments. Water use efficiency was significantly different in all the treatments. WUE in T2 and T3 was on par which showed better performance than other treatments. The analysis of the data of soil moisture content at 2 and 6 hours after irrigation was monitored at distances of 0, 15 and 30 cm from the emitter laterally and at a depth of 0, 10, 20 and 30 cm from the surface. Soil moisture contour maps for the longitudinal section of the soil were plotted using computer software “Teraplot 1.3.02” version. The pattern was more uniform for T2 (50 per cent MDL) two hours after irrigation. Benefit cost (B/C) ratio for each treatment was calculated. The maximum benefit cost ratio of 2.57 was noted in T2. Hence it can be concluded that for tomato (Akshaya) grown in rain shelter, 50 per cent MDL can be fixed as the optimum level for scheduling irrigation. As 60 per cent moisture depletion also gave good yield and WUE on par with 50 per cent level, 60 per cent MDL can also be suggested for scheduling irrigation in water scarce areas.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development and quality evaluation of retort pouch packed tender jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.)
    (Department of Food and Agricultural Process Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2015) Praveena, N; KAU; Sudheer, K P
    Jackfruit is a seasonal organic fruit and it is popularly used as vegetable in its tender stage. Though it is a highly nutritious commodity, post harvest wastage is huge due to its perishable nature. ‘Koozha’ jackfruit can be better used in tender stage since the wastage of ripened ‘Koozha’ variety jackfruit is more compared to ‘Varikka’. The significant wastage of ‘Koozha’ variety is because of less consumer acceptance due to its poor texture after ripening, necessitated the design of a viable processing and packaging technology to extend its shelf life. Hence the present study on “Development and quality evaluation of retort pouch packed tender jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.)” was undertaken with specific objectives of standardization of blanching process, standardization of thermal process in retort pouch package, shelf life study and quality evaluation of retort pouch packed tender jackfruit. Blanching treatment was optimized as three minutes with 0.3% citric acid preservative based on the enzyme test and the results of the quality parameters like texture, colour and crude fibre content. The standardized thermal process time for pasteurization at 90°C to reach F10 was 24 minutes and for sterilization at 121°C for attaining F0 value one was 15 minutes. After optimal blanching, the samples were packed in retort pouches with prior addition of preservatives like brine (2%), citric acid (0.3%), KMS (0.1%) and their combination using the optimized thermal process time - temperature. Shelf life study and quality evaluation in terms of TSS, titrable acidity, pH, vitamin C, crude fibre, texture and colour were done. The experiments were statistically analyzed with one way ANOVA. The samples preserved in citric acid exhibited good quality attributes and better acceptability in sensory evaluation. Microbial analysis also showed that the product was safe upto 90 days of storage. It was concluded that 0.3% citric acid blanching and 0.3% citric acid preservative as filling solution was best in terms of quality parameters and microbial analysis for the development of thermally processed and retort packed tender jackfruit. The cost of operation per pouch (140 g) for tender jackfruit was calculated as Rs. 11.51/-. This study is useful for the production of good quality, safe, affordable priced tender jackfruit in ready to cook form throughout the year.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Coastal erosion study of Ponnani region using multispectral images
    (Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2015) Sheeja, P S; KAU; Vishnu, B
    A study of coastal erosion along the Ponnani coast using multispectral imageries and GIS was undertaken to assess the temporal changes in coastal erosion, its extent, magnitude and trends in the region under study. The study also aimed to evaluate the impact of the existing coastal erosion control structures with a view to assess its efficacy and to identify priority areas for coastal erosion prevention along the study area. The study utilized medium resolution LANDSAT imageries for the mapping and monitoring of the coastline erosion. The digital image processing software used for calculating the erosion rate was TNTmips 2014 professional version (Map and Image Processing System - MIPS) by MicroImages, Inc. The study revealed the usability of multispectral satellite imageries like that obtained from LANDSAT, IRS etc. satellites in assessing the temporal changes along the coastline by the combined application of remote sensing and GIS techniques. Both long-term and short-term erosion assessment showed that many places along the Ponnani shoreline are under severe erosion. Short-term erosion assessment revealed that many places were having coastal erosion rates more than -4 m/year. The impact of these shoreline protection structures and coastal processes on erosion process was also taken in to account in this study. The study revealed that Ponnani is an actively eroding coast with fluctuating erosion rates. The erosion rates were found to be high with a rate more than -4 m/year for about 35 km of the coastline considered. The areas with accelerated erosion along the coast of Ponnani need sustainable management and protective measures. The coastal erosion study using remote sensing and GIS techniques provided realistic information about the erosion process along Ponnani area and this method can be successfully used for mapping and monitoring coastal changes.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development of an extruded product from raw jackfruit
    (College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2015) Veena, Kumari; KAU; Suma, Divakar
    The study, entitled “Development of an extruded product from raw jackfruit was carried out at the Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the period 2013-15. The main objective of the study was to develop an extruded product viz. noodles from raw jackfruit and ascertain its physical, chemical, nutritional, cooking and shelflife qualities. The preliminary processing methods for development of the product were standardised. Thus, dimensions of bulbs and seeds, blanching and boiling time and immersion in various pre-treatment media for different durations of time were identified. Raw jackfruit bulbs and seeds were processed into flour and their quality was evaluated. Analysis of nutritional and chemical quality revealed that seed flour had higher levels of nutrients than bulb flour; energy (353 kcal), protein (10.48g), carbohydrate (81.46 g), magnesium (338.04 mg), calcium (308.56 mg), sodium (60.63 mg) and potassium (1478.37 mg). The nutrient composition of bulb flour was analysed for energy (329 kcal), carbohydrate (74.12g), protein (1.53 g), calcium (30 mg), sodium (35.06 mg), magnesium (0.13 mg) and potassium (328.11 mg) in hundred grams (dry weight basis). Shelf life quality revealed that bulb flour is more stable with respect to moisture, insect and microbial infestation. Six treatments comprising of different combinations and proportions of refined flour, jackfruit bulb and seed flour were tried out for processing of noodles. These composite flour combinations formed the base material for noodles. Noodles were extruded with the Barbender single screw extruder at CTCRI Sreekaryam, Thiruvananthapuram. The physical characteristics ascertained for the products were- colour, bulk density, true density, swelling index. Extrusion behaviour was evaluated with respect to three parameters namely residence time, appearance and uniformity of strands. Whiteness index (an indicator of colour) ranged from 66.20 to 85.36. Treatment T3 (5:3:2) had revealed higher bulk density (0.91g/cm3) while treatment T6 (5:2:3) showed the least value (0.78g/cm3). The lowest value for swelling index (1.05) was obtained for the treatment T5 (5:1:4) while T4 (5:4:1) was seen to have the highest value for swelling index (1.46). No significant difference for true density was observed among the treatments. Cooking characteristics analysed were cooking time, cooking loss, cooked weight and water absorption. When T6 recorded lowest time for cooking (8.26 min), T4 took the highest time (9.36 min). Cooking loss ranged from 9.13 to 15.37%. T4 was observed to have the highest cooked weight (24.62g) and T7 (commercial noodles) had the lowest (19.87g). There was variation with respect to nutrients in all treatments. Among the developed noodles calorie (380 kcal), carbohydrate (70.91) and protein (13.49) content was highest in T5. On organoleptic analysis, T5 obtained the highest values with respect to appearance (4.59), colour (4.77), texture (4.89), and taste (4.87) and over all acceptability (4.78). These values were seen to be lower than the values of control but this difference was not statistically significant. When the products were packed and kept for storage for 3 months in HDPE and laminated pouches, it was observed that moisture, microbial contamination, sensory qualities did not show significant change irrespective of packaging material. Physical characteristics, shelf-life parameters, nutrient and chemical profile, were seen to be on par among the treatments. However T5 and T6 can be recommended with respect to better sensory qualities. (Refined flour, jackfruit bulb flour and jackfruit seed flour in the ratio of 5: 1: 4 and 5: 2: 3). From the above study, it can be concluded that noodles with high consumer acceptability can be developed from this underexploited fruit, which has good nutritional, organoleptic and shelf life qualities.