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ThesisItem Open Access Enhancement of propagation efficiency in exotic varities of heliconia(Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2008) Reshmi, C R; KAU; Sheela, V LHeliconias are among the most popular garden plants, both for the ease with which they can be grown and the sheer magnificence of the blooms. Studies were conducted to standardize rapid propagation techniques under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Three heliconia varieties belonging to three distinct groups viz., St. Vincent Red (small erect type), Golden Torch Adrian (hybrid) and Sexy Pink (large pendent type) were selected for the study. For in vitro culture establishment, shoot tip explants were effective. The treatment of shoot tips with 0.10 per cent mercuric chloride for ten minutes followed by dipping in 0.05 per cent mercuric chloride for five minutes (after trimming) resulted in better surface sterilization. Longitudinal cutting of the in vitro established shoot tip with apical dome into two halves and culturing them separately produced the highest number of axillary buds. Addition of 0.05 per cent activated charcoal to the establishment media reduced the media browning and hastened shoot initiation. For culture establishment of all the three varieties, MS medium supplemented with BA 5.00 mg l-1 was found to be the best. Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with BA 2.00 mg l-1 resulted in the highest shoot proliferation in the variety St. Vincent Red. In Golden Torch Adrian, BA 2.00 mg l-1 + NAA 0.20 mg l-1 gave better results. In the variety Sexy Pink, Kinetin 5.00 mg l-1 + NAA 0.20 mg l-1 was the best. For further multiplication in Sexy Pink, BA 1.00 mg l-1 was sufficient. Solid culture medium was better for shoot proliferation in the variety Sexy Pink. Higher sucrose concentration (40.00 g l-1) increased the multiplication rate, but reduced the length of shoots as well as the number of leaves. Addition of activated charcoal to the media as well as exposure of cultures to light had negative effect on shoot proliferation. Full MS medium was found to be the best for in vitro rooting of the variety Sexy Pink. Addition of NAA 0.50 mg l-1 to the MS medium gave better results for in vitro rooting in Golden Torch Adrian and Sexy Pink. Sucrose @ 30.00 g l-1 was sufficient for in vitro rooting in the variety Sexy Pink. Activated charcoal delayed root initiation and reduced the number of roots in the variety Sexy Pink. Sand recorded 90.00 per cent survival in all the three varieties after two months of planting out. At varietal level, significant difference was evident in the total number of suckers. In the first experiment, the variety St. Vincent Red (3.82) was significantly superior in terms of total number of suckers. However, in the second experiment, St. Vincent Red (4.06) was on par with Golden Torch Adrian (4.10). The variety Sexy Pink produced comparatively taller suckers in both the trials. Varietal variation in the number of leaves was observed only in the earlier stages. During the preliminary field experiment, the variety Sexy Pink excelled in leaf area at almost all stages of observation. Among the three varieties, highest collar girth was recorded by suckers of Sexy Pink variety during the first two stages of observation. However, towards the later stages, it was statistically on par with St. Vincent Red. Foliar spray was superior to rhizome dip in terms of total number of suckers, height of suckers and the number of leaves. In the case of leaf area, both the treatments were more or less on par. Application of growth regulators had pronounced effect on sucker production at all the stages during the first experiment when BA 750 mg l-1 produced the highest number (4.19) of total suckers. In the second experiment, variation was evident only in the total number of suckers. Here, BA 850 mg l-1 produced the highest number (4.33) of suckers and it was on par with BA 700 mg l-1 (4.00) and GA3 650 mg l-1 (3.79). Irrespective of the stage of plant growth, gibberellic acid produced taller suckers and BA 500 mg l-1 resulted in the shortest suckers. BA treatments recorded comparatively higher number of leaves. Growth regulator application had remarkably influenced the leaf area of suckers also. Application of BA 1000 mg l-1 (3.53 cm) and GA3 800 mg l-1 (3.33 cm) recorded higher collar girth in suckers. VG interaction exerted significant variation in the number of suckers. At varietal level, BA 750 mg l-1 produced the highest number of suckers in St. Vincent Red (4.75), GA3 500 mg l-1 in Golden Torch Adrian (4.63) and GA3 750 mg l-1 in Sexy Pink (4.00). Among VG treatment combinations in the second experiment, the highest number of suckers (4.75) in the variety St. Vincent Red was produced by BA 700 mg l-1. The varieties Golden Torch Adrian (4.88) and Sexy Pink (3.75) recorded the highest with BA 850 mg l-1. Gibberellic acid produced taller suckers. In the second experiment, VG interaction had no significant effect on the height of suckers. Regarding the number of leaves, BA resulted in comparatively higher number of leaves in both the experiments. In all the three varieties, BA 850 mg l-1 produced the highest number of leaves. Collar girth was found to increase with increase in the concentrations of BA and GA3 in all the three varieties. The economics of foliar application of growth regulators revealed that BA 850 mg l-1 significantly enhanced the profit in the varieties Golden Torch Adrian and Sexy Pink. Although negligible, BA 700 mg l-1 recorded slight positive response in the variety St. Vincent Red with respect to profit.ThesisItem Open Access Quality evaluation of vegetables cultivated through aquaponics(Department of Community Science, Vellayani, 2020) Bakam, Himabindhu; KAU; Suma, DivakarThe project entitled “Quality evaluation of vegetables cultivated through aquaponics” was carried out at the Department of Community Science, during 2018-2020. The objective of the study was to compare the quality characteristics of selected green leafy vegetables cultivated through aquaponics (T1) and conventional methods (T2). The capacity of the grow bed of the aquaponics unit selected was 400 L and that of the fish tank was 500 L.tuberless colocasia, water spinach and malabar spinach were the selected green leafy vegetables.Hundred tilapia fishes were grown with the plants. After the plants attained maturity, the physical characteristics, sensory qualities, nutrient composition, nutraceutical composition and shelf life of the two treatments of these leafy vegetables were studied. Except for water spinach, yield of malabar spinach and tuberless colocasia were comparable in both the treatments. Dry matter production of T1tuberless colocasia(119.5g/plant) was higher than T2 (45.25g/plant). Higher values for sensory qualities in both fresh and cooked samples of T1were obtained with respect to colour, appearance, texture, taste and flavor. In the case of water spinach, the higher scores obtained for appearance and colour of fresh leaves were significantly different (z value-3.023 and 2.305 respectively). Nutrient analysis revealed significant differences in the moisture content and fibre content of malabar spinach among the treatments. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference among the treatments cultivated in aquaponics and conventional systems for tuberless colocasia and malabar spinachwith respect to total minerals and acidity content. Nutrient analysis revealed significantly highervalues for soluble sugars, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium and Iron for T1. In nutraceutical profile analysis, except for oxalate content, there was significant differences among the treatments. 138 Shelf life studies revealed that tuberless colocasia (T1) remained fresh for 7 days when packed in newspaper, while T2tuberless colocasia, kept only for 6 days in similar packing. water spinach had the least shelf life in ambient conditions -T1 had 4 days and T2 had 3 days, when packed in news paper. Physiological loss of water was not found to be significantly different in any of the treatments of these vegetables. Shelf life of leaves were not seen to show differences among the treatments. Packing in PP covers were generally seen to be ideal for all the three leaf varieties. Overall analysis of the results revealed that, physical characteristics, sensory qualities, nutrient composition, nutraceutical composition and shelf life parameters of T1were on par with T2, or even higher in most cases, indicating the scope of raising these vegetables successfully in households for Food and Nutrient security.ThesisItem Open Access Germination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments(Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2020) Akhil Raj, B C; KAU; Deepa Nair, SGermination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments The present investigation entitled “Germination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments” was conducted in the Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2018-2020 with the objective to standardize pretreatment of seeds for enhanced germination and plant growth in Ocimum tenuiflorum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. The seeds of Ocimum tenuiflorum and Ocimum basilicum used for the study were sourced from Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru. The study was carried out in two phases: Phase 1- Pretreatment of seeds for enhanced germination, Phase 2- Evaluation of transplanted seedlings derived from pretreated seeds for enhanced plant growth. The seeds of both the species of Ocimum were subjected to various pretreatments viz., physical pretreatments, hormonal priming, biostimulant priming and biopriming (using microbes) prior to sowing. The seeds subjected to germination without any pretreatments were taken as the control. In the first phase of the study, O. tenuiflorum seeds when exposed to physical treatments, pretreatment using concentrated sulphuric acid for 1 min recorded maximum germination (85.33 per cent). The hot water treatment (65oC for 10 min) recorded the highest seedling length (27.83 cm) and seedling vigour index (19.67) with a germination of 70.66 per cent. Among the hormonal treatments, seeds primed with GA3 @1500 μM recorded the highest germination (96 per cent), seedling length (29.63 cm) and seedling vigour index (28.42). In biostimulant seed priming, the untreated control recorded the highest germination (62.66 per cent) but the highest seedling length (31.29 cm) and seedling vigour index (11.46) were observed with salicylic acid (SA) @ 1500 μM . The . The . The . The seeds when subject to biopriming with microbes, seeds primed with Bacillus pumilus recorded the best germination (72.66 per cent) and seedling vigour index (15.83). The highest seedling length (22.05 cm) was observed with Pseudomonas fluorescens, which was on par with that of B. amyloliquefaciens. Among all the pretreatments tried, GA3 @ 1500 μM was observed to give maximum germination (96 per cent) and seedling vigour index of 28.42, while SA @ 1500 μM recorded the highest seedling length (31.29 cm) in O. tenuiflorum. When transplanted, O. tenuiflorum plants derived from hot water treated seeds recorded the highest number of branches (45.33), fresh (130.10 g) and dry (31.22 g) shoot biomass at harvest (90 DAS), among the physical treatments. Plants derived from GA3 @ 1500 μM treated seeds recorded the highest shoot biomass in terms of fresh (193.50 g) and dry (46.13 g) weight. The plants from SA @ 1500 μM μM primed seeds- gave the highest shoot biomass with fresh weight of 217.50 g and dry weight of 54.10 g, among various biostimulant priming treatments. Among the biopriming treatments, plants generated from the seeds treated with B. amyloliquifaciens, recorded the highest fresh (151.33 g) and dry (38.84 g) shoot biomass which was on par with that treated with P. fluorescens. Among all the pretreatments, plants derived from salicylic acid @ 1500 μM treated seeds recorded the highest shoot biomass. When the O. basilicum seeds were exposed to physical treatments, water soaking treatment recorded the maximum seedling vigour index (16.13), while seedling length did not show any significant variation among the treatments. Among the hormonal priming, seeds exposed to BA @ 300 μM recorded the highest germination (80.67 per cent) and seedling vigour index (29.33). The maximum seedling length (39.03 cm) was observed in GA3@ 3000 μM . The seeds treated with SA @ 1500 μM recorded the highest germination (79.33 per cent) and seedling vigour index (27.92), among the biostimulant priming. Maximum seedling length (35.66 cm) was observed in SA @ 3000 μM and was and was and was and was on par with on par with on par with on par with SA @1500 μM . Among the biopriming treatments, seeds primed with B. velezensis recorded higher germination (82 per cent), seedling length (37.50 cm) and seedling vigour index (30.72), which were on par with P. fluorescens and B. amyloliquifaciens. In O. basilicum, among all the pretreatments tried, biopriming with B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens and SA @ 1500 μM recorded higher on par values with respect to germination per cent and seedling vigour index, while GA3 @3000 μM which recorded the highest seedling length. When transplanted, plants of O.basilicum derived from the seeds exposed to physical treatments did not show any significant variation with respect to shoot biomass. In hormonal priming, the maximum fresh (146.00 g) and dry (17.39 g) shoot biomass were observed in plants generated from seeds primed with GA3 @ 3000 μM . On evaluation of plants derived from biostimulant priming, maximum fresh (134.17 g) and dry (15.95 g) shoot biomass were observed in SA@ 3000 μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM . Among the biopriming treatments, plants derived from seeds primed B. velezensis recorded the highest fresh (153.03 g) and dry weight (17.73 g) shoot biomass, which were on par with P. fluorescens and B. amyloliquefaciens. Among all the seed pretreatments tried, plants generated from the seeds primed individually with B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens and SA @ 1500 μM recorded higher on par values with respect to shoot biomass. In the study, among the various seed pretreatments in O. tenuiflorum, GA3 @ 1500 μM recorded enhanced germination and plant growth, in terms of germination per cent, seedling length, seedling vigour index, plant height, number branches and shoot biomass. In case of O. basilicum, biopriming using B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens recorded enhanced germination and plant growth, in terms of higher germination per cent, seedling length, seedling vigour index, leaf, stem and shoot biomass.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L.) Merr. and Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques(Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2020) Reddappa, J B; KAU; Sreekala, G SThe present study entitled “Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L) Merr. & Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques” was taken up with the specific objective to evaluate elite clove accessions and to standardize pollination techniques for hybridization. The twelve elite accessions identified from estates of Trivandrum and Kollam districts of Kerala designated as BRC-1, BRC-2, BRC-3, BRC-4, MRC-5, MRC-6, MRC-7, MRC-8, AMC-10, AMC-11, AMC-12 and AMC-13 were evaluated during the period of 2018-2020. Quantitative characterization was done with 25 quantitative characters including tree, leaf, bud, flower, yield, fruit and seed characters. The girth of the tree at 30 cm height was maximum in BRC-3 (165 cm). Highest number of inflorescence/m2 was recorded in AMC-12 (156.25). The number of flower buds/inflorescence was maximum in MRC-6 (17.25) while single bud fresh and dry weight was highest in BRC-3 with 398.72 mg and 127.26 mg respectively. The mature bud length among the clove accessions was the maximum in BRC-1 (19.34 mm) whereas the mature bud diameter was maximum in BRC-3 (6.45 mm). The dry bud yield per tree was the highest in MRC-7 (8.13 kg) followed by BRC-1 (7.48 kg). Quantitative characters summarized based on the descriptive statistics revealed wider range of variability in single bud weight fresh, number of inflorescence/m2, single bud weight dry and girth of the tree. Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS), a multivariate analysis done on 25 variables with 12 observations revealed 10 dimensions and the contribution of MDS Dimension-1 and Dimension-2 were 75.76 and 17.21 percent with cumulative variance of 92.97 percent respectively. Based on the scree plot of MDS, first 2 dimensions were selected for generating the biplot. Based on MDS configuration eight clusters of selected clove accessions were identified. Dendrogram representing the relationship among 12 elite accessions based on Euclidean distance also identified same eight clusters of clove accessions that identified in MDS configuration. The linkage analysed based on the biplot of two dimensions of multidimensional scaling of biplot coordinates revealed a strong positive association between most of the characters measured except, girth at 30 cm height, number of inflorescence per m2, single bud weight fresh and single bud weight dry. Minimum Data Set for identifying a promising clove accession generated revealed accessions BRC-1, MRC-5 and MRC-6 had better ideotype and can be suggested as elite or superior accessions. The experiment on floral phenology and biology was carried out in clove plants at Braemore estate, Trivandrum district. The flower opening time of the clove flowers observed were between 2:30-6:30 pm. However the percentage of flower opened was maximum between 3.30- 5.30 pm. The number of stamens per flower varied from 167 to 343. The rupturing of anthers started 36 hours before anthesis and maximum anther dehiscence occurred between 36 h before anthesis till anthesis. The pollen grains were monad, radially symmetrical, triangular, trizonosyncolporate and were having exine ornamentation. The polar diameter of pollen grain ranged from 17.06-18.22 µm and the equatorial diameter of pollen grain ranged from 19.40-20.70 µm. The stigma receptivity by hydrogen peroxide test revealed stigma receptivity was there upto six days from anthesis and maximum stigma receptivity was observed on fifth day of anthesis with highest number of bubbles (31.40 per cent). The emasculation should start from 48 hour before flower bud opens which was revealed by the starting of separation of the petals since anthers started rupturing from 36 hour before anthesis. Pollen viability by iodine potassium iodide method revealed that pollen viability was maximum at 12 hour before anthesis (94.02 per cent). Pollen fertility was also maximum on the pollen collected 12 hour before anthesis (82.83 per cent). Thus the pollen collection should be undertaken 12 hour before anthesis. Pollen collected and dried at 50°C and stored upto two months of storage in refrigerator had maximum pollen viability whereas pollen fertility was maximum in pollen dried at 50°C and stored in desiccator. The hybridization was carried out on selected five clove plants as male and female parents. The percentage of fruit set ranged from 15 per cent to 42.5 per cent and average fruit set from all the plant combinations was 28.87 per cent. The study on “Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L) Merr. & Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques” revealed that clove accessions such as BRC-1, MRC-5 and MRC-6 had superior ideotype and superior in effective yield. The floral phenology of clove was studied and pollen collection, storage and artificial hand pollination in clove was standardized.ThesisItem Open Access Development of F1 hybrids of indeterminate tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for protected cultivation(Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2015) Lekshmi, S L; KAU; Celine, V AThe present investigation entitled “Development of F1 hybrids of indeterminate tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for protected cultivation” was conducted at the Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, from 2013 to 2015 with the objectives of identifying superior varieties and developing F1 hybrids of indeterminate tomato suited for protected cultivation. The study consisted of two experiments conducted in the naturally ventilated polyhouse of size 50 m x 20 m located at the Instructional Farm, Vellayani. In the first part of the first experiment, 40 tomato genotypes were evaluated for two consecutive years in an RBD with three replications. As the second part, 12 commercial hybrids were evaluated. The second experiment consisted of a 9 x 9 half diallel analysis laid out in an RBD with three replications. Analysis of variance showed significant differences between the genotypes for all the characters for two crops. Pooled analysis revealed that, LE 1 recorded the highest yield (2443.43 g) and fruit weight (108.13 g) followed by LE 7. LE 53 had maximum number of fruits per plant (65.00). In the present study, genotypes had wide variation for quality parameters. Fruits of LE 14 recorded highest TSS with a mean of 5.74 ºBrix. LE 7 had maximum ascorbic acid (30.13 mg/100g) and lycopene content (13.09 mg/100g). Beta carotene value was maximum in LE 16 (184.15 mg/100g). There was minimum incidence of pests, diseases and physiological disorders under protected conditions. Among the 12 hybrids evaluated, INDAM 9802 was the highest yielder (1444.40 g) followed by F1 T 30 (1412.22 g). F1 T 30 recorded maximum fruits per plant (35.66) which was on par with F1 Queen (35.55). Genetic parameters like phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, heritability and genetic advance were studied to assess the genetic variability among the genotypes. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance were observed for characters like truss per plant, fruits per truss, fruit weight, fruits per plant, yield per plant and yield per plot. Path analysis revealed highest positive direct effect for fruit weight (0.3956), truss per plant (0.3558) and fruits per plant (0.3381). Based on D2 analysis the 40 genotypes were grouped into eight clusters. Cluster I was the largest with twenty four genotypes followed by cluster II with ten genotypes. Diallel analysis was carried out using nine parents selected based on genetic divergence and per se performance. The parents were crossed in a diallel fashion excluding reciprocals to obtain 36 F1 hybrids. The study revealed that P5 x P9 had the highest yield (3114.03 g) which was on par with P6 x P8 (3074.37 g) and P1 x P5 (3077.58 g). P1 x P5 had the maximum fruits per plant (103.93). The magnitude of relative heterosis, heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis varied considerably. For yield, relative heterosis ranged from -32.40 to 92.72, heterobeltiosis from -47.14 to 89.54 and standard heterosis from 2.91 to 160.95. The σ2gca and σ2sca ratio indicated that non-additive gene action was predominant for all traits. Among the nine parents, P9 (LE 1), P5 (LE 20) P1 (LE 2), and P2 (LE 7) were superior for yield and yield attributes. The estimates of sca effects indicated that P5 x P9 (LE 20 x LE 1), P6 x P8 (LE 39 x LE 38) and P1 x P5 (LE 2 x LE 20) were the most promising hybrids for protected cultivation. The present study revealed that the genotypes LE 1 and LE 7 and the hybrids INDAM 9802 and F1 T 30 were superior for yield and yield attributes under protection. Based on the mean performance, standard heterosis and sca effects the three potential crosses viz., P5 x P9, P6 x P8 and P1 x P5 could be adjudged as suitable indeterminate tomato hybrids for protected cultivation.ThesisItem Open Access Standardization of processing methods for production of quality white pepper.(Department of Processing Technology,College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2011) Shameena Beegum, P P; KAU; Vasanthakumar, KThe research entitled “Standardization of processing methods for production of quality white pepper”was conducted at the Department of Processing Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani . The study was undertaken with the objective of producing good quality white pepper using improved processing methods. The experiment was divided into three parts viz., chemical method of white pepper production, microbial fermentation method and organoleptic evaluation of the resultant products. The experiment was laid out in CRD with three replications. Seven promising bleaching agents were selected for the chemical experiment. Berries with calcium hypochlorite, calcium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, benzoyl peroxide and the conventional retting (control) constituted the eight treatments. Effects of these treatments on the physical and chemical properties of white pepper berries were analysed. All the physical properties except sizes of berries were significantly influenced by the treatments. Treatment with sodium perborate recorded maximum specific gravity followed by sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide. The highest value for 1000 berry weight was reported from berries treated with sodium hypochlorite. Treatment with calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite had registered a significantly higher value for 1000 berry volume. Calcium hypochlorite treated berries were having the highest yield. Berries produced by conventional retting process (control) found to be superior in volatile oil, oleoresin, piperine and non volatile ether extract and treatment with calcium hypochlorite was on par with control in all chemical parameters. Residual level of bleaching agents was found to be in a safe range for consumption. The microbial fermentation work was consisted of, isolation of organisms through enrichment culture technique, evaluation of available cultures and standardization of retting process for white pepper production. Seven isolates of bacteria IsB1 to IsB7 and eight fungal isolates IsF1 to IsF6 were obtained. Evaluation of isolates was done by assessing the pectinolytic and cellulolytic activities. The isolates IsF1 and IsF3 were also capable for degrading pectin. Degradation of cellulose was maximum in IsF3, Ay1 and Mycophyta. Bacterial isolates did not produce any zone for both asparagine and MP-5 media. Compared to bacterial isolates fungal isolates was faster in retting. Isolate IsF3, Ay1and Mycophyta were the most promising and recorded 100 percentage retting without any damage by third day itself. Amongst all the isolates, considering the retting process and quality of the product, the isolates IsF3 and Ay1 were found to be the most superior. Berries treated with sodium perborate recorded maximum over all acceptability for Organoleptic qualities eventhough it resulted poor chemical qualities. Amongst all the eight treatments, considering quality parameters and quality of developed product, treatment with calcium hypochlorite was found to be the most superior. The above study could be concluded with the findings that, prolonged retting period can be shortened to three to four days using microbial fermentation method with promising isolates IsF3 and Ay1. While opting for a better colour, bleaching with a promising chemical bleaching agent like calcium hypochlorite (0.2%) can be recommended.ThesisItem Open Access In vitro propagation and rapid analysis of selected varieties of papaya (carica papaya L)(Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2007) Bindhu, B; KAU; Jayachandran Nair, C SA study was carried out at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2003-2006 for refining existing tissue culture protocol with respect to selected varieties and hybrids of papaya. Molecular characterization of papaya hybrids was also carried out using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Papaya varieties and hybrids selected for the study were Pusa Nanha, CO-5, Washington, Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew, Solo x Coorg Honeydew and Pusa Nanha x Solo. Apical buds and lateral buds from seedlings and mature plants were used as explant for in vitro propagation. The present study revealed that full strength MS medium supplemented with sucrose 30.00 g l-1 and agar 6.00 g l-1 under light condition produced highest shoot number and longest shoot in papaya varieties and hybrids. Application of BA 0.50 mg l-1 along with NAA 0.10 mgl-1 was found to be better for initial culture establishment and proliferation of papaya varieties and hybrids. Application of amino acid, arginine 50.00 mg l-1 resulted in highest shoot proliferation rate, while highest shoot length was obtained from arginine 100.00 mg l-1. Addition of activated charcoal 0.05 per cent and Cobalt chloride 10.00 mg l-1 increased shoot proliferation rate and shoot length in papaya varieties and hybrids. In vitro rooting was best in full strength MS medium supplemented with IBA 3.00 mg l-1, sucrose 30.00 g l-1and activated charcoal 0.05 per cent. Earliest planting out of in vitro propagated plants in potting media was carried out in papaya variety Pusa Nanha and late planting out in papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew. Highest plant height of in vitro propagated plants, at time of planting out in potting media was recorded by papaya variety Washington and lowest by papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, while hsighest leaf number was reported from papaya variety CO-5 and lowest from Pusa Nanha. But longest root was noticed in papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew and shortest root from CO-5. No significant difference was noticed in the number of roots produced at the time of planting out in potting media. In vitro propagated plants of papaya had better establishment in the potting mixture containing sand : soil : cowdung (1 : 1 : 1) + Mycorrhiza (1.00 g plant -1). After field establishment, highest plant height and plant girth was noticed in papaya variety Washington and lowest in papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew. While highest leaf number upto six weeks after planting was shown by papaya variety CO-5 and thereafter by papaya variety Washington. Lowest leaf number upto eight weeks after planting was noticed in papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew and thereafter by papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew. Early flowering was reported in papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew and late flowering in papaya variety Washington. Most of the papaya varieties and hybrids selected for the present study exhibited only dioecious nature, but papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew showed gynodioecious nature. Highest field establishment of in vitro propagated plants was shown by papaya varieties CO-5 and Washington and lowest by papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew. Genomic DNA was successfully isolated from four papaya hybrids using CTAB method. All the ten primers (six primers from OPA and four primers from OPB series) yielded amplification products with isolated DNA. A total of 39 RAPDs were obtained from ten primers of which 36 bands were polymorphic. Primers OPA-03, OPA-04, OPA-12, OPB-04 and OPB-17 gave 40 scorable bands, with an average of 8.0 bands per primer. The largest cluster in dendrogram was formed by three hybrids - Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew and Pusa Nanha x Solo. The second cluster contained only one hybrid - Solo x Coorg Honeydew. The minimum similarity coefficient detected in the present study was 0.389, suggesting a genetic differentiation among the papaya hybrids.ThesisItem Open Access Divergence studies in salad cucumber (cucumis sativus L)(Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2006) Smitha Sara, Abraham; KAU; Gopalakrishnan, T RThe present investigation on “ Divergence studies in salad cucumber (Cucumis sativus L)” was conducted at College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during December 2005- April 2006. Twenty-eight salad cucumber genotypes collected from different parts of India were utilized for the study. The extent of variability, correlation between yield and its component characters, path analysis and divergence among 28 genotypes were assessed. The 28 genotypes were significantly different for 15 characters studied. The genotype Phule Himangi (20.22 kg/plot) emerged as high yielder followed by AAUC 2 (15.11 kg/plot). Selection of plants based on yield/plot was observed to be efficient than selection of component characters. All the accessions were prickled on the surface. All were monoecious and produced yellow flowers. Most of the genotypes produced light green fruits whereas Phule Himangi produced white stout fruits. Genotypes CS 25 and CS 35 were comparatively free from biotic factors except mosaic and serpentine leaf miner. Total yield per plot showed positive correlation with fruits per plant, duration of crop and number of harvests. Negative correlation was observed between total yield per plot and number of branches. It is clear from the study that, for obtaining higher yield characters like fruits per plant, duration of crop, number of harvests etc should be considered in the selection programme. Fruits per plant had maximum positive direct effect on total yield per plot. Higher positive effects for days to first male flower anthesis was observed on total yield per plot. The genotypes were grouped into 5 clusters based on Mahalanobis D2 statistics. Cluster I, II, III, IV and V contained 13,8,4,2,1 genotypes respectively. Inter-cluster distance was maximum between cluster II and V (48733.77) and minimum between cluster I and III (8415.55). Cluster V showed maximum average inter-cluster distance with any another cluster.ThesisItem Open Access Antioxidant and anticarcinogenic potential of jackfruit based ready-to-cook (RTC) curry mixes(Department of Community Science, College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2019) Gayathri Mohan; KAU; Suma DivakarThe research work entitled, “Antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic potential of jackfruit based Ready-To-Cook (RTC) curry mixes” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2017-2019, with the objective to ascertain the antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties of the jackfruit based curry mixes (‘Avial’ mix, ‘Koottu’ mix and ‘Ularth’ mix) which were developed earlier at the Department of Community Science, using raw jackfruit (Koozha type). Methanol, ethanol, petroleum ether and acetone were used to extract the bioactive compounds of the powdered mixes for phytochemical screening, antioxidant analysis and verification of anti-carcinogenic property. The results of the phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of tannins, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, phenolic compounds, cardiac glycosides and anthraquinones in the three mixes; whereas the analyses revealed the absence of alkaloids and phlotobatinins. Quantitative analysis of antioxidants revealed that the beta carotene content of the RTC mixes was in the range of 0.07-1.16 mg/100g. Beta carotene content was found to be more in ‘Avial’ mix (1.16mg/100g). Ascorbic acid content was also found to be higher for ‘Avial’ mix (38.45 mg) and the lowest content was found for ‘Ularth’ mix (15.34 mg). The saponin content was found to be highest in ‘Avial’ mix (6.65 per cent) and lowest in ‘Ularth’ mix (5.00 per cent). The tannin content of ‘Ularth’ mix (11.57 mg) was observed to be on par with ‘Avial’ mix (11.52 mg). Total phenol content was found to be more in ‘Koottu’ mix (21.53 mg/100g) and the total flavonoid content of RTC mixes was seen to be in the range between 0.86-3.25 mg/100g. There was significant difference in the lectin content of ‘Avial’ mix (0.35%), ‘Koottu’ mix (0.56%) and ‘Ularth’ mix (0.75%). Alkaloids and selenium were found to be absent in the RTC mixes. In case of mineral analyses, Copper content was found to be higher in ‘Ularth’ mix (2.57 µg); zinc content was in the range of 4.65-6.55 µg and was found to be higher for ‘Koottu’ mix (6.55 µg) and lower for ‘Ularth’ mix (4.65 µg). Manganese content was found to be higher in ‘Koottu’ mix (5.30 µg) while, it was observed to be on par in ‘Avial’ mix (2.55 µg) and ‘Ularth’ mix (2.51 µg). The highest iron content was found in ‘Ularth’ mix (0.92 µg). Antioxidant activity in the present study revealed that ‘Avial’ mix had the highest DPPH activity with an IC50 value of 33.81 µg/ml. Total antioxidant activity was found to be more for ‘Avial’ mix (41.44 per µg/ml), followed by ‘Koottu’ mix (42.41 µg/ml) and ‘Ularth’ mix (43.45 µg/ml). ‘Avial’ mix showed more ferric reducing capacity while ‘Ularth’ mix had the least capacity in this regard. ABTS radical scavenging activities of RTC mixes ranged between 34.84-46.69 µg/ml. ABTS radical scavenging activity was observed to be higher for ‘Avial’ mix (34.84 µg/ml) and lower values were noted for ‘Ularth’ mix (40.52 µg/ml). Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of RTC mixes was found to range between 50.55-52.55 µg/ml. ‘Avial’ mix showed higher superoxide radical scavenging activity with an IC50 value of 48.54 µg/ml and the lowest superoxide radical scavenging activity was observed in ‘Ularth’ mix (60.73 µg/ml). However, the highest nitric oxide scavenging activity was observed for ‘Ularth’ mix (14.11 µg/ml) followed by ‘Koottu’ mix (30.92 µg/ml) and ‘Avial’ mix (36.58 µg/ml). Among the three jackfruit based Ready-To-Cook (RTC) curry mixes ‘Avial’ mix was found to have higher antioxidant property and was therefore taken up for studying the anti-cancer property. Cytotoxicity of ‘Avial’ mix was estimated by MTT assay on Human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7) and 17 per cent of loss in cell viability was observed. Findings of the present study revealed that the jackfruit based RTC mixes comprised of various health promoting components such as beta carotene, ascorbic acid, saponins, tannins, total phenols, total flavonoids and lectins they also had potent antioxidant activities. Thus the curry mixes, in particular the ‘Avial’ mix can be promoted as functional food which will help to enhance its commercialization.
