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ThesisItem Open Access Study on marketing management of Sitaram ayurveda pharmacy Ltd. for Narasimham oil(College of Co-operation Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, 2017) Bhagyasree, K G; KAU; Smitha, BabyMarketing management is the organizational discipline which focuses on the practical application of marketing orientation, techniques and methods inside enterprises and organizations and on the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities. Marketing management employs tools from economics and competitive strategy to analyze the industry context in which the firm operates. The scope of a business' marketing management depends on the size of the business and the industry in which the business operates. Effective marketing management will use a company's resources to increase its customer base, improve customer opinions of the company's products and services, and increase the company's perceived value. The project entitled “A study on marketing management of Sitaram Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd. for Narasimham oil” were undertaken with the objectives vii. To understand the marketing management practices followed by Sitaram Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd for the promotion of Sitaram Narasimham oil. viii. To evaluate consumers, retailers and dealers perception towards the maketing of Sitaram Narasimham oil. ix. To suggest improved marketing strategies for Sitaram Narasimham oil. The sample size of the study was 60 consumers, 8 distributors and 15 retailres of Sitaram Narasimham oil , in Thrissur Corporation. Consumers were selected by using convenience sampling method. The study was based on primary data and secondary data, the primary data were collected from the sample respondents through personal interview. The collected data were analyzed using percentage and ranking index method. In order to keep the company vibrant and responsive to the needs of the customers, it is vital to regularly monitor the level of consumer satisfaction and marketing management practices.ThesisItem Open Access Morphological variations of root knot nematode in vegetables and banana(Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Chinchu, P Babu; KAU; Narayana, RThe study entitled “Morphological variations of root knot nematode in vegetables and banana” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2015-17 with the objective to study the morphological and morphometric variations of root-knot nematode in brinjal, okra, tomato and banana in Kerala. Morphological and morphometrical studies of females, perineal pattern, second stage juveniles and males of root knot nematodes collected from Dhanuvachapuram, Kattakada and Vellayani of Thiruvananthapuram district; Balagram, Pampadumpara and Thovalappady of Idukki district; Chazhoor, Thalikulam and Thaniyam of Thrissur district infecting brinjal, okra, tomato and banana were done and the data was analysed to identify the species. M.incognita (Kofoid & White, 1919) Chitwood, 1949, M. javanica (Treub, 1885) Chitwood, 1949, M. arenaria (Neal, 1889) Chitwood, 1949 and M. chitwoodi Golden, O'Bannon, Santo & Finley 1980 were identified from brinjal, okra, tomato and banana in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Thrissur districts of Kerala. The study indicated M. incognita as the major species of root knot nematode in Thiruvananthapuram district (91.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence in brinjal and tomato (27.77). In Idukki district, the major species of root knot nematode was M. javanica (66.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence from brinjal and banana (33.33). In Thrissur district, M. arenaria was found to be the major species (66.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence in okra (37.5). M. incognita was found to be the major species in brinjal (55.55%), okra (44.44%), tomato (55.55%) and banana (44.44%) in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Thrissur districts. The extent of parthenogenesis of root knot nematode was found to be very high (97.22%) in these populations. Intraspecific morphological variations were observed within M. incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria with respect to shape of females, length and position of neck, perineal pattern morphology, tail characters including rectum dilation. Interpopulation comparison of mature females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles of M. incognita showed that the characters length, width, neck length, stylet length, LMB, WMB and ratio a of females, LVS, AVS, ATT and IPD of perineal pattern and body length, stylet length, H-MB, ABW, tail length, ratio c and c’ were recorded as stable characters. Interpopulation comparison of mature females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles of M. javanica showed that all the characters of females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles were stable characters and in M. arenaria, the characters like body length, width, neck length, stylet length, LMB and WMB of females, LVS, AVS, ATT and IPD of perineal pattern and length, stylet length, H-MB, ABW and tail length were recorded as stable characters and found useful in characterizing species. Intraspecific morphological and morphometric variations of M. incognita, M. javanica, M. arenaria were recorded from four host plants in three districts in Kerala. M. arenaria and M. javanica showed high variability between the populations compared to M. incognita in Kerala. The study indicated that M. incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria were the major species infesting vegetables and banana in Kerala. Among the sampled populations, M. hapla was not identified which shows that M. hapla is not common in Kerala conditions. The study recorded the first report of species having morphological and morphometrical characters similar to M. chitwoodi from okra in Thiruvananthapuram which opens way to molecular studies in future.ThesisItem Open Access Standardisation of spacing and nutrient levels for fodder rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)].(Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2018) Ajmal Fayique, C; KAU; Usha C, ThomasThe study entitled “Standardization of spacing and nutrient levels for fodder rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)]” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala during Kharif 2017 to standardize the spacing and nutrient requirement of fodder rice bean and to study its impact on growth, yield and quality of the crop. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Block Design (33 confounded factorial) with three replications.The treatments consisted of three spacings (s1 - 30 cm x 10 cm, s2 - 30 cm x 20 cm and s3 - 30 cm x 30 cm), three levels of nitrogen (n0 - 0 kg ha-1, n1 - 20 kg ha-1 and n2 - 30 kg ha-1) and three levels of phosphorous (p0 - 0 kg P2O5 ha-1, p1 - 20 kg P2O5 ha-1 and p2 - 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) . FYM @ 5 t ha-1 and K2O @ 30 kg ha-1 were applied uniformly to all treatments as basal. The treatment s1 resulted in the highest plant height at 30 DAS and leaf: stem ratio at harvest. Application of N @ 20 kg ha-1 registered the highest plant height and was on par with 30 kg N (n2) while leaf stem ratio was the highest at n2. Levels of P had no significant impact on growth characters. The treatment combination s2n2p1 produced the tallest plants (173.17 cm) at harvest and treatments s1n0p1 and s1n2p2 recorded the highest leaf: stem ratio (0.82) but were on par with s1n0p0, s2n0p0, s n0p2, s1n1p0, s2n0p2 and s3n0p1. At 30 DAS, s1 produced the highest LAI (2.27) while at harvest, s2 was found superior. The highest NAR was observed at s1 and was on par with s3. Closer spacing (s1) enhanced the CGR at 30 DAS and harvest. Application of 30 kg N ha-1 (n2) enhanced LAI at both stages. At 30 DAS and at harvest, higher NAR were observed at n1 and n2. At 30 DAS, n2 and p1 registered the highest chlorophyll contents. The treatment s1 n2 p1 (30 cm x 10 cm spacing + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1) resulted in the highest LAI, CGR and chlorophyll content at 30 DAS. Spacing and N levels had significant impact on green fodder yield (GFY) and dry fodder yield (DFY). The highest GFY (12.95 t ha-1) and DFY (2.59 t ha-1) were produced at s1 (30 cm x 10 cm) and was on par with s2. The highest GFY (13.66 t ha-1) and DFY (2.73 t ha-1) were produced at n2 (30 kg N ha-1) and was on par with n1. The S x N x P interaction s1 n2 p1 (30 cm x 10 cm + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1) recorded highest GFY (17.29 t ha-1) and DFY (3.46 t ha-1). The different spacing had no impact on crude protein (CP) but the lowest crude fibre (CF) was observed at s1. Application of 30 kg N ha-1 (n2) resulted in the highest CP content and the lowest CF content was estimated at 0 kg N ha-1. Among P levels, p2 recorded the highest CP (17.69%) and was on par with p1. The lowest CF (16.43 %) was observed at s2n0p1 (30 cm x 20 cm spacing + 20 kg P205 ha-1) and was on par with s1n0p0, s1n0p1, s1n2p0, s2n0p0, s2n0p2, s3n0p0 and s3n0p1. No variation in N uptake was observed due to treatments. Uptake of P varied with N levels only and n1 and n2 recorded the highest P uptake. Spacing and P levels influenced K uptake by the crop and the highest uptake was observed at s1 and p2 but p2 was on par with p1. The three factor interaction s1n2p1 registered the highest P and K uptake. However, it was on par with s1n1p2, s1n1p0, s2n1p1 and s3n0p2 in P uptake and with s1n2p2 in K uptake. Increasing N levels increased pH and EC of soil after the experiment. Soil available N after the experiment was the highest at s3 (on par with s2) and n2 (on par with n1). At wider spacing, application of N enhanced the availability of N in the soil after the experiment. Available P in the soil varied with S x P interaction but all treatment combinations were on par except s2p0 and s3p2. The highest soil available K was observed at n0 among N levels and at p1 among P levels. The interactions S x N, S x P and N x P significantly influenced available K in the soil. Economic analysis revealed the highest net income (₹ 35762) and BC ratio (3.22) at s1n2p1 (30 cm x 10 cm spacing + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1). From the study, it can be concluded that fodder rice bean can be profitably cultivated at a spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm with application of 30 kg N ha -1 in two splits at 15 and 30 DAS and basal application of 20 kg P2O5 ha-1, 5 t ha-1 of FYM and 30 kg K2O ha-1.ThesisItem Open Access Cryopreservation of chethikoduveli (Plumbago rosea L.) and assessment of genetic fidelity of regenerated plantlets using molecular markers(Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2014) Anand, Vishnu Prakash; KAUInvestigations on “Cryopreservation of Chethikoduveli (Plumbago rosea L.) and assessment of genetic fidelity of regenerated plantlets using molecular markers” were carried out at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2011-2013. Plumbago rosea var. Agni plants were collected from AMPRS, Odakkali, Ernakulam and maintained at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani as source of explant during the course of the study. The objectives of the present study was to standardise cryopreservation protocol by encapsulation dehydration technique for long term conservation of P. rosea and genetic fidelity assessment of plantlets recovered and regenerated from cryostorage using molecular markers. The project was carried out in two phases viz., in vitro regeneration and in vitro conservation by cryopreservation of P. rosea. In vitro regeneration protocol was optimised for P. rosea var. Agni. Various steps of in vitro regeneration viz., surface sterilization, axillary shoot proliferation, in vitro rooting and acclimatization and planting out has been standardised. For surface sterilizing, single nodal explants (3-4 cm long) were subjected to fungicide treatment with 0.1 per cent carbendazim 50 per cent W. P. (for 30 min) followed by aseptic sterilisation dip with absolute alcohol. Further, the explants were surface sterilised with 0.2 per cent mercuric chloride (for 5 min) which gave 100 per cent survival without any contamination. Enhanced release of axillary buds from single nodal explants, with maximum shoot proliferation (5.28 shoots/culture) was obtained in the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The best response (10.67 roots/culture) of in vitro rooting of plantlets was obtained in the medium, MS + NAA 1.0 mg l-1. In vitro rooted plants gave a maximum survival rate of 76 per cent and 72 per cent, when planted out in potting media consisting of red soil and coir pith (3:1) and red soil and coir pith (2:1) supplemented with VAM respectively at 25 per cent shade. In cryopreservation studies, preconditioning treatment (sucrose 0.5 M for 7 days) recorded maximum shoot proliferation (2.67 shoots/culture) when nodal segments with single axillary bud were cultured on MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1 medium. Among different encapsulation treatments, maximum shoot proliferation of (2.31 shoots/culture) was obtained in beads formed with sodium alginate 2.5 per cent and calcium chloride 100 mM, when cultured on the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. Pre-culture medium supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 3days gave maximum shoot proliferation (3.44 shoots/culture) when cultured on the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. A desiccation duration of 5 h at 18.13 per cent moisture level was found to be most effective giving 66.67 per cent survival and 62.50 per cent regeneration on thawing and culturing on the recovery medium MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The beads when stored in liquid nitrogen for different duration and cultured on recovery medium did not show any significant variation with respect to survival per cent. RAPD markers were tried to study the genetic fidelity of the regenerated plantlets from encapsulated and cryopreserved axillary buds. Six primers were screened and RAPD banding patterns of the cryoregenerated plantlets and control plants were compared. Polymorphism was not found with any of the primers tested. RAPD profiles of cryoregenerated plantlets were identical to those of the control. The in vitro regeneration protocol optimized included surface sterilization of single node cuttings with 0.2 per cent HgCl2 for 5 min, axillary shoot proliferation in MS medium supplemented with BA 1.5 mg l-1 and IAA 1.0 mg l-1, in vitro rooting in MS medium supplemented with NAA 1.0 mg l-1 and planting out in potting medium, red soil and coir pith (3:1). The protocol for encapsulation dehydration technique of cryopreservation was standardised for the axillary buds of P. rosea with preconditioning in semi solid MS medium supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 7 days, encapsulation using sodium alginate 2.5 per cent and calcium chloride 100 mM followed by pre-culture in liquid MS supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 3 days and 5 h dehydration (MC 18.13 %), rapid freezing in LN for at least 2 h and recovery in the medium MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The cryopreservation protocol using encapsulation-dehydration technique standardised could be utilised for long-term conservation of P. rosea.ThesisItem Open Access Management of bitter gourd mosaic by enhancing host resistance(Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Ashwini, K N; KAU; Vimi, LouisBitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is one of the important vegetable crops that occupy a pivotal position among fruit vegetables, particularly in south India. The fruits of this crop which have high commercial value and are being used for culinary preparations and various medicinal preparations. In spite of the economic importance of this vegetable, the research work carried out on protection of crop from viral disease is quite scanty. In many case, cent per cent mosaic incidence was recorded in the crop resulting in substantial economic loss. So the present study was focused on screening of bitter gourd accessions and management of bitter gourd mosaic by enhancing host resistance using defense inducers. The three different viruses causing mosaic in bitter gourd are cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potyvirus and bitter gourd distortion mosaic virus (BDMV). As these viruses causes mixed infection in field, the separation of individual viruses was carried out using systemic indicator host plants. For separation of CMV and potyvirus, systemic indicator host plants used were cosmos and papaya respectively. BDMV was separated by white fly transmission. The pure cultures of viruses were maintained on the susceptible bitter gourd variety Preethi. The symptoms developed by different viruses were recorded under natural and artificial conditions were recorded CMV produced mosaic specks, yellow-green mosaic patches, leathery leaves and downward rolling of leaf margin. Symptoms of potyvirus infection were vein clearing, puckering, malformed leaf with reduced leaf size and rugosity. BDMV infection produced mosaic, puckering, leaf distortion, hairy growth on leaves and vines with reduction in leaf size and internodal length. For the screening of bitter gourd accessions against CMV and potyvirus, potassium phosphate buffer pH 7.0 was found to be the most suitable buffer. Among 22 accessions screened, three accessions viz., TCR 285, TCR 39 and TCR 53 were highly resistant to CMV; one accession Biliagala was highly resistant to potyvirus and 11 accessions viz.,TCR 285, TCR 39, TCR 493 ,TCR 416, TCR 492, TCR 494,TCR 380, TCR 202 and TCR 149, Green long and Biliagala were highly resistant to BDMV. The field experiment was undertaken with the objective of management of bitter gourd mosaic by using defense inducers. The three different defense inducers viz., salicylic acid 25 ppm, barium chloride 0.1% and Pseudomonas fluorescens 2 % were evaluated on the moderately resistant cultivar white long and susceptible variety Preethi. The mosaic symptom was recorded after 51 days of sowing in salicylic acid treated plants and after 40 days of sowing in control. A time gap of 5-10 days after spray of defense inducer was required for development of resistance in plants. The lowest disease severity was observed in cultivar White long treated with salicylic acid. The highest yield was recorded in Preethi treated with Pseudomonas fluorescens.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluvation of China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees.] for cultivation in tropical plains(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2019) Alfin, Santhosh; KAU; Anupama, T VChina aster [Callistephus chinenesis (L.) Nees.] is one of the most important annual flower crops grown in India for cut flower as well as loose flower purposes. It ranks third next to chrysanthemum and marigold among the annual flowers and has gained popularity due to ease of cultivation, diversity of colours and good vase life. It is also used for bedding purpose in landscapes and as pot plants. In Kerala, the demand for annual flower crops is on the rise, however the cultivation is limited. China aster due to its hardy nature can be grown as a pure crop as well as intercrop in coconut gardens. The investigation entitled ‘Evaluation of China aster [Callistephus chinenesis (L.) Nees.] for cultivation in tropical plains’ was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping during 2018-2019 with an objective to evaluate the performance of China aster for cultivation in tropical plains. Ten varieties of China aster viz. Arka Kamini, Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Violet, Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Purple, AAC-1, Local Pink and Mat White were evaluated for vegetative, floral and post harvest characters. The varieties showed significant variation for vegetative characters. In all the varieties, leaf dentation was present and leaf shape was ovate for all varieties except Arka Shashank which had linear leaf shape. Stem colouration and leaf mid rib colouration were absent in varieties such as Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Phule Ganesh White and Mat White and the rest of the six varieties showed the presence of purplish stem and mid rib colouration. The variety Phule Ganesh Pink was superior in plant height (68.86 cm) at 3 months after planting. The characters like plant spread (50.08 cm), number of leaves (56.48), number of primary branches (14.25) and stem girth (11.09 cm) were also highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink. Leaf area was the highest in variety Phule Ganesh White (34.31 cm2). The variety Mat White was significantly inferior for all the vegetative characters observed. Floral characters showed significant variation among the varieties. Powderpuff flower type was observed in Arka Shashank and all the other varieties had semi-double type flower. Days to bud initiation was minimum in variety Arka Shashank (44.40 days) and maximum in Phule Ganesh White (73.67 days). The same trend was observed for days to complete flower opening and days to 50 per cent flowering. The variety Local Pink had the highest duration of flowering (62.40 days) and variety Mat White (45.20 days) had the lowest duration of flowering. The variety Arka Shashank produced highest number of flowers per plant (20.20). The flower stalk length (21.13 cm), flower weight (6.94 g) and flower diameter (7.07 cm) were the highest in the variety Phule Ganesh Pink. The variety Phule Ganesh White was superior in terms of number of disc florets per head (251.00) whereas Phule Ganesh Pink had the highest number of ray florets per head (201.20). The flower yield per plant was highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (55.99 g). The variety Phule Ganesh White recorded the highest seed yield per flower (1.27 g) and seed germination (65.27 %). Longest shelf life was observed in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (3.67 days) which was on par with Phule Ganesh White (3.33 days) and physiological loss of weight was recorded highest in Phule Ganesh White (35.70 %). The variety Phule Ganesh Pink had the longest vase life (13.93 days) and total water uptake was also maximum in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (20.27 ml). Anthocyanin content of flowers was recorded highest in the variety Phule Ganesh Violet (51.87 mg/g) followed by Arka Kamini (48.62 mg/g). Dendrogram based on D2 statistics considering qualitative and quantitative characters indicated that high amount of variability is present among the varieties. Correlation and path analysis revealed that the characters such as number of primary branches (0.978), plant spread (0.894), leaf area (0.796) and flower weight (0.933) were having significant positive correlation with flower yield per plant with a direct effect of 0.150, 0.199, 0.281 and 0.498 respectively. Ranking of varieties was done individually for loose flower and cut flower types. In ranking for loose flower types, variety Phule Ganesh Pink scored first position which was followed by Phule Ganesh White and Local Pink. When varieties were ranked for cut flower types, first position was scored by Phule Ganesh Pink while second position was shared by Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Purple and Local Pink. In overall ranking the variety Phule Ganesh Pink occupied first position followed by Phule Ganesh White and Local Pink and these can be recommended for commercial cultivation in tropical plains of Kerala during winter season.ThesisItem Open Access Standardization of growing media and growth regulators for rose (Rosa ssp.) under top ventilated rain shelter(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2019) Sijo, John; KAU; Mini, SankarRose is acclaimed as ‘Queen of flowers’ because of its colour, fragrance and elegance. Cut roses are having very high demand in domestic as well as international market due to versatile uses. Roses can be successfully cultivated under top ventilated rain shelters in Kerala. Soilless media consist of vermiculite, perlite, and rockwool are popularly used for commercial production of rose under protected condition. These are costly and not easily available to farmers. Thus, there is a need to develop a cost effective growing media with locally available materials. Exogenous application of plant growth regulators improves the yield and quality of cut flowers by manipulating hormonal regulations in the plant system. Even though commercial formulations of different growth regulators are available in the market, the type and precise concentration of growth regulators are to be standardised. Hence the present study entitled “Standardization of growing media and growth regulators for rose (Rosa spp.) under top ventilated rain shelter” was carried out in the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2018-2019. Objective of the study was to standardize growing media and growth regulators for commercial production of cut roses in agroclimatic conditions of Kerala. The experiment consisted of twelve treatments, which included different combinations of three growing media viz; soil + M-sand + cocopeat + FYM (M1), soil + M-sand + cocopeat + vermicompost (M2) and soil + M-sand + cocopeat + poultry manure (M3) in 2:1:1:1 ratio and two levels each of two growth regulators viz; Benzyl adenine (BA) and Gibberellic acid (GA) at 200 and 250 ppm. Six months old grafts of rose variety ‘Tajmahal’ was used for the study. Observations on growth characters, yield, post harvest aspects as well as nutrient status of the growing media were recorded. With regard to vegetative characters, growing media, growth regulators and interaction between growing media and growth regulators had significant influence during the period of observation. Growing media containing FYM (M1) recorded the greatest plant height and was on par with growing media containing vermicompost (M2). Among growth regulators, GA 250 ppm was found to be superior in terms of plant height. With respect to interaction effect, greatest plant height was observed under the media containing FYM (M1) and GA at 250 ppm. Plant spread was highest under medium containing FYM (M1). Growth regulators had significant influence on plant spread and BA at 200 and 250 ppm were superior and on par in terms of this parameter. Regarding interaction, growing media containing FYM (M1) along with 200 ppm BA was observed to have the highest plant spread during the growth period. Media containing FYM (M1) as well as vermicompost (M2) were found to produce more number of branches and among growth regulators, BA at 200 and 250 ppm were on par and superior with respect to this parameter. Regarding interaction effect, highest number of branches was observed under growing media containing FYM (M1) and BA at 200 ppm. Significant effects of growing media could be observed on floral characters and media containing FYM (M1) was found to be superior with respect to floral characters viz; length of flower bud (3.37 cm), diameter of flower bud (2.16 cm), number of flowers /plant (5.04), number of petals/ flower (51.92), stalk length (47.94 cm) and flower diameter at fully opened stage (8.44 cm). Growing media containing FYM (M1) and growing media containing vermicompost (M2) were on par in terms of other floral characters viz; length of flower shoot, neck girth and stalk girth of flower. With respect to the influence of growth regulators on floral characters, a greater number of flowers/plant (5.38 and 5.10) as well as largest flowers at fully opened stage (8.33 and 7.99 cm) were observed under BA at 200 and 250 ppm. Stalk length of the flower was found to be maximum under GA at 200 ppm (47.92 cm). Highest length of flower shoot was observed in GA at 200 ppm and BA at 200 ppm which were on par with each other (38.79 and 36.94 cm respectively). Growing media and growth regulator interaction had significant influence on floral parameters viz; stalk length and number of petals per flower. Media containing FYM (M1) with GA 200 as well as 250 ppm were found to have maximum stalk length (52.48 and 50.09 cm respectively). Highest number of petals were observed under media containing FYM (M1) along with BA 200 and 250 ppm, media containing FYM (M1) along with GA 200 and 250 ppm, media containing vermicompost (M2) along with BA 200 ppm and GA 200 ppm as well as media containing poultry manure (M3) along with BA 200 ppm. Early initiation of flower bud was observed under media containing FYM (M1) along with BA 250 ppm (119.22 days). Regarding post harvest characters, media containing FYM (M1) was superior in terms of fresh weight of flower (16.36 g), total water uptake (49.48 ml) and vase life (8.46 days). Among growth regulators BA 200 ppm had longest vase life which was on par with GA at 200 ppm. Maximum fresh weight was observed under BA 200 ppm (15.17g). With regard to interaction effect, treatment combination of FYM + BA at 200 was found to have maximum vase life and fresh weight of flower (9.38 days and 18.71g respectively). Considering overall performance, growing media combination of soil + M-sand + cocopeat + FYM (2:1:1:1) along with monthly application of BA at 200 ppm can be recommended for commercial cultivation of rose under protected condition in Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Carbon sequestration potential of selected seaweeds of Thikkodi, Kerala(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2019) Saranya, M S; KAU; Vinod, KThe coastal blue carbon is the carbon sequestered by mangrove, tidal marshes, seagrasses and macroalgae which account for less than 0.5% of the seabed. Unlike, other blue carbon sectors (mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses), the macroalgae do not have sedimentary substratum. The macroalgae are commonly known as seaweeds. The ‘seaweeds’ as the name suggest is not an unwanted plant or weed. It has an important role in the marine ecosystem by acting as a sink for carbon emissions. The present study is based on the carbon sequestration potential of selected seaweeds of Thikkodi coast, Kerala. The state of Kerala has a long coastline of about 580 km, ranking only third among all the maritime states of the country. Some of these coastline stretches are pegged with areas of seaweed resources. The Thikkodi coast (11º28’30.8” N, 75º37’04.5”E) in the Kozhikode district of Kerala is well known for its rocky intertidal coast with a luxuriant growth of seaweeds of diverse species. An extensive study of seaweeds and their species diversity was carried out for a period of one year from September 2018 to August 2019 along the Thikkodi coast of Kerala. A total of 40 species of seaweeds were recorded which belonged to 23 genera, 18 families and 14 orders. A total of 19 species belonged to Chlorophyta, while 12 species belonged to Rhodophyta and 9 species belonged to Phaeophyta. The distribution and seasonal abundance of different species along the Thikkodi coast was also studied. The biodiversity indices were studied using PRIMER (Plymouth Routines in Multivariate Ecological Research). The biodiversity indices such as Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’), Pielou’s evenness (J’), Margalef species richness (d) were calculated. The seaweeds collected from Thikkodi coast were used to carry out the carbon sequestration potential studies. While comparing the three zones, the highest value of species richness (S) was obtained in zone 1 (S=14.00), followed by zone 2 (S=8.75) and zone 3 (S=7.08). The Margalef’s index (d) which incorporates the number of individuals (N) and species (S) was the highest in zone 1 (2.10), while it was minimum in zone 3 (1.08). The equitability or individuals among the different species showed much variation between the zones and the values ranged from 0.67 (zone 2) to 0.77 (zone 1). In the present study, the Shannon Wiener Index (H’) showed wide variation between the zones ranging from the lowest value of 1.33 (zone 3) to the highest value of 1.99 (zone 1). The Simpson Index (1-Lambda’) showed variations in values ranging from 0.66 (zone 3) to 0.82 (zone 1). The experiments were conducted on selected seaweeds particularly Gracilaria corticata, Caulerpa scalpelliformis and Caulerpa peltata. Carbon dioxide was dissolved in seawater at different concentrations using a soda maker by adjusting the fizz. After determining the initial CO2, the seaweeds were incubated in 125ml light bottles under a water column of 50-60cm for 2 hours. The initial CO2 concentration (mg/l) and the CO2 utilization were examined by titrating the seawater against 0.5N Sodium hydroxide solution using Phenolphthalein indicator. The Gross Primary Production (GPP) and Net Primary Production (NPP) were also estimated. For Gracilaria corticata, the utilization efficiency increased from 33.33% to 83.33% in lower CO2 concentration of 26.4mg/l and 79.2mg/l respectively. For Caulerpa scalpelliformis, the utilization efficiency increased from 25% to 42.86% in a lower CO2 concentration of 17.6mg/l and 30.8mg/l respectively. For Caulerpa peltata, the utilization efficiency increased from 66.67% to 75% in a lower CO2 concentration of 13.2mg/l and 35.2 mg/l respectively. When the concentration of CO2was increased beyond a threshold level, the CO2 utilization efficiency decreases and cease down to zero .Same is the case for productivity. Therefore the study implies that the carbon sequestration potential of different species of seaweeds varies. The macroalgae have a greater potential to act as carbon sink and based on the sequestration potential of seaweeds, selection of different species of seaweeds can be made possible for developing Seaweed Aquaculture Beds (SABs). The SABs provide important structure in coastal ecosystem and play an incredible role in climate change mitigation aspects.ThesisItem Open Access In vitro studies on anti-infective properties of leaf and root extracts of selected medicinal plants against gastro intestinal bacterial pathogens.(Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2019) Anjana, Babu; KAU; Shiburaj, SugathanThe thesis entitled “in vitro studies on anti-infective properties of leaf and root extracts of selected medicinal plant against gastro intestinal bacterial pathogenes” was carried out in the Microbiology division of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, during 2018-2019 academic years.The objective of the study was Screening of medicinal plant extracts for anti infective property against gastro intestinal bacterial pathogens and identification of lead compounds, targeted efficacy testing of selected compounds against FtsZ proteins through in vitro and in silico approaches, demonstrating the effect of the compounds identified on virulence factors and bio-film formation of enteropathogens. Diarrhoeal diseases remain a leading cause of preventable death, especially among children under five in developing countries. Acute watery diarrhoea mainly affecting children of developing countries that results in dramatic dehydration and it is most dangerous in the very young. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli or Vibrio cholerae are most common causative agent of acute watery diarrhoea. Diarrhoea also cause huge economic burden on people of impoverished countries. There is need for novel anti-infective agents that can prevent disease and economic burden of diarrhoea. Developing countries are rich source of traditional knowledge and natural resources. These resources can be channelized to develop novel anti-diarrhoeal agents that can prevent emergence and dissemination of gastrointestinal pathogen including drug-resistant strains. Many diarrhoeal diseases are known to be treated with herbal remedies throughout the history of humankind. Even today, plant materials continue to play a major role in primary health care as therapeutic remedies in many developing countries. For centuries, many secondary metabolites present in leaves are found to have an outstanding role in medical world. Most of these compounds belong to alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, saponins, quinones, coumarin and tannins. Leafs and roots are been extensively used in folk and modern medicine for treating various diseases. 105 We have explored anti-infective activity of the leaf and roots ethanol extract of five medicinal plants Moringa oleifera, Bixa orellana, Persicaria glabra, Pimenta dioica and Homonia riparia against enteropathogens like E. coli, V. cholera, E. faecalis, S. Typhi and S. aureus. Among these extractes hot ethanol extracts of persicaria glabra exhibited antibacterial activity against gastrointestinal pathogens such as E. coli, V. cholera, E. faecalis, S. Typhi and S. aureus. It also induced filamentation of Bacillus subtilis 168 which is an indication of cell division inhibition. The active compound present in persicaria glabra extract was identified to be querecetin, this compound can be used to develop novel anti-diarrhoeal agents.
