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ThesisItem Open Access Fungal diseases of selected medicinal plants of Kerala(Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1991) Sukumara, Varma A; KAU; ; Abi, CheeranThesisItem Open Access Managerial efficiency of cassava farmers(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1991) Asnantharaman, M; KAU; Thyagarajan Nair, GThe study aimed at analyzing the managerial efficiency of cassava farmers. It was conducted in four districts namely, Thiruvananthapuram (low productivity), and Pathanamthitta (high productivity) in Kerala State and Kanyakumari (low productivity) and Selem (high productivity) in Tamil Nadu state. The first three districts were considered as non- industrial district and Selem district was considered as industrial district also. A total of 240 cassava farmers were selected, 60 from each district following stratified random sampling. The managerial efficiency was measured with the help of a scale consisting of 30 items developed for the study. The data on the managerial efficiency of farmers and on the fifteen socio- psychological and situational factors of the farmers were collected using an interview schedule. The components of managerial efficiency identified empirically were ‘planning’, ‘labour management’, ‘information management’, ‘financial management’ ‘production management (variety)’, ‘production management (practices)’ and ‘marketing management’. The managerial efficiency of cassava farmers as the whole was somewhat better as little more than half of the farmers had high managerial efficiency. While the farmers exhibited high efficiency in the managerial components namely, ‘planning’, ‘labour management’, ‘financial management’ and marketing management’, they were not efficient in the components of ‘Information management’, ‘production management (variety)’ and ‘production management (practices)’. The farmers of industrial district were found to have significantly higher efficiency in the overall managerial efficiency as well as in the managerial components viz., ‘planning’, ‘information management’, ‘financial management’, ‘production management (variety)’, and ‘production management (practices)’ when compared to farmers of non- industrial district. The component- wise performance of farmers on the whole was in the order of ‘labour management’, ‘marketing management’, ‘planning’, ‘financial management’, ‘production management (practices)’, ‘information management’, and ‘production management (variety)’. While farmers of industrial district relatively performed well in ‘production management (variety)’, ‘production management (practices)’ and ‘planning’ when compared to other components, non-industrial district farmers performance was good at ‘labour management’, ‘marketing management’ and ‘financial management’. The managerial components namely, ‘planning’, ‘information management’ and ‘financial management’ were found to be relatively more important than other components with regard to their contribution towards the profit from cassava cultivation. The socio-psychological and situational factors namely, closeness with agricultural support system, market perception, achievement motivation, economic motivation, attitude towards scientific management in crop enterprise, knowledge on scientific management in crop enterprise, cultivated holding, cassava area and irrigation potential were found to be significantly contributing to the managerial efficiency. The major managerial constraints faced by the farmers were lack of awareness, knowledge, conviction, timely information and planting materials; limited resources, uncertainty and shortage of labourers.ThesisItem Open Access Resurgence potential of the rice leaf folder. Cnaphalocrocis.medinalis Guen. as influenced by the soil application of carbofuran granules(Department of Agricultural Entomology , College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1991) Baby, P Skaria; KAU; Abraham, C CIn investigations on the changes taking place in the extent of feeding, growth and development of the rice leaf folder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis Guen. on rice plants receiving soil application of carbofuran granules at 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 kg ai/ha/application at 20, 50 and 20 and 50 days after transplanting, the extent of larval feeding on leaves did not show any variations as a result of carbofuran treatments. In the third, fourth and fifth larval instars and pupae, carbofuran treatments led to their weight gain due to possible enhancement of the digestibility and more effective conversion of ingested food into body matter, under .influence of factors mediated by the metabolites of carbofuran in leaf tissues. In respect of mean larval and pupal mortality, the insecticidal treatments did not show any impact, but the metabolites showed a negative correlation with the mortality levels thereby indicating the favourable influence of the metabolites on the development of C. medinalis. There was improvement in female emergence as a result of treatment with 1.00 kg ai/ha of carbofuran applied at 20 as well as 50 DAT as compared to untreated control, but the sex-ratio variations as a result of treatments were not pronounced. The first instar larval emergence (F1 generation) showed a positive influence by different metabolites of carbofuran. Carbofuran treated plants showed distinctly positive orientational stimulus to C. medinalis adults due to positive olfactory stimuli probably due to emission of vapour-phase admixture of carbofuran metabolites, but there was no improvement in fecundity under such treatments. There was distinct improvement in progeny production from females developing from carbofuran treated rice plants. This is mainly due to the ingress of more female moths and the resultant increase in overall ovipositional output rather than increase in fecundity'. Carbofuran treatments caused increase in the density of leaf hairs in a dose-dependent manner, but such variations were not significant as compared to untreated control. The positive relationship between ovipositional preference on the one hand and leaf hair density of treated plants .on the other brings to focus the role of tactile stimuli provided by leaf hairs in the acceptance of host plants for oviposition. The residues and metabolites of carbofuran in leaves favourably influenced most of the growth and developmental attributes of the rice leaf folder. None of the plant biochemicals showed any changes under influence of carbofuran treatments.ThesisItem Open Access Dietary protein and energy requirements of ducks for growth(Department of Poultry Science, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1991) Peethambaran, P A; KAU; Ramakrishnan, A (Guide)A detailed study was undertaken to establish the dietary protein and energy requirements of ducks for growth and also to ascertain the optimum age at slaughter in white pekin ducks. An attempt was made to study the general trend of growth in pekin ducks fed with different levels of protein and energy. An exhaustive review of literature has been presented on the effects of dietary protein and energy levels on growth and associated traits in pekin ducks. Five hundred and four (504) one-day old ducklings of white pekin breed were used for the study. Two feeding trials each for a period of ten weeks were carried out using nine experimental diets containing three levels of protein (17,20 and 23 per cent) and three levels of metabolisable energy (2400, 2600 and 2800 K Cal ME/kg). In each trial, the diets were fed to nine groups consisting of 28 ducklings in four replicates of seven ducklings each. The effects of protein and energy on production traits revealed the following: The requirements of dietary protein for optimum growth of white pekin ducks were 23 per cent until third week, 20 per from fourth to sixth week and 17 per cent from seventh to tenth week of age. The metabolisable energy requirement for optimum growth was proved to be 2400 K cal ME/kg diet from day-old to ten week of age throughout. The weekly body weights of ducklings receiving 20 and 23 per cent protein were significantly better until sixth week. Even though, ducklings receiving 17 per cent dietary protein were significantly lighter until sixth week, they recouped body weights by compensatory growth from seventh week onwards. The ducklings receiving dietary energy level 2600 K cal ME/kg have shown significantly higher weight gain and live body weight at first week. The second and third week gains and body weights were significantly higher in ducklings receiving 2400 and 2600 K cal ME/kg diet. The ducklings receiving 2800 K cal ME/kg showed significantly lower body weights and gains until third week. The weekly gains and body weights at sixth week were statistically comparable among the three energy levels studied. Rapid growth at early ages with 20 and 23 per cent protein was observed until fourth week. The growth was slow with 17 per cent level and peak gain occurred at fifth week. Protein x energy interaction effects on weekly body weights were non-significant. The interaction effects were significant in respect of sixth week weight gains, and feed intake at first week, fifth and sixth week of age. The feed intake at second and third week showed significant increase with increasing levels of protein. The energy level 2800 K acl ME/kg diet reduced feed intake markedly until third week. The cumulative feed intake at tenth week ranged from 7.879 to 9.423 kg per duckling, among experimental diets. The weekly feed-gain rations and cumulative feed efficiencies revealed poor conversion rates beyond eighth week of age. The cumulative efficiencies at sixth week were 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 with protein levels 17, 20 and 23 per cent respectively. The ready-to-cook yield at fifth, eight and tenth week were 66.39, 68.76 and 69.69 per cent respectively. The processing yields and losses, serum protein and haemoglobin levels; and the moisture, crude protein and ether extractives in liver and thigh meat were not significantly influenced by dietary protein and energy levels, and ages at slaughter. The marketing age in pekin duck was found optimum at sixth week on the basis of live body weight, feed conversion efficiencies and economics. Based on the above findings it was concluded that white pekin ducks require 20 per cent protein and 2400 K cal ME/kg diet until sixth week of age. In this study, the highest margin of return over feeding cost recorded with the above diet was Rs. 10.11 per duckling, at sixth week. Therefore, age for marketing pekin ducks was found ideal at sixth week on feeding medium level of protein with low energy density diet.
