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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively. Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively. On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs. In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc. During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.

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Subject: Agricultural Entomology × Author: Babykala, P × Author: KAU × End date: 1994 × Start date: 1990 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Bioecology of orthogalumna terebrants wallwork on waterhyacinth
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1994) Babykala, P; KAU; Joy, P J
    The mite biology, morphology, nature of extent of damage and interaction with N. eichhorniae were studied. The might laid solitary eggs sideways to the oviposition holes, deeply embedded in the aerenchyma cells. The incubation period was 5.8 days. The larvae and nymphs fed by making galleries. The larvae, proto and deuto nymphal stages were completed in 3 days each, while that of tritonymph took 4 days. The duration of inactive stages from larva to proto, proto to deuto and deuto to tritonymphal stage were 1.6 days each, whereas from tritonymph to adult, it was 3 days. Adult longevity was 57.3 days. pre-ovipositional period was 4 days and the total number of eggs produced during the whole life period was 41.5 eggs. The larvae have three pairs of legs but no genital opening. The nymphal stages have four pairs of legs, ending in single claws. The proto, deuto and tritonymphal stages, have one, two and three pairs of genital papillae respectively. This character helps in identification of larval and nymphal stages. The adults are pteromorphs and sexual dimorphism is absent. Sensillus is relatively short with curved stem and globular roughened head. Terminally the tarsus of the leg has three claws on a short peduncle the lateral claws more slender than the median and sharply angled. The larval and nymphal feeding produces galleries on leaves of waterrhyacinth resulting in brown streaks on the leaf lamina. Such brown streaks later coalesce to form large brown areas, leading to drying up of the entire leaf. As the mite load increased from ten to eighty the number of plants and number of leaves showed significant reduction 90 days after release. The extent of damage caused by O. terebrantis with or without weevil under open and partially shaded conditions of waterhyacinth plants was experimented upon, and it showed that, the root length, petiole length ( in open condition), laminar width and length, number of leaves and number of plants under both light intensities (partially shaded and open condition), in general showed a decreasing trend. The plants in tanks having ten weevils alone per tank and 10 weevils plus 100 mites per tank under partially shaded conditions collapsed within 60 days, whereas in open condition of that having 10 weevils plus 100 mites per tank, all the plants collapsed by the 75th day. In the treatment with ten weevils alone per tank in open condition the collapse occurred only at 105 days. In the treatment with 100 mites alone per tank, there was no collapse of plants upto 105 days (in both conditions). The number of mite galleries and mite population per leaf with Neochetina feeding marks was comparatively more in the presence of weevils than in their absence. Fungi like Fusarium, Aspergillus and Rhizopus were isolated and also the spider mite and insects like aphids and grasshoppers were noticed.