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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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  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Host-specificity, patho-physiology and transmission of the baculovirus(Kerala isolate) infecting Oryctes rhinoceros Linn. (Scarabaeidae:Coleoptera)
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1995) Suma Paulose; KAU; Abraham, C C
    The Baculovirus oryctes has been recognized as one of the most promising pathogens against oryctes rhinoceros. Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the virus in respect of its patho-physiology, histopathology, mode of transmission, cross-infectivity, effect of physical factors on the virulence of the virus and safety to non –target organisms. The oral inoculation technique has been found to be more effective than the swim method. For long term storage of the virus, the freeze drying method was found to be ideal as it retained viability for more than sixteen months. The viral particles have been found to be bacilliform , measuring 210 to 250nm in length and 75 to 105 nm in width. The main symptoms observed in grubs due to viral infection are loss of appetite, lethargy, pallor, migration to the top of the breeding medium, disintegration of the fat bodies and development of diarrhoea. Adults did not show any pronounced external symptoms. Infected adults refused to take food and they eventually developed diarrhea. All instars of grubs and adults were susceptible to the viral infection .The susceptibility to infection was maximum in the first instar followed by third instar, second instar and the adults in that order. The mean lethal concentration of the viru required to cause fifty per cent mortalities were 0.377 x10-4 , 14.417x10-4, 0.297x10-4 and 1.137x10-4 gut equivalent for the first, second and third instar grubs and adults respectively. The cytology of the midgut contents showed desquamated epithelial cells with nuclear and cytoplasmic vacuolation, nuclear hypertrophy and ring stages nucleus. The midgut and fat bodies have been identified as the major sites of viral multiplication. Transovum and transovarial transmission studies have shown that the virus was not transmitted by any of these method. The studies on transtadial transmission established that the disease was transmitted from first to second and from second to third instar, but not from the third instar to the pupae. The predator platymerus laevicollis did not transmit the disease. The reproductive potential of oryctes was found to be significantly impaired due to viral infection. When both the mating partners were infected, the number of eggs laid was only 19 to 20 as compared to the output of 209 to 219 in the healthy pairs. The cross-infectivity studies have clearly established that the virus was not infective to other important pests of coconut such as Rhyncophorus ferrugineus, Leucopholis coneophora, opisina arenosella and the predator’s p.laevicollis. In studies on the effect of temperature on the viability of the virus, it was found that above fifty per cent mortality took place on incubation of the virus for 21/2 hours at 370c and that the viability was totally lost as a result of exposure for 4 1/2 hours. The number of adults required for release in to the breeding pits of size of 30cmx30cmx30cm to kill fifty per cent of the Rhinoceros grubs at different time intervals were 4.440, 3.668, 3.016 and 2.889. Safety studies have revealed that the virus was absolutely safe to the silkworm Bombyx mori, chick embryo, white mice and white rat.