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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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1997 - 19983
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Subject: Agricultural Entomology × End date: 1998 × Start date: 1997 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Composting efficency of indigenous and introduced earthworms
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1997) Jiji, T; KAU; Dale, D
    Eight species of earthworm belonging to three families were identified from five different soil types of southern Kerala. The identified species were Megascolex cochinensis, M.konkanensis, M.trivandranus, M.trilobatus, Perionyx, sansibaricus, Pheretima heterochaeta (Megascolecidae), Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae) and Drawida sp. (Moniligastridae). M.cochinenses and corethrurus were ubiquitous. P. sansibaricus was confined to forest soil and red soil. Forest soil with high water holding capacity, organic carbon content and acidic pH had the highest total count of worms and the highest species diversity. The exotic species Eudrilus eugeniae was more efficient for composting in terms of duration for composting and biomass production. However, the multiplication rate of the indigenous P. sansibaricus was more than that of E.eugeniae. In field conditions, when the same weight of worms was used, the time taken for composting was found equal for E. eugeniae and P. sansibaricus. However, the biomass recovery of earthworm was more in E. eugeniae. Both species performed well in the rainy season, compared to hot summer months. The breeding potential, time required for composting and decomposition rate were significantly superior from june to September. There was posititve correlation between juvenile count and rainfall and negative correlation with maximum temperature with respect to E.eugeniae. In P. sansibaricus adult and juvenile counts expressed positive correlation with rainfall and humidity and negative correlation with maximum temperature. Space was found to be a determining factor in the growth and multiplication earthworms. The cocoons of E.eugeniae required 29+ 1.10 days for hatching. The hatching rate was only 56.25 + 1.19 percent in laboratory condition. The mean number of juvenile hatched /cocoon was 2.88+0.35. The period required to attain reproductive stage was 43.38 + 0.56 days. Cocoons of P.. sansibaricus was elongate and slender. The time required for hatching of cocoon was 16+0.43 days. The hatching rate was 64.06+3.44 percent in laboratory conditions. The juveniles required 38.25 + 0.70 days to become adults. The number of cocoon laid / week was also significantly superior, as compared to E. eugeniae. Vermicompost along with full inorganic fertilizer increased the yield by 21.4 per cent and 19.0 percent in bittergourd and cowpea, respectively. In cowpea, application of vermicompost without inorganic fertilizer was equally effective as that of the recommended manorial schedule. There was significant yield increase when vermicompost was used as a potting mixture in bhindi. However, no significant difference in the biometric characters of plants was observed. Vermicompost along with full inorganic fertilizer increased the yield of bhindi by 15 percent. The effect of in situ vermiculture (250 worms of p. sansibaricus /plot) was on par with that of package of practices recommendations. Neemcake was found beneficial for supporting growth and multiplication of E.eugeniae. Neem cake recorded 102 percent increase in juvenile worm production. Neem leaves and thevetia leaves were equally effective. Mahua cake was not supportive for growth and multiplication. Neem cake was effective in supporting growth and multiplication of P.sansibaricus. Neem cake recorded 52 percent increase in juvenile worm production. Leaves of neem, clerodendron and glyricidia were equally effective in supporting juvenile worm production as that of the control. Calotropis leaves and mahua cake caused significant reduction in adult, juvenile and cocoon production. In a pot culture study, among the treatments, carbofuran, phorate and quinalphos, quinalphos(0.5 kg and 1.0kg ai/ha) was found the least toxic to earthworm and there was total survival after an interval of seven days. The treatments involving earthworms for composting evolved significantly higher Co2 during the period of composting, compared to the control treatment of banana: cowdung mixture without worms. The Co2 evolved by the treatments involving E.eugeniae and P.sansibaricus were on par. Maximum Co2 evolution was observed on the 21st day which was significantly superior to the Co2 evolution estimated at various other intervals. From the 21st day onwards a decline in the CO2 evolution was recorded. The treatment involving earthworms had a significantly higher bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes counts, as against the treatment without worms. The highest fungal count for E.eugeniae was found on the 28th day. Towards compost maturity the fungal counts were more or less steady; however, a slight increase in the count was observed on the 56th day. There was no definite trend with respect to actinomycetes count during the period of composting.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Influence of weather and rearing techniques on mulberry silk worm crops in Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1998) Krishnakumar, R; KAU; Sasidharan Pillai, K
    Investigations were conducted on the effect of weather parameters on the mulberry silkworm crops reared in different seasons and to evolve suitable rearing technology for stress seasons in order to improve the rearing during these seasons and for developing suitable package of practices recommendations for silkworm rearing in Kerala. The study was conducted during 1992-1996 at College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The experiments conducted were  Effect of climatic factors on mulberry silkworm crops in different seasons.  Identifying rearing technology for stress seasons of high temperature and humidity.  Manipulation of feeding schedule with reference to stress seasons and types of silkworm rearing houses. To study the effect of climatic conditions on the mulberry silkworm crop, the silkworms were reared during different identified seasons viz December- January, February-April, May-July, August-September and October-November in 1993-94. The mulberry silkworms used for the study were bivoltine NB4Dz and crossbreed PM x NB4D2. Three brushing were done in each season at fortnightly intervals and fifteen continuous rearings were conducted. The important weather parameters recorded were maximum temperature, minimum temperature, maximum humidity and minimum humidity inside and outside the rearing house. The rearing characters like instarwise larval duration, moulting duration, larval weight, leaf consumption, silk gland weight, disease incidences, missing larval percentage and economic traits like cocoon weight, shell weight, shell ratio, effective rearing rate, filament length, reelability and computed parameters like growth index and growth rate were also recorded. Among the different seasons, August-September and December-January were identified as the favourable seasons. October-November, February-April and May-July seasons were found to be the stress seasons as the biological and economic traits of the different silkworm races during these seasons were not compromising in comparison with other seasons. Maximum temperature and minimum temperature show direct correlations whereas maximum humidity indirectly showed negative correlations with the economic traits like larval weight, silkgland weight, shell ratio, cocoon weight and yield. Second and third experiments were conducted to identify suitable cost effective and efficient rearing house for these stress seasons and also to evolve rearing technology so as to reduce cost of production. The treatments for the second experiment were five different rearing houses along with three different larval spacings. The rearings were conducted by using the same crossbreed and bivoltine race used in the first experiment. The rearings were carried out during 1995 and 1996 in the three stress seasons viz May-July, October-November and February-March. The observations were recorded in terms of the larval characters and economic traits of the silkworms NB4D2 and PM x NB4D2 in these seasons. The results revealed that wider spacing was superior to medium and close spacings in both races. The rearing houses made of mud brick and thatched roof and burnt brick and thatched roof were found superior to other rearing houses in all the three stress seasons during the two year period. Among the different feeding schedules studied in the third experiment, three feeding a day was mostly on par with four feeding a day but was advantageous in terms of convenience of feeding time over other feeding schedules though four feedings recorded higher values for some biological and economic traits in the different silkworm types during different seasons. The incorporation of new techniques of rearing the crossbreed silkworm types in thatched mud wall rearing house, medium spacing of worms and three feeding a day was found to be an ideal profitable package during unfavourable seasons as comparable to that of favourable seasons.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Pathogenesity of thai sacbrood virus to the ecotypes of Apis cerana indica Fab. in Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1998) Devanesan S; KAU; Abraham, Jacob
    Identification of ecotypes of the Indian bee A. cerana indica Fab. in different ecological niche in Kerala adopting statistical analysis of the morphometric data was attempted in the investigation. Sixty worker bees each were collected from 18 locations distributed throughout Kerala and data on 50 selected characters were collected. Univariate analysis showed significant variations in the data with reference to all the fifty characters indicating the desirability of a multivariate analysis for identifying sub groups of A. cerana indica available in the state. A comparison of the honeybee population of the three topographic divisions of the state viz., highrange, highland and midland, with reference to each morphometric character revealed that the bees from highrange were distinct from those of highland and midland. There was less distinction between the bees of the latter two divisions. It also indicated that the highrange bees possessed longer proboscis, antennae, wings and legs. The abdominal size also showed an increasing trend in highland and highrange bees. Eleven morphometric characters were positively correlated with altitude while seven characters showed negative correlation. Multivariate(discriminant) analysis of the morphometric data revealed the existence of four different clusters / ecotypes in A. cerana indica populations of Kerala. Cluster I included all the six locations of midland and four locations of highland. Two locations of highland at higher altitude formed cluster 11. Pampadumpara of the highest altitude in highrange came in cluster IV and remaining locations of the highrange constituted cluster Ill. Contribution of each morphometric character towards divergence of the clusters was also assessed. Seventeen characters contributing 2.5 to 6.4 per cent of divergence were thus identified. Bees from all the four clusters / ecotypes showed susceptibility to Thai Sacbrood Virus (TSBV) infection. Studies on the pathogenicity of TSBV showed that all four larval instars of A. cerana indica were susceptible to TSBV. One day old larvae were highly susceptible recording 100 per cent mortality closely followed by 2 and 3 day old larvae showing 84 to 92 and 82 to 96 per cent mortality respectively, with an incubation period of 3-4 days. Four day old larvae were comparatively less susceptible recording 72 to 74 per cent mortality with an incubation period of 3 to 5 days. The infected larvae were seen lying on the floor of the brood cells on their back with the head directed outwards and turned upwards like the prow of a boat. In later stages they became plumbier than healthy larvae. After death each larva showed a sac like appearance when lifted up and it was filled with a milky fluid formed probably by the histolysis of the tissues. In 10 to 15 days the sac got shrunk into a small browinish black scale \ " loosely lying at the floor of the' cell. The presence of diseased larvae was found to upset the behaviour of workers and queen. These resulted in the fast dwindling of the population and cessation of cleaning activities in the hive. The hive lost the desired qualities of a bee abode and hence the surviving bees deserted the same causing total loss to apiary.