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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Open Access
Micrometeorological modification with mulches to enhance the yield of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)
(Department of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Agriculture,Vellanikkara, 2021) Abin Divakaran, A; KAU; Lincy Davis, P
Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is one of the most important rhizomatous spices, belonging to Zingiberacea. It is an annual herbaceous plant native to tropical SouthEast Asia. Turmeric has high medicinal properties and it is wildly used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. Due to the high value of the crop, it is getting good demand all over the world. India is one of the largest producer and consumer of turmeric around the world. In India turmeric is mainly planted in the hot summer months and grown as a rainfed crop, but due to the drastic changes in the agroclimatic conditions its production is influenced detrimentally. Mulching is an important cultural practice in turmeric, which helps to maintain an optimum microclimatic condition, reduce weed growth, add organic matter and conserve moisture throughout the high evaporative periods. Due to these changing climatic conditions assessment of an effective date of planting and finding a most suitable mulching practice are required for the effective production of turmeric. Hence, the goal of this study is to determine how planting dates and micrometeorological modifications with mulches affect turmeric yield. Turmeric variety Kanthi was raised in Plantation Crops and Spices farm, College of Agriculture, KAU, Vellanikkara with four different dates of planting (1st May, 15th May, 1 st June and 15th June) and four different mulching treatments (white polythene mulch, black polythene mulch, paddy straw mulch and green leaf mulch). The experiment was laid out in split plot design with four dates of planting as main plot treatments and four mulching practices as subplot treatments. Crop weather analysis was done by using SPSS software and crop yield prediction model was developed with the help of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and regression analysis. The total crop period was divided into four phenophases (P1-planting to germination, P2-germination to initiation of active tillering, P3-initiation of active tillering to bulking, P4- bulking to physiological maturity). The days to reach each phenophases were different in every date of planting. May 1st planting took more days to reach 100 per cent germination and to reach physiological maturity both 1st and 2nd dates of plantings took more time. The plant biometric characters like plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, number of tillers and dry matter accumulation were found to be more in earlier dates of planting (May 1st and May 15th) in almost all the time. In mulching practices paddy straw mulch was superior and it was followed by green leaf mulch. The yield produced by May 1st and May 15th dates of planting were on par and in case of mulching treatments paddy straw mulch produced superior yield than any other mulching practice. In mulching treatments polythene mulches recorded more soil temperature and moisture content than organic mulches in almost all the time. The first phenophase of 1st date of planting recorded high maximum, minimum and soil temperature along with less rain fall and rainy days. This might have influenced the late emergence of turmeric. The increase in maximum temperature, wind speed, sunshine hours and evaporation reduced the plant height in third phenophase. Soil moisture content and relative humidity inside the plant canopy showed a positive correlation with yield, whereas soil temperature showed a negative correlation with yield during the bulking stage of turmeric. The decrease in maximum temperature, bright sunshine hours, wind speed and evaporation and the increase in the minimum temperature, forenoon and afternoon relative humidity and rainfall during bulking stage enhanced the yield in turmeric. The development of yield prediction model with principal component analysis of mulching treatments and dates of planting of four phenophases were done and the yields of turmeric crop with these equations were predicted. This showed that, the predicted yield was in accordance with the observed yield in all mulching treatments.
Open Access
Spatial variability of climate change impacts on Rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield in Kerala
(Department of Agricultural Meteorology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2021) Riya, K R; KAU; Ajithkumar, B
Rice is one of the essential food crops of the world. Almost 40% of the world’s population consumes rice as their staple food. Nearly 12% of the total cultivated area in Kerala accounts for rice cultivation. It is cultivated in both plains and high altitudes, therefore long-term climatic changes within a region and their impact on productivity is very important. Crop weather models have a vital role in climate change studies. Rice studies are mainly carried out in the CERES- Rice (Crop Environment Resource Synthesis- Rice) model. The CERES - Rice has been calibrated and validated and found suitable for simulation of rice growth and development in the tropical humid climate. The present experiment was aimed to study the impact of climate change on phenophase and yield aspects of rice varieties under climate change scenarios of RCP 4.5 and 8.5 in 14 districts of Kerala. Short-duration rice variety, Jyothi and medium-duration variety, Jaya have been selected for the experiment. The experiment was carried out with the split-plot design. The main plot treatments were five dates of plantings (June 5 th , June 20th , July 5 th , July 20th and August 5 th) and subplot treatments were two varieties (Jyothi and Jaya) with four replications. Various observations like weather, phenological, biometric, physiological, yield and yield attributes had been recorded to studythe crop weather relationship. The crop weather analysis has been carried out with SPSS software. The results indicated that duration of phenophases had a negative correlation with the maximum temperature. A significant variation in the biometric observations was also obtained. Plant height and dry matter accumulation were found to be higher in Jyothi when compared to Jaya. Both varieties recorded the maximum leaf area index (LAI) and leaf area duration (LAD) at 75 days after planting. The crop growth rate was obtained maximum at an interval of 45 to 60 days after planting irrespective of the variety. The highest grain yield in Jyothi was obtained during June 5th and August 5th plantings which were found to be on par. In Jaya, July 20th planting and August 5 th planting were found to be on par. Using the observations from the field, validation of genetic coefficient of DSSAT- CERES model. To study the impact of climate change on rice production, climate change in Kerala had been estimated. The current climate (1980 – 2020) has been compared with three different future 2010-2030 (near-century), 2021-2050 (mid-century) and 2051-2080 (latecentury) simulations for the 14 districts of Kerala under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5. The annual and seasonal (southwest monsoon, northeast monsoon, winter and summer season) comparison of weather data has been carried out. Under RCP 4.5 the amount of solar radiation is expected increase by greater than 1 MJ/m2 districts like Wayanad, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottaym and Pathanamthitta by the end of century. Under RCP 8.5 a normal departure (-1 to 1 MJ/m2 ) is expected by the end of century in most parts except in Wayanad and Thrissur, where an above normal increase is predicted. At the same time in Palakkad a below normal decrease is expected in solar radiation. During the southwest monsoon an increase in solar radiation is expected in mid-century and by the end of century a normal departure is expected except in Malappuram, Palakkad and problematic zone where the solar radiation is expected to increase. Under RCP 8.5 a normal departure is expected by the end of century except in Kasargod, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Thiruvananthapuram where a below normal departure is expected. In northeast monsoon season solar radiation is expected to increase in central and problematic zone and a normal departure is expected in other parts under RCP 4.5. In RCP 8.5 by the end of century solar radiation is expected to decrease in Kozhikode, Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram during northeast monsoon. An increase in solar radiation is expected in central, problematic and southern zone during RCP 4.5 in winter season while in northern zone solar radiation is expected to be normal in RCP 4.5 and a below normal departure is expected in RCP 8.5. In Thiruvananthapuram a solar radiation is expected to decrease in both scenarios. A normal departure of solar radiation is expected to increase in most parts of Kerala during the summer season. In Kannur, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Wayanad solar radiation are expected to decrease by -1.5 MJ m2 or less than that by the end of century under RCP 8.5 except in Malappuram where an above-normal increase is expected. An increasing trend in maximum and minimum temperature is expected in future simulations. The annual temperature is expected to increase in all parts of Kerala except in Idukki where a below normal departure (-1.5 to 1.5°C) is expected in near and mid-century. By the end of century a normal departure of annual maximum temperature is expected in high range zone and Thiruvananthapuram under RCP 4.5 and while under RCP 8.5 only Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram is showing a normal departure. In southwest monsoon season temperature is expected to rise by 1.5°C by end of century under RCP 8.5 while under RCP 4.5 a normal departure is expected in Wayanad, Idukki and Kollam. During the northeast monsoon season and summer season the maximum temperature is expected to increase in all parts expect in Idukki in near and mid-century under both RCPs. In RCP 4.5, a normal departure of annual maximum temperature is projected in the high range zone and Thiruvananthapuram by the end of the century, but only Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram will show a normal departure under RCP 8.5. During the winter season a decrease in temperature is expected in Idukki while in other districts the temperature is expected to increase. The minimum temperature is expected to increase in Kerala except in Idukki in all the future simulations under both RCPs in all seasons. In Idukki the minimum temperature is expected to decrease in near century and then increase in mid and end of century with a normal depature. A spatial variation in rainfall is expected in Kerala in future simulations, with an excess or normal rainfall in some parts at the same time deficiency in other parts of Kerala. The annual rainfall is expected to increase in most parts of Kerala. In districts like Kasargod, Idukki and Alappuzha a normal departure (+19 to -19%) in annual rainfall is expected in all the future simulations under RCP 4.5 ad 8.5. During the southwest monsoon season, rainfall is expected to show a large excess and excess in most parts of Kerala except in Kasargod where a normal departure is expected. Under RCP 4.5 the rainfall is expected to decrease in Wayanad and Alappuzha by the end of century. While under RCP 8.5 the rainfall is expected to increase in Wayanad and Thiruvanathapuram by the end of century. Northeast monsoon is expected to be show a normal departure in most places. Under RCP 4.5 it is expected to decrease in Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Kasargod. While under RCP 8.5 it is expected to increase in Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kollam at the same time a deficit rainfall is expected in Kannur and Thrissur. Winter rainfall was predicted to decrease from normal in almost all parts of Kerala in near and mid-century. By the end of century under RCP 4.5 and by mid and end of the century under RCP 8.5 and excess rainfall is predicted in parts of the northern zone and problematic zone. Summer rainfall is expected to be large excess and excess in most parts during near and mid century under RCP 4.5 and in the near century of RCP 8.5. In the end of century under RCP 4.5 and in mid and end of the century under RCP 8.5 a normal rainfall is expected in most places. In Idukki and Thiruvananthapuram the rainfall is expected to be deficient. The potential yield had been predicted with the DSSAT- CERES model using the genetic coefficient validated using field experiment. the predicted weather for 13 districts of Kerala. The duration of crop is expected to decrease as a result of increase in temperature in both varieties. Yield reduction is expected in future simulations under both the RCPs in most places of Kerala. Under RCP 4.5 in Jyothi, June 5th planting showed maximum deviation from base period (2020). The maximum deviation was observed in Kozhikode i.e. in near (-58%), mid (-63%) and end of century (-60%) under RCP 4.5 and in near (- 62%), mid (-60%) and end of century (-64%) under RCP 8.5. The least deviation was found in July 20th planting in all the future simulations. In Idukki, an increase in yield had been observed in July 5 th , July 20th and August 5 th plantings. An increase by 34%, 28% and 23% in near, mid and end of century respectively is expected. Under RCP 8.5 in July 20th planting higher yield has been observed and shows a positive deviation of 38%, 28% in near and mid century respectively in Idukki. By the end of century yield is expected to decrease except in August 5th planting which showed a positive deviation of 12%. In southern zone the highest potential yield had been observed in August 5 th planting. In Jaya also the maximum deviation had been observed during June 5th palnting in Kozhikode i.e. in near (-58%), mid (- 63%) and end of century (-60%) under RCP 4.5 and in near (-62%), mid (-60%) and end of century (-64%) under RCP 8.5. In Idukki under RCP 4.5 an increase in yield was observed during July 20th planting with an increase by 27% in near and mid century and by the end of century a deviation of 20% was observed. Under RCP 8.5 in July 20th planting higher yield has been observed and shows a positive deviation of 27%, 24% and 10% in near, mid and end of century. In southern zone of Kerala, highest potential yield of Jaya has been observed in July 20th planting in all the future simulations under both RCPs. The duration of crop showed a negative correlation with the temperature. As a result decrease in duration of phenophase had been observed in future simulations. An increased temperature and precipitation patterns during panicle initiation to anthesis may be the reason for the yield variability. During the base period higher yield was obtained during June 5th and June 20th planting i.e. early plantings while in future simulations the higher yield is expected in July 5th, July 20th and August 5th plantings i.e. late plantings. Hence there is a chance of shift in date of planting in Kerala in future.
Open Access
Inter- and intra-specific variations of casuarina under elevated CO2
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2021) Abhin Sukumar, P; KAU; Buvaneswaran, C
Open Access
Weather extremes preparedness of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) farmers in Kerala
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2021) Adharsh, C J; KAU; Ajith Kumar, B
Open Access
Estimation of glacier stored water in bhaga basin, Himalayas
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2020) Gopika, J S; KAU; Nameer, P O
Open Access
Climate-forest fire linkages in selected protected areas in Kerala
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2020) Sreedevi, K; KAU; Gopakumar, S
Open Access
Long - term changes in the Indo-Sri Lankan Upwelling System, a perspective to study the impact of climate change in a tropical ocean
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2020) Parvathy, V S; KAU; Muraleedharan, K R
Open Access
Vulnerability and adaptation study of women exposed to extreme weather events in Thrissur district
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2020) Aiswarya, T Pavanan; KAU; Chitra, Parayil
Open Access
Extreme enso (EI Nino Southern Oscillation) events and monsoon variability over India
(Academy of Climate Change Education and Research, Vellanikkara, 2020) Athira, K S; KAU; Nameer, P O

Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

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