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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 Microbiology × Author: Aathira, S Kumar × Author: KAU × End date: 2020 × Start date: 2012 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development of inoculant cultures of zinc solubilizing microorganisms
    (Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Vellayani, 2016) Aathira S Kumar; KAU; Anith, K N
    The study entitled “Development of inoculant cultures of zinc solubilising microorganisms” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani during the period 2014 - 2016 with the objective of isolation, characterization and evaluation of zinc solubilising microorganisms from soils of Kerala and to develop inoculant culture of the best zinc solubilising isolate. Microorganisms capable of solubilising zinc were isolated from Agroecological units 20, 21 (Wayanad) and 8 (Thiruvananthapuram) by serial dilution technique on Bunt and Rovira medium containing 0.1% insoluble zinc oxide. Ten isolates of bacteria capable of solubilising insoluble forms of zinc (zinc oxide) were obtained and allotted code numbers from ZSB-1 to ZSB-10. These were subjected to plate assay and broth assay in media supplemented with 0.1 per cent insoluble forms of zinc as zinc oxide or zinc phosphate. After three days of incubation of test plates, all the ten isolates solubilised zinc and produced clearing zone around the colonies on solid media. The size of the solubilisation zone ranged from 8.67 mm to13.33 mm in zinc oxide and from 1.00 mm to 5.33 mm in zinc phosphate incorporated medium. In broth culture, maximum solubilisation of zinc in both sources was observed on 30th day in the range of 35.91 ppm to 104.08 ppm in zinc oxide supplemented medium and 1.38 ppm to 4.15 ppm in zinc phosphate supplemented medium. The isolate ZSB – 4 showed maximum solubilisation of zinc in plate assay and broth assay. For soil incubation study, the isolate with maximum zinc solubilisation (ZSB – 4) was inoculated in zinc deficient soils and analysed for the soil chemical parameters and population dynamics of the bacterial isolate for a period of three months. The treatments were designed as T1 and T2 with Zn at two levels as ZnO, T3 with Zn solubilising culture alone @ 2 kg ha-1, T4 and T5 with Zn solubilising culture @ 2 kg ha-1 supplemented with Zn at two levels as ZnO and T6, the absolute control had no insoluble zinc supplementation and inoculation with the bacterial isolate. The isolate ZSB – 4 significantly increased the available zinc content in soil from 0.55 ppm to 9.47 ppm in treatment T4 (ZSB – 4 @ 2 kg ha-1 + zinc oxide @ 1 kg ha-1) during the incubation period. The same treatment registered the highest mean value for available phosphorus content, 12.09 kg ha-1 and 12.26 kg ha-1 respectively for the 2nd and 3rd month. There was an increase in oxidisable organic carbon content in the 3rd month for treatments T4 (1.44%), T5 (1.43%) and T3 (1.38%) and it was maximum in T4 which was statistically on par with T3 and T5. On the 3rd month, there was a decrease in the available boron content in soil for the treatments T3 (0.30 ppm) and T5 (0.34 ppm) when compared with previous months and the treatment T4 (0.33) maintained the level of boron. The total zinc content of the soil ranged from 0.05 % to 0.08 % during the entire three months and the mean values had no significant difference among treatments. The maximum colony count of 9.3 x 103 cfu g-1 of soil was recorded in the treatment T4 during the 3rd month which was on par with T5 (9.1 x 103 cfu g-1) and T3 (8.8 x 103 cfu g-1). The best isolate ZSB – 4 was subjected to molecular characterization and it was revealed that the organism is Bacillus cereus. Different carrier materials like talc, lignite, vermiculite, vermicompost and perlite were used in the present study to assess survival of ZSB – 4. Among the different carriers tested, the talc powder supported the maximum population of 3.9 x 108 cfu g-1 during the 3rd month. Based on the results of present study it can be concluded that application of talc based formulation of the zinc solubilising bacteria ZSB – 4 (Bacillus cereus) @ 2 kg ha-1along with zinc oxide @ 1 kg ha-1 was found to increase zinc content in soil after incubation. Based on the survival of the isolates in different carriers for the development of inoculant cultures, talc was found to be most suitable carrier for the formulated product.