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
Cytogenetic studies on intervarietal hybrids of sesamum (Sesamum indicum L.)
(Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture Vellayani, Trivandrum., 1984) Chandramony, D; KAU; Krishnan Nair, N
Open Access
In vitro propagation and rapid analysis of selected varieties of papaya (carica papaya L)
(Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2007) Bindhu, B; KAU; Jayachandran Nair, C S
A study was carried out at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2003-2006 for refining existing tissue culture protocol with respect to selected varieties and hybrids of papaya. Molecular characterization of papaya hybrids was also carried out using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Papaya varieties and hybrids selected for the study were Pusa Nanha, CO-5, Washington, Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew, Solo x Coorg Honeydew and Pusa Nanha x Solo. Apical buds and lateral buds from seedlings and mature plants were used as explant for in vitro propagation. The present study revealed that full strength MS medium supplemented with sucrose 30.00 g l-1 and agar 6.00 g l-1 under light condition produced highest shoot number and longest shoot in papaya varieties and hybrids. Application of BA 0.50 mg l-1 along with NAA 0.10 mgl-1 was found to be better for initial culture establishment and proliferation of papaya varieties and hybrids. Application of amino acid, arginine 50.00 mg l-1 resulted in highest shoot proliferation rate, while highest shoot length was obtained from arginine 100.00 mg l-1. Addition of activated charcoal 0.05 per cent and Cobalt chloride 10.00 mg l-1 increased shoot proliferation rate and shoot length in papaya varieties and hybrids. In vitro rooting was best in full strength MS medium supplemented with IBA 3.00 mg l-1, sucrose 30.00 g l-1and activated charcoal 0.05 per cent. Earliest planting out of in vitro propagated plants in potting media was carried out in papaya variety Pusa Nanha and late planting out in papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew. Highest plant height of in vitro propagated plants, at time of planting out in potting media was recorded by papaya variety Washington and lowest by papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, while hsighest leaf number was reported from papaya variety CO-5 and lowest from Pusa Nanha. But longest root was noticed in papaya hybrid Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew and shortest root from CO-5. No significant difference was noticed in the number of roots produced at the time of planting out in potting media. In vitro propagated plants of papaya had better establishment in the potting mixture containing sand : soil : cowdung (1 : 1 : 1) + Mycorrhiza (1.00 g plant -1). After field establishment, highest plant height and plant girth was noticed in papaya variety Washington and lowest in papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew. While highest leaf number upto six weeks after planting was shown by papaya variety CO-5 and thereafter by papaya variety Washington. Lowest leaf number upto eight weeks after planting was noticed in papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew and thereafter by papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew. Early flowering was reported in papaya hybrid Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew and late flowering in papaya variety Washington. Most of the papaya varieties and hybrids selected for the present study exhibited only dioecious nature, but papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew showed gynodioecious nature. Highest field establishment of in vitro propagated plants was shown by papaya varieties CO-5 and Washington and lowest by papaya hybrid Solo x Coorg Honeydew. Genomic DNA was successfully isolated from four papaya hybrids using CTAB method. All the ten primers (six primers from OPA and four primers from OPB series) yielded amplification products with isolated DNA. A total of 39 RAPDs were obtained from ten primers of which 36 bands were polymorphic. Primers OPA-03, OPA-04, OPA-12, OPB-04 and OPB-17 gave 40 scorable bands, with an average of 8.0 bands per primer. The largest cluster in dendrogram was formed by three hybrids - Pusa Nanha x Coorg Honeydew, Pusa Dwarf x Coorg Honeydew and Pusa Nanha x Solo. The second cluster contained only one hybrid - Solo x Coorg Honeydew. The minimum similarity coefficient detected in the present study was 0.389, suggesting a genetic differentiation among the papaya hybrids.
Open Access
Induced mutations in banana var. Nendran
(Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1990) Radha Devi, D S; KAU; Krishnan Nair, N
The present investigations was carried out in the Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 1985-88 and in the plant tissue culture Laboratory attached to the Department of Plantation Crops, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during 1986-88. The project was taken up to standardise the techniques for induced mutagenesis in-vitro and in-vitro in banana (Musa paradiciaca L.) var. nendran and aslo to analyse the direct effect of 60 Co gamma rays on growth and bunch characters in the vM1 and vM3 generations. One, two and three months old suckers of various sizes (after removal of 25 to 75 per cent of the pseudostem) were exposed to 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 kR gamma rays. For in-vitro mutagenesis, isolated shoot tips were exposed to 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50 kR gamma rays. Ex-vitro analysis of five plants per treatment per exposure was done in the vM1 generation for various growth, bunch and fruit characters.
Open Access
Studies on heterosis and combining abilities with respect to important economic traits in Capsicum annuum, L.
(Division of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1981) Manikantan Nair, P; KAU; Mary, K George
Sixty three varieties of Capsicum annuum representing different agroclimatic regions of the country constituted the base material of the study. Based on yield potential , adaptability and tolerance to leaf curl complex disease, thirty varieties were selected for subsequent studies. Comprehensive genetic studies including estimation of genetic parameters, cause effect relationship by path coefficient analysis, genetic divergence by Mahalanoble D2 statistic and a nine parent diallel analysis to causes the combining ability, to unravel the pattern of inheritance and also to examine the level of heterosis manifested with respect to eighteen economic characters including four nutritiveand quality attributes namely Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Capsaicin and Oleoresin content were conducted during the year 1976-79. Analysis of plot means exhibited highly significant differences among varieties except for Capsaicin content. The high degres of variability in economic attributes offers scope for recombining desirable genes from different varieties.
Open Access
Biometric analysis of yield and certain yield attributes in the para rubber tree: Hevea Brasiliensis Muell. Arg.
(Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1984) Markose, V C; KAU; Mary, K George
The para rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, is the commercial source of natural rubber. Introduced into the Far East in 1876, from Brazil, commercial cultivation started in India during 1902. The tree has a gestation period of six to seven years. A large number of clones have been evolved through ortet selection and through hybridisation, which show variability for different characters. The present study was undertaken to estimate (1) productivity (2) yield pattern (3) variability (4) correlations (5) effect of yield attributes (6) genetic diversity of twenty clones, and (7) early growth vigour of open pollinated seedlings of selected clones.
Open Access
Genetic analysis in red gram (Cajanus cajan L.)
(Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1990) Achamma Oommen; KAU; Narayanan Namboodiri, K M
The research project "Genetic analysis in red gram" was carried out in the College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Trichur during the period 1985-90. A 5 x 5 diallel cross, excluding reciprocals conducted in red gram revealed the predominance of additive gene effect for all the characters except days to first flowering. The combining ability analysis showed PLA-550 as the best general combiner; and the F 1 of the cross UPAS-120 x I.C. 15708 to have good specific combining ability. Negative heterosis over both the parents was exhibited by UPAS-120 x I.C. 15708 and PLA-550 x PLA-600 for days to first flowering and days to maturity which showed that early maturing segregants could be obtained from these crosses. The same crosses showed relative heterosis for yield also. The analysis of generation means by using six parameter model revealed the importance of both additive and dominance gene effects in the expression of most of the characters. Additive x additive and dominance x dominance effects showed influence in the expression of the characters. Among the components of variances dominance variance was higher for most of the characters. Heritability in narrow sense was found to be low. Number of clusters per plant and number of pods per plant were highly correlated with yield in parents, F 1 's and F2's. As the yield and yield components in the present study were under all the three types of gene action viz., additive, dominance and epistasis, reciprocal recurrent selection procedure seems to be the best suited method of breeding for improvement of this crop.
Open Access
Seed germination and tissue culture studies in orchids
(Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 1982) Ramachandran Nair, S; KAU; Foja Singh
Open Access
Genetic studies in brlnjal with relation to bacterial wilt resistance
(Department of Agricultural Botany, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1983) Gopimony, R; KAU; Krishnan, Nair N
Open Access
Nutritional management of yellowing in arecanut
(College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Jacob, D; KAU; Mercy, George
Yellowing of arecanut is the most serious problem affecting arecanut cultivation. The incidence of yellowing is noticed in isolated patches without any definite pattern. The diagnostic symptoms first appear as yellowing of leaflets in two to three leaves of outermost whorl, with abrupt demarcation between yellow and green regions. Yield in affected palms gets reduced by 30-40 per cent every year and in 3-4 years the entire garden becomes most uneconomical when left without proper management. Experiments of the research project entitled “Nutritional management of yellowing in arecanut” were conducted for three years from October 2003 to September 2006. Three hundred palms, hundred each in toposequences viz. converted paddy field, garden land and terraced upland of Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts were studied to develop an yellowing index to quantify yellowing in arecanut. The incidence of yellowing among various toposequences and popular cultivated arecanut varieties were recorded. To develop a management strategy to contain the yellowing, field experiments were laid out in three toposequences viz. converted paddy field, garden land and terraced upland respectively in the farmers’ fields of Thrissur district in RBD using single plant plot with five replications. Treatments involved provision of deep drainage, application of organic manure, lime, sand, sodium silicate, magnesium sulphate, zinc sulphate, borax, ammonium sulphate, urea and three levels of potassium. The index earlier developed by George et al. (1980) was modified as Yellowing index ( I ) = {(Y+N)/L + R} x 10, where Y is the total score for yellowing, N is the total score for necrosis, R is the score for reduction in crown size and L is half the number of leaves in crown. The modified yellowing index utilizes 13 classes in place of earlier 8 classes to score yellowing, 5 classes in place of earlier 3 classes to score necrosis and 5 classes in place of earlier 3 classes to score reduction in crown size, thus enabling precise quantification of yellowing. The highly significant negative correlation of the leaf elemental composition, growth and yield parameters with the yellowing index of experimental arecanut palm in all the three toposequences viz. converted paddy field, garden land and terraced upland clearly validated the reliability of the index. The survey done in Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram district showed that highest percentage of healthy palms are existing in garden land situations. Among the three toposequences, garden land was found to be inherently more productive and supportive to arecanut cultivation than converted paddy field and terraced upland due to its physiograhic layout. The severity of the yellowing incidence was more in terraced uplands followed by converted paddy field possibly due to the imbalanced availability and uptake of nutrient elements aggravated by excessive leaching of nutrient elements in terraced uplands, and due to impeded drainage in converted paddy field. Survey also showed that local cultivars remained healthier than any of the high yielding varieties such as Kasargode local, Mangala, Mohitnagar and Sumangala as local cultivars recorded the lowest incidence of yellowing. The local cultivars being comparatively healthy could be selected and used as elite mother palms for replanting in severely yellowing affected areas. Incidence of root rotting was found mainly confined to 16 percent of yellowing affected palms grown in converted paddy field alone. Presence of well drained soils in garden land and terraced upland might have resulted in absence of root rotting in arecanut palms grown under these toposequences. Incidence of both root xylem blockage and presence of phytoplasma in root phloem were found to occur simultaneously in the same yellowing affected palms. However these two phenomena were also found to occur independently of each other in yellowing affected palms irrespective of the toposequences under which the palms were cultivated. In the converted paddy situation, provision of deep drainage and additional lime application have created a condition congenial for balanced uptake of nutrients as shown by enhanced calcium, magnesium and sulphur contents and reduced phosphorus contents in leaf. The deep drainage treatment increased the nut weight and kernel weight by 3.5g to 1.5g respectively. This increase has helped to maintain the yield even with a reduction in number of nuts palms-1 occurred over the years in unfertilized treatments. Application of fertilizers at 100:40:140g palm-1 in conjunction with deep drainage and additional lime application increased the chali yield by 1001 to 1138 kg ha-1. Sulphur application along with this has further increased the yield to the level of 1289 to 1412 kg ha-1 under converted paddy field. Changing the N:K ratio to supply nutrients at 100:40:200 g NPK palm-1 increased the yield by 1138 to 1344 kg ha-1. S application together with this enhanced rate further increased the yield by 1385 to 1590 kg ha-1 under converted paddy field. Enhanced rate of potassium, combined with magnesium and sulphur application resulted in the highest chali yield of 3.22 kg palm-1 (4415 kg ha-1). This treatment resulted in the least yellowing index and highest content of chlorophyll, nitrogen, sulphur and magnesium in the plant under converted paddy field. Under garden land situation, additional application of organic manure by 5 kg ha-1 alone has not reflected in the yield increase but has improved the leaf elemental composition particularly that of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and magnesium. Additional quantity of lime over farmers’ practise has helped to increase the soil pH and thereby availability and content of calcium in plants. Under garden land situation, fertilizer application at 100:40:140 g ha-1 increased the yield by 1069 kg ha-1. Additional organic matter @5 kg palm-1 increased the yield by 1316 kg ha-1 over pre experiment yield. Enhancement of N:K ratio to 1:2 or 1:2.5 without sulphur application did not increase the yield. However together with sulphur application, notable yield increase by 1289 kg h-1 at 1:2 and by 1412 kg ha-1 at 1:2.5 ratio was resulted under garden land. Highest yield of 3.99 kg palm-1 (5470 kg ha-1) which was 1604 kg more than pre application of treatments was resulted from the treatment which received 100:40:250 g NPK combined with 60 g of magnesium sulphate. Nitrogen application through ammonium sulphate was better than urea since it contained sulphur. Boron application as 20 g borax has also increased yield by 0.97 kg palm-1 resulting in 5265 kg ha-1 which was 1330 kg more than pre application of treatments under garden land. Under terraced upland, nutrient application through sulphur containing fertilizers have found to increase the yield considerably. Fertilizer application at 100:40:250 g NPK palm-1 with 20 g borax was found to give 3.44 kg palm-1 (4716 kg ha-1) and with 20 g zinc sulphate gave 3.38 kg palm-1 (4634 kg ha-1). Application of magnesium sulphate has significantly reduced the yellowing index and increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b and total chlorophyll which in turn resulted in high dry matter production.

Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur

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