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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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20203
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Subject: Agriculture × Author: KAU × End date: 2021 × Start date: 2020 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Quality evaluation of vegetables cultivated through aquaponics
    (Department of Community Science, Vellayani, 2020) Bakam, Himabindhu; KAU; Suma, Divakar
    The project entitled “Quality evaluation of vegetables cultivated through aquaponics” was carried out at the Department of Community Science, during 2018-2020. The objective of the study was to compare the quality characteristics of selected green leafy vegetables cultivated through aquaponics (T1) and conventional methods (T2). The capacity of the grow bed of the aquaponics unit selected was 400 L and that of the fish tank was 500 L.tuberless colocasia, water spinach and malabar spinach were the selected green leafy vegetables.Hundred tilapia fishes were grown with the plants. After the plants attained maturity, the physical characteristics, sensory qualities, nutrient composition, nutraceutical composition and shelf life of the two treatments of these leafy vegetables were studied. Except for water spinach, yield of malabar spinach and tuberless colocasia were comparable in both the treatments. Dry matter production of T1tuberless colocasia(119.5g/plant) was higher than T2 (45.25g/plant). Higher values for sensory qualities in both fresh and cooked samples of T1were obtained with respect to colour, appearance, texture, taste and flavor. In the case of water spinach, the higher scores obtained for appearance and colour of fresh leaves were significantly different (z value-3.023 and 2.305 respectively). Nutrient analysis revealed significant differences in the moisture content and fibre content of malabar spinach among the treatments. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference among the treatments cultivated in aquaponics and conventional systems for tuberless colocasia and malabar spinachwith respect to total minerals and acidity content. Nutrient analysis revealed significantly highervalues for soluble sugars, vitamin C, beta carotene, calcium and Iron for T1. In nutraceutical profile analysis, except for oxalate content, there was significant differences among the treatments. 138 Shelf life studies revealed that tuberless colocasia (T1) remained fresh for 7 days when packed in newspaper, while T2tuberless colocasia, kept only for 6 days in similar packing. water spinach had the least shelf life in ambient conditions -T1 had 4 days and T2 had 3 days, when packed in news paper. Physiological loss of water was not found to be significantly different in any of the treatments of these vegetables. Shelf life of leaves were not seen to show differences among the treatments. Packing in PP covers were generally seen to be ideal for all the three leaf varieties. Overall analysis of the results revealed that, physical characteristics, sensory qualities, nutrient composition, nutraceutical composition and shelf life parameters of T1were on par with T2, or even higher in most cases, indicating the scope of raising these vegetables successfully in households for Food and Nutrient security.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Germination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments
    (Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2020) Akhil Raj, B C; KAU; Deepa Nair, S
    Germination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments The present investigation entitled “Germination and plant growth responses in Ocimum spp. to seed pretreatments” was conducted in the Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2018-2020 with the objective to standardize pretreatment of seeds for enhanced germination and plant growth in Ocimum tenuiflorum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. The seeds of Ocimum tenuiflorum and Ocimum basilicum used for the study were sourced from Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru. The study was carried out in two phases: Phase 1- Pretreatment of seeds for enhanced germination, Phase 2- Evaluation of transplanted seedlings derived from pretreated seeds for enhanced plant growth. The seeds of both the species of Ocimum were subjected to various pretreatments viz., physical pretreatments, hormonal priming, biostimulant priming and biopriming (using microbes) prior to sowing. The seeds subjected to germination without any pretreatments were taken as the control. In the first phase of the study, O. tenuiflorum seeds when exposed to physical treatments, pretreatment using concentrated sulphuric acid for 1 min recorded maximum germination (85.33 per cent). The hot water treatment (65oC for 10 min) recorded the highest seedling length (27.83 cm) and seedling vigour index (19.67) with a germination of 70.66 per cent. Among the hormonal treatments, seeds primed with GA3 @1500 μM recorded the highest germination (96 per cent), seedling length (29.63 cm) and seedling vigour index (28.42). In biostimulant seed priming, the untreated control recorded the highest germination (62.66 per cent) but the highest seedling length (31.29 cm) and seedling vigour index (11.46) were observed with salicylic acid (SA) @ 1500 μM . The . The . The . The seeds when subject to biopriming with microbes, seeds primed with Bacillus pumilus recorded the best germination (72.66 per cent) and seedling vigour index (15.83). The highest seedling length (22.05 cm) was observed with Pseudomonas fluorescens, which was on par with that of B. amyloliquefaciens. Among all the pretreatments tried, GA3 @ 1500 μM was observed to give maximum germination (96 per cent) and seedling vigour index of 28.42, while SA @ 1500 μM recorded the highest seedling length (31.29 cm) in O. tenuiflorum. When transplanted, O. tenuiflorum plants derived from hot water treated seeds recorded the highest number of branches (45.33), fresh (130.10 g) and dry (31.22 g) shoot biomass at harvest (90 DAS), among the physical treatments. Plants derived from GA3 @ 1500 μM treated seeds recorded the highest shoot biomass in terms of fresh (193.50 g) and dry (46.13 g) weight. The plants from SA @ 1500 μM μM primed seeds- gave the highest shoot biomass with fresh weight of 217.50 g and dry weight of 54.10 g, among various biostimulant priming treatments. Among the biopriming treatments, plants generated from the seeds treated with B. amyloliquifaciens, recorded the highest fresh (151.33 g) and dry (38.84 g) shoot biomass which was on par with that treated with P. fluorescens. Among all the pretreatments, plants derived from salicylic acid @ 1500 μM treated seeds recorded the highest shoot biomass. When the O. basilicum seeds were exposed to physical treatments, water soaking treatment recorded the maximum seedling vigour index (16.13), while seedling length did not show any significant variation among the treatments. Among the hormonal priming, seeds exposed to BA @ 300 μM recorded the highest germination (80.67 per cent) and seedling vigour index (29.33). The maximum seedling length (39.03 cm) was observed in GA3@ 3000 μM . The seeds treated with SA @ 1500 μM recorded the highest germination (79.33 per cent) and seedling vigour index (27.92), among the biostimulant priming. Maximum seedling length (35.66 cm) was observed in SA @ 3000 μM and was and was and was and was on par with on par with on par with on par with SA @1500 μM . Among the biopriming treatments, seeds primed with B. velezensis recorded higher germination (82 per cent), seedling length (37.50 cm) and seedling vigour index (30.72), which were on par with P. fluorescens and B. amyloliquifaciens. In O. basilicum, among all the pretreatments tried, biopriming with B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens and SA @ 1500 μM recorded higher on par values with respect to germination per cent and seedling vigour index, while GA3 @3000 μM which recorded the highest seedling length. When transplanted, plants of O.basilicum derived from the seeds exposed to physical treatments did not show any significant variation with respect to shoot biomass. In hormonal priming, the maximum fresh (146.00 g) and dry (17.39 g) shoot biomass were observed in plants generated from seeds primed with GA3 @ 3000 μM . On evaluation of plants derived from biostimulant priming, maximum fresh (134.17 g) and dry (15.95 g) shoot biomass were observed in SA@ 3000 μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM μM, which was on par with SA @ 1500 μM . Among the biopriming treatments, plants derived from seeds primed B. velezensis recorded the highest fresh (153.03 g) and dry weight (17.73 g) shoot biomass, which were on par with P. fluorescens and B. amyloliquefaciens. Among all the seed pretreatments tried, plants generated from the seeds primed individually with B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens and SA @ 1500 μM recorded higher on par values with respect to shoot biomass. In the study, among the various seed pretreatments in O. tenuiflorum, GA3 @ 1500 μM recorded enhanced germination and plant growth, in terms of germination per cent, seedling length, seedling vigour index, plant height, number branches and shoot biomass. In case of O. basilicum, biopriming using B. velezensis, B. amyloliquefaciens and P. fluorescens recorded enhanced germination and plant growth, in terms of higher germination per cent, seedling length, seedling vigour index, leaf, stem and shoot biomass.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L.) Merr. and Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques
    (Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2020) Reddappa, J B; KAU; Sreekala, G S
    The present study entitled “Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L) Merr. & Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques” was taken up with the specific objective to evaluate elite clove accessions and to standardize pollination techniques for hybridization. The twelve elite accessions identified from estates of Trivandrum and Kollam districts of Kerala designated as BRC-1, BRC-2, BRC-3, BRC-4, MRC-5, MRC-6, MRC-7, MRC-8, AMC-10, AMC-11, AMC-12 and AMC-13 were evaluated during the period of 2018-2020. Quantitative characterization was done with 25 quantitative characters including tree, leaf, bud, flower, yield, fruit and seed characters. The girth of the tree at 30 cm height was maximum in BRC-3 (165 cm). Highest number of inflorescence/m2 was recorded in AMC-12 (156.25). The number of flower buds/inflorescence was maximum in MRC-6 (17.25) while single bud fresh and dry weight was highest in BRC-3 with 398.72 mg and 127.26 mg respectively. The mature bud length among the clove accessions was the maximum in BRC-1 (19.34 mm) whereas the mature bud diameter was maximum in BRC-3 (6.45 mm). The dry bud yield per tree was the highest in MRC-7 (8.13 kg) followed by BRC-1 (7.48 kg). Quantitative characters summarized based on the descriptive statistics revealed wider range of variability in single bud weight fresh, number of inflorescence/m2, single bud weight dry and girth of the tree. Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS), a multivariate analysis done on 25 variables with 12 observations revealed 10 dimensions and the contribution of MDS Dimension-1 and Dimension-2 were 75.76 and 17.21 percent with cumulative variance of 92.97 percent respectively. Based on the scree plot of MDS, first 2 dimensions were selected for generating the biplot. Based on MDS configuration eight clusters of selected clove accessions were identified. Dendrogram representing the relationship among 12 elite accessions based on Euclidean distance also identified same eight clusters of clove accessions that identified in MDS configuration. The linkage analysed based on the biplot of two dimensions of multidimensional scaling of biplot coordinates revealed a strong positive association between most of the characters measured except, girth at 30 cm height, number of inflorescence per m2, single bud weight fresh and single bud weight dry. Minimum Data Set for identifying a promising clove accession generated revealed accessions BRC-1, MRC-5 and MRC-6 had better ideotype and can be suggested as elite or superior accessions. The experiment on floral phenology and biology was carried out in clove plants at Braemore estate, Trivandrum district. The flower opening time of the clove flowers observed were between 2:30-6:30 pm. However the percentage of flower opened was maximum between 3.30- 5.30 pm. The number of stamens per flower varied from 167 to 343. The rupturing of anthers started 36 hours before anthesis and maximum anther dehiscence occurred between 36 h before anthesis till anthesis. The pollen grains were monad, radially symmetrical, triangular, trizonosyncolporate and were having exine ornamentation. The polar diameter of pollen grain ranged from 17.06-18.22 µm and the equatorial diameter of pollen grain ranged from 19.40-20.70 µm. The stigma receptivity by hydrogen peroxide test revealed stigma receptivity was there upto six days from anthesis and maximum stigma receptivity was observed on fifth day of anthesis with highest number of bubbles (31.40 per cent). The emasculation should start from 48 hour before flower bud opens which was revealed by the starting of separation of the petals since anthers started rupturing from 36 hour before anthesis. Pollen viability by iodine potassium iodide method revealed that pollen viability was maximum at 12 hour before anthesis (94.02 per cent). Pollen fertility was also maximum on the pollen collected 12 hour before anthesis (82.83 per cent). Thus the pollen collection should be undertaken 12 hour before anthesis. Pollen collected and dried at 50°C and stored upto two months of storage in refrigerator had maximum pollen viability whereas pollen fertility was maximum in pollen dried at 50°C and stored in desiccator. The hybridization was carried out on selected five clove plants as male and female parents. The percentage of fruit set ranged from 15 per cent to 42.5 per cent and average fruit set from all the plant combinations was 28.87 per cent. The study on “Evaluation of elite clove (Syzigium aromaticum (L) Merr. & Perry) accessions and standardization of pollination techniques” revealed that clove accessions such as BRC-1, MRC-5 and MRC-6 had superior ideotype and superior in effective yield. The floral phenology of clove was studied and pollen collection, storage and artificial hand pollination in clove was standardized.