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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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ThesisItem Open Access Cloning and sequence analysis of the growth hormone gene in Indian elephants(Department of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biostatistics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2009) Bhosale, R A; KAU; Aravindakshan, T VThe study was undertaken with the objectives of cloning and sequence analysis of the growth hormone gene of the Indian elephants. The growth hormone is a peptide hormone produced in the anterior pituitory. It stimulates the growth of vertebates. It is a protein hormone of about 190 amino acids, synthesized and secreted by cells called somatotrophs. Growth hormone is a major participant in the control of several complex physiologic processes, including growth and metabolism and it is also of considerable interest as a drug used in both humans and animals. The genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples and a 1712 bp fragment of the entire transcriptional unit of the GH was amplified by PCR using synthetic oligonucleotide primer pair designed based on the 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences of goat growth hormone gene. The gel purified PCR product was ligated in to the pGEM®-T Easy cloning vector and was transformed by giving heat shock to competent E. coli cells prepared by CaCl2 treatment. The recombinant clones among the transformed cells were identified by Blue–White Screening and the recombinant plasmid carrying the insert gene was isolated from the white clones by a modified SDS-alkaline lysis method. The 1.712 kb GH gene insert in the vector was sequenced by the dideoxynucleotide sequencing method with primer walking using an automated DNA sequencer. The nucleotide sequence showed 75 to 96 per cent homology with pig and 77 to 95 per cent with that of Dolphin GH genes, respectively. The exon-intron boundaries in the porcine gene occur at the codons of the amino acid residues, Gly-4 (intron 1), Phe-57 (intron 2), Ser-96 (intron 3) and Arg-150 (intron 4). The all four residues are conserved in both species and also in African elephants. This strict homology in the sites of insertion of introns suggests that the exon-intron organization of these genes was established before the divergence of these species. The positions of the exon-intron boundaries are also conserved as evidenced from similar sizes of the exons. Evidence for some homology was also seen in intron 1, which showed maximum 84 per cent similarity with giraffe. In contrast, intron 2, 3 and 4 showed no significant similarity both in length and in sequence with other animal species. The Indian elephant GH gene has an open reading frame of 648 nucleotides encoding a signal peptide of 26 amino acid residues and a mature protein of 190 amino acid residues with both NH2- and COOH- terminal phenylalanine. Alignment of this sequence with African elephant counterpart showed that 189 amino acid residues are identical with only one variant while, with pig sequence it showed 186 identical residues with four variants. The predicted secondary structure showed that the larger α-helical lobe is formed by four sections of the polypeptide chain (residues 3-34, 47-80, 110-126 and 148-172) while the smaller lobe, which encompasses a small antiparallel beta-sheet and a small irregular structure formed the remaining structure of the polypeptide chain. The predicted tertiary structure of the Indian elephant GH showed high homology with the human GH structures. Overall, the structures of Indian elephant GH gene was found to be very similar to that of African elephant and porcine reflecting their high degree of amino acid sequence identity (99 – 97 per cent).ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of lactation milk yield and polymorphism of alpha-lactalabumin gene in crossbred cattle of kerala(Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2007) Reshmi, R Chandran; KAU; Stephen, MathewThe present study was carried out to assess the milk yield of crossbred cattle of Kerala by studying four different zones of the state viz. northern, southern, central and highlands and to analyse the association of α-lactalbumin gene polymorphism with milk production of crossbred cattle in Kerala. One day milk yield of 500 animals from each zone, at a lactation stage of 7-13 fortnights after calving was recorded. From this one-day milk yield 305-day milk yield of crossbred cattle was predicted using the formulae given by Iype (1991). The predicted lactation milk yield was used for estimating average milk yield of crossbred cattle in Kerala. The overall least squares mean of 305-day milk yield was 2351 ± 28.9 kg. Least squares analysis of variance has shown that different zones and parity exerted significant effect on 305-day milk yield (P ≤ 0.05). The highest least squares means for 305-day milk yield was in southern zone and the lowest was in central zone. The least squares mean for 305-day milk yield according to parity was highest in second parity, followed by third parity and the lowest was in fifth parity. Genomic DNA samples isolated from 25 crossbred cows selected at random from each zone was subjected for PCR-RFLP of α-lactalbumin gene at two different specific loci. On successful amplification the expected 166 bp and 429 bp fragments were obtained. Digestion of 166 bp amplified product with Mnl1 enzyme revealed similar pattern of digestion for all animals studied, indicating the absence of α-LA/Mnl1 (+) in the population. Restriction of 429 bp amplified product with Bsp12861 enzyme revealed two digestion patterns (indicating the presence of two α-LA/Bsp12861 alleles). The gene frequencies of α-LA/Bsp12861 (+) and (-) alleles were 0.08 and 0.92 respectively. In the crossbred population studied, none of the animal showed α-LA/Bsp12861 (+/+) genotype. The average milk yield of 79 α-LA/Bsp12861 (+/+) genotypes was 2779 kg and that of 16 α-LA/Bsp12861 (+/+) genotypes was only 2364 kg. However, the difference was statistically non-significant. It is suggested to conduct further research in large samples to confirm the findings and to identify other polymorphic loci associated with milk yield.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic divergence in rabbits used for breeding in Kerala(Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2007) NIsha Valsan; KAU; Bindhu, K AThe genetic divergence among three breeds of rabbit, viz. Newzealand White, Soviet Chinchilla and Grey Giant was studied using microsatellite markers. A set of twelve microsatellite markers were tested, out of which three markers (Sol 03, Sol 33 and Sol 44) were selected based on their polymorphism. The PCR products were separated by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiographed. The Sol 03 locus was found to be the most polymorphic with fourteen alleles in the pooled population. The values for heterozygosity and PIC in Newzealand White at the Sol 03 locus were recorded as 0.840 and 0.836, in Soviet Chinchilla as 0.766 and 0.764, while in Grey Giant, the heterozygosity and PIC values stood at 0.775 and 0.765, respectively. Eight alleles were detected at the Sol 33 locus. The maximum values for heterozygosity (0.858) and PIC (0.854) were observed in Grey Giant while Newzealand White (0.672 and 0.667, respectively) recorded the lowest. In Soviet Chinchilla, values for heterozygosity and PIC were 0.691 and 0.680 respectively. with mean heterozygosity and PIC values of 0.740 and 0.764. Sol 44 locus revealed four alleles. The highest values for heterozygosity (0.728) and PIC (0.702) at the Sol 44 locus were recorded in Grey Giant, while the lowest (0.567 and 0.477) in Soviet Chinchilla. The heterozygosity and PIC values were 0.586 and 0.502, respectively in Newzealand White. The genetic distance was calculated based on Nei’s formula, and the highest value was noticed between Soviet Chinchilla and Grey Giant (0.6942) while the lowest between Newzealand White and Soviet Chinchilla (0.2022). The dendrogram constructed using POPGENE program grouped Newzealand White and Soviet Chinchilla in one cluster indicating their closer relationship. Grey Giant was found to be the most widely separated breed.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic and phenotypic variations of geographically different goat populations of Kerala(Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2007) Jimcy Joseph; KAU; Raghavan, K CGenetic diversity of four geographically different goat populations in Trivandrum, Kottayam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts in Kerala was analysed based on physical, biometrical traits and microsatellite markers. Based on physical traits, the populations were not very distinct and uniformity was seen with respect to coat colour, horn pattern, presence or absence of tassels or beard and hair pattern. The animals were predominantly horned and short haired with coat colour of white or a combination of white with either black or brown. Majority of animals did not possess tassels or beard. The biometrical traits observed in the present study were body measurements, peak yield and prolificacy. Body weight of adult female goats was predicted using the regression equation based on the power function of chest girth. It was shown that the animals of Trivandrum district had higher values for almost all body measurements and predicted body weight, while the Thrissur population had lowest values for these growth traits. Animals of Kottayam and Kozhikode came in between. Percentage of multiple births was also higher in Trivandrum goat population (68) compared to other populations indicating high prolificacy. Highest peak yield was recorded for Kottayam goat population. Discriminant analysis based on morphometric measurements revealed that the most discriminative variables were head width and body length, followed by shin circumference and rump length. Mahalanobis distance calculated based on morphometric traits indicated that Thrissur and Trivandrum populations were more distant, while least distance was observed between Kottayam and Kozhikode. Discriminant analysis based on body weight, peak yield and prolificacy revealed that only body weight and peak yield variables have significant discriminative capacity. Trivandrum, Kottayam and Kozhikode populations were grouped together in one cluster based on the distance value. Thrissur population was distant from all other populations. Microsatellite analysis revealed that all the five loci were highly polymorphic with five to nineteen alleles in different populations. The total number of alleles, the mean number of alleles per locus, mean heterozygosity and mean polymorphic information content were 51, 10.2, 0.8201 and 0.8104, respectively. The values indicate that the markers can be successfully used to study the variations existing in the populations. Based on Nei’s genetic distance Thrissur and Trivandrum population were grouped together first and then with Kozhikode population, while the Kottayam population formed a unique branch in dendrogram. Unrelated distance values produced by quantitative and molecular measures of variation may be attributed in part to the environmental influences and local selection pressures. Though use of more number of markers may possibly explain the variation encountered in these traits, the present investigation reveals that selection within each population for traits of economic importance like body weight and milk production is the best method to improve the performance of goats of Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Molecular cloning and characterization of Alpha lactalbumin gene in Vechur cattle(Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal sciences, Mannuthy, 2007) Rajeev, M; KAU; Aravindakshan, T VThe study was undertaken with the objectives of cloning and characterization of the gene encoding the milk protein alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA) of Vechur cow of Kerala. The α-LA is a mammary gland specific protein found in high concentrations in milk of many species and has a role in regulating lactose synthase. Alpha-lactalbumin is homologous with the c-type lysozymes and provides an example of extreme functional divergence in homologous proteins with closely similar structures. The genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples and a 1756 bp fragment of the entire transcriptional unit of the α-LA was amplified by PCR using synthetic oligonucleotide primer pair designed based on the bovine α-LA gene sequence. The gel purified PCR product was ligated in to a T-vector and was transformed by giving heat shock to competent E. coli cells prepared by CaCl2 treatment. The recombinant clones among the transformed cells were identified by Blue–White Screening and the recombinant plasmid carrying the insert gene was isolated from the white clones by a modified SDS-alkaline lysis method. The 1.756 kb α-LA gene insert in the vector was sequenced by the dideoxynucleotide sequencing method with primer walking using an automated DNA sequencer. The sequence was found to be having 99 per cent homology with that of Bos taurus, 98 per cent with that of Yak and 95 per cent with that of sheep α-LA gene. Comparison of the human and Vechur α-LA genes showed identical structural organization and identifies extensive homology within the transcription unit. The exon-intron boundaries in the human α-LA gene occur at the codons of the amino acid residues, Leu-26 (intron 1), Lys-79 (intron 2) and Trp-104 (intron 3). The latter two residues are conserved in both species and also in Bos taurus, whereas Leu-26 is replaced by Trp-26 in the Vechur and bovine proteins. This strict homology in the sites of insertion of introns suggests that the exon-intron organization of these genes was established before the divergence of these species. The positions of the exon-intron boundaries are also conserved as evidenced from similar sizes of the exons. The introns sizes are also comparable except in the case of intron 1, which is much larger in the human gene as a consequence of the insertion of a Alu family repeat sequence. The Vechur α-LA gene has an open reading frame of 426 nucleotides encoding a signal peptide of 19 amino acid residues and a mature protein of 123 amino acid residues with NH2 terminal glutamic acid and COOH- terminal leucine. Alignment of this sequence with bovine counterpart showed that 122 amino acid residues are identical and with human α-LA sequence showed 73 per cent identity. The predicted secondary structure of Vechur α-LA showed that the larger α- helical lobe is formed by the amino- and carboxyl-terminal sections of the polypeptide chain while the smaller lobe, which encompasses a small three stranded antiparallel beta-sheet, and a small irregular structure, is formed by the central section of the polypeptide chain. The predicted tertiary structure of Vechur α-LA also showed high homology with the bovine and human α-LA structures. Overall, the structures of Vechur α-LA was found to be very similar to that of Bos taurus and human reflecting their high degree of amino acid sequence identity. The present study did not reveal any higher degree of structural or functional similarity between Vechur and human α-LA proteins as compared to that of Bos taurus. The superiority of human milk and its high suitability to infants could be due to the higher content of α-LA and might not be attributed to any structural variations of the protein. Since the higher content of α-LA in human milk could be due to the high expression of this gene, further studies may be carried out to find out sequence variations, if any, occur in the regulatory sequences upstream of the gene. Gene expression studies are suggestive as α-LA locus can also be used as a genetic marker to increase milk production in Vechur cattle, as this marker may be directly responsible for increased milk production.ThesisItem Open Access Growth performance of broiler rabbits under 3*3 diallel crossing(Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2008) Rojan, P M; KAU; Bindu, K AA complete 3 x 3 diallel crossing was performed to study the growth performance of rabbits belonging to three different breeds viz. White Giant (WG), Soviet Chinchilla (SC) and Grey Giant (GG) at the University rabbit farm, Centre for Advanced Studies in Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, Thrissur. Growth records of F1 progeny were taken at fortnightly interval up to fourteen weeks of age. Bunnies were weaned at four weeks. Effect of genetic and non-genetic factors on various growth and litter traits were analysed. Genetic groups were significant source of variation for body weights from birth to twelfth week. Among purebreds highest mean body weight from birth to fourteenth week were recorded by WG. While WG x GG averaged highest among crossbreds. Individual bunny weights declined gradually as litter size increased. This trend continued till ten weeks of age after which there were no significant difference between different litter groups. Weight of dam at kindling influenced body weights of second to eighth week. Higher bunny weights were recorded for does weighing two to two and a half kilograms. Body weights of bunnies at birth, fourth, sixth and eighth weeks of age were influenced significantly by age of dam at kindling. Season of birth had an influence on birth, fourth and sixth week body weights. Higher individual weaning weights were obtained in cold season. Genetic groups had no significant effect on litter traits and gestation period. Weight of dam had significant influence on litter size and weight at birth and weaning. Litter weight at weaning was influenced significantly by the age of dam. Season of birth had an influence on gestation period, litter size at birth and weaning and litter weight at birth. Among purebreds, SC recorded the highest mortality. Highest pre and post-weaning mortality was recorded for SC x WG and WG x GG, respectively among crossbreds. Pre-weaning mortality was high in cold season while, in hot season maximum of post-weaning mortality was recorded. Heritability estimates of weight at weaning, twelfth and fourteenth week were 0.380±0.239, 0.657±0.379 and 0.727±0.407, respectively. Highly positive General Combining Ability (GCA) effects of WG indicated predominant additive gene action for expression of pre and post-weaning body weights. Higher Specific Combining Ability (SCA) was recorded for WG x GG cross at slaughter age of three months. The maternal effects were highest for GG from sixth to fourteenth week and highest in SC during early periods. As per the findings of the study it would be beneficial to use WG male on GG female so that the higher GCA effect of WG breed, maternal ability of GG as well as higher estimates of SCA of particular WG x GG cross could be exploited.ThesisItem Open Access Construction and comparison of the efficiency of different selection indices for malabari goats(Department of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biostatistics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2009) Rani, Alex; KAU; Raghavan, K CThe study was conducted with the objective of optimizing the genetic improvement of Malabari goat population in North Kerala by adopting an index method of selection incorporating various growth traits and peak yield of dam. Present study was undertaken on 1055 records of animals born from August 2005 to August 2008 from the farmers’ flocks of AICRP on goats for Malabari goats. Effect of non-genetic factors on body weight and body measurements at below one, three and six months of age was analyzed. Effect of centre and sex had significant influence on body weight and body measurements of all the ages studied. Type of birth had significant effect on body weight and measurements at below one and three months of age, but the same was non significant at six months of age except for body length. Year of birth had significant effect on body weights at third and sixth month, where as the effect of season was significant for body weight at below one and three months of age. But the effects of these factors on body measurements were significant at all the ages studied. Milk production in Malabari goats was recorded as peak yield and the mean peak yield recorded was 1237.62± 75.44 ml. The effects of centre, year and season of kidding had significant influence on peak yield. A high percentage of multiple births (75.71%) was recorded in the in the total population under study during the period for Malabari goats. The percentage of multiple births was higher in Tanur (79.29%) than in other centres. Heritability estimates were high for body weight and measurements at below one and six months of age and for peak yield also, whereas for three months of age they were low to moderate. Correlations between the traits were positive in almost all cases. The relative economic values of various traits were derived. Taking into consideration the heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations as well as relative economic value, selection indices were constructed. Selection indices were developed by incorporating body weight and body measurements at below one, three and six months of age. Index with all the traits under study (I11) was expected to achieve more genetic gain in body weight at six months of age in all the groups. By taking into consideration, the rIH and aggregate economic genetic gain also, the same index was found to be the best in each group. Among the groups, the index with pooled data was considered to be most reliable and expected to achieve more gain in body weight at six months (1.490 kg) of age. Restricted selection indices by imposing restriction on body weight at below one month were also constructed. Effective restriction was possible in all the cases. The genetic advancement in all other characters due to selection of goats based on this index was comparatively less to that obtained with the index without restriction. To increase milk production along with body weight, a selection index was constructed with dam’s peak yield as a trait along with the growth traits of progeny.ThesisItem Open Access Leptin gene polymorphism in vechure and crossbred cattle of Kerala(Department of Animal Breeding, Genetics and Biostatistics, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2009) Lali F, Anand; KAU; Bindu, K ARepresentative population comprising 74 heads of Vechur and 108 numbers of crossbred cattle of Kerala were investigated for leptin gene polymorphisms and their associations with milk production traits. LEP/BspE1 and BM1500 are the polymorphic markers used for PCR-RFLP and microsatellite analysis, respectively. For PCR-RFLP analysis, the amplified PCR product was digested with restriction enzyme BspE1 which revealed three genotypes in Vechur (CC, CT and TT) and two in crossbred cattle (CC and CT) indicating the presence of C (75 bp and 19 bp fragments) and T (94 bp fragment) alleles. The C/T allele frequencies were 0.82/0.18 and 0.89/0.11, respectively in Vechur and crossbred cattle. The genotypes of LEP/BspE1 polymorphism were distributed according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with frequencies 0.71 (CC), 0.24 (CT) and 0.05 (TT) in Vechur and 0.79 (CC) and 0.21 (CT) with the absence of TT genotype in crossbred cattle under study. The microsatellite polymorphism at BM1500 locus was analyzed in Vechur and crossbred cattle and two novel alleles of size 126 and 132 bp were detected. Allele frequency was highest for 132 bp and in Vechur (0.40) as well as crossbred cattle (0.46) under study. The polymorphic information content of BM1500 marker in Vechur was 0.6595 while 0.656 in crossbred cattle. In the present study, the significant influence of LEP/BspE1 polymorphism on milk production traits. The T allele bearing Vechur and crossbred cattle showed 13.08% (89.77 kg) and 10.7% (466.63 kg) increase for 305 day milk yield, respectively whereas 9.96% (0.31 kg) and 8.38% (1.22 kg), respectively for average daily milk yield. A nonsignificant reduction for milk fat percentage was also observed associated with T allele in both populations. Increased body fat reserves, adipose tissue reserves, feed intake and favorable change in partitioning of nutrients in T allele possessing animals might have contributed to increased milk yield in cattle. For BM1500 marker, highest averages of 305 day milk yield and daily milk yield were observed for Vechur and crossbred cattle possessing 136 bp allele. The highest milk fat percentages were recorded in 136 bp allele bearing Vechur animals and crossbreds possessing 138 bp allele. The association of BM1500 marker with milk production traits can be established only by expanding the research to an extensive cattle population. The selection of Vechur and crossbred cattle, heterozygous for C and T alleles for LEP/BspE1 polymorphism can significantly improve milk yield. The use of molecular techniques provides new opportunities and challenges for building and using more accurately predictive and efficient selection procedures for livestock improvement.