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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: Biochemistry × Author: KAU × Start date: 1993 × Thesis Type: Ph.D ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Effect of feeding onion (allium cepa var aggregatum g. don) and garlic (allium sativum linn) on lipid profile in Japanese quail (coturnix coturnix japonica)
    (Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1997) Girish Kumar, V; KAU; Surendranathan, K P
    Poultry products are comparatively rich in cholesterol. WHO report indicates incidence of coronary heart disease and high dietary cholesterol level to be positively correlated. In such a situation, decreasing the cholesterol content in poultry products would be appropriate. Onion and garlic are ascribed with therapeutic effects such as hypocholesterolemia, hypolipidemia and immunosuppressant action in mammals, while no convincing reports are available on the effect of supplementation of these agents in reducing cholesterol level in egg and poultry meat. Hence, this study reports on the hypolipidemic effects and/or other effects of dietary onion and garlic on the lipid profile in the tissues of Japanese quails. Further, information on the physiological norms of tissues is essential for understanding any pathological entity. Although in recent years, the Japanese quail has gained increasing popularity as a biological model for various investigations, published reports on the lipid profile in the tissues of this species are very few. Essentially, all the previous studies on this aspect are based on observations in only a particular tissue or a particular lipid component or sex and age. Hence, the present investigation is also aimed at establishing a more or less complete picture of lipid profile in liver, plasma and muscle in both sexes at three different physiological stages of growth viz., three-week old (immature), six-week old (onset of sexual maturity) and in nine-week old (mature) birds. Likewise, the lipid profile that are analysed in the liver will also be: established in the egg yolk. The results revealed an increase in the liver and plasma total lipid content (Table II) due to onion and garlic. Although a trend of decrease in the cholesterol level in the liver and muscle was observed the results were statistically nonsignificant (Table III), indicating the hypocholesterolemic effect of onion and garlic to be of questionable biological significance. The plasma free cholesterol level (Table IV) was found to be decreased due to onion and garlic, while no effect of the same was observed with regard to plasma esterified cholesterol (Table IV). The effect of onion and garlic on the cholesterol content in different lipoproteins (Table IV) indicated that these alliums are causing recirculation of plasma cholesterol between different lipoproteins and/or tissues in such a way that the plasma LDL-C is not increased. There was an increase in the triglyceride content in the liver and plasma due to dietary alliums (Table V). The phospholipid level in the plasma was found to be increased with a decrease in the plasma free fatty acid (Table XII) level due to dietary alliums. The variations in the plasma esterified fatty acid content (Table XII) due to alliums are in accordance with the variations in the plasma content of esterified form of lipids. The iodine value of liver lipid was increased due to alliums in both sexes, while these alliums were found to have no influence on the saponification and acid value of the liver lipid. In all the above instances where onion and garlic were found to have significant effect, dietary garlic was found to have either a similar or significantly more alliaceous effect than dietary onion. No significant variations in the lipid profile of the muscle and yolk were observed due to dietary supplementation of onion and garlic. The influence of onion and garlic on the feed consumption by birds was found to vary with duration of feeding. In the first week of feeding alliums to both sexes and in the second week in the male birds, no change in the feed consumption was observed. Thereafter in both the sexes the feed consumption increased due to dietary onion and garlic. Dietary onion and garlic caused a nonsignificant increase in the body weight. Feed efficiency in both the sexes and egg production in the females were unaltered due to dietary supplementation of onion and garlic. The levels of total lipid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, total phospholipid and phospholipid fractions in liver, plasma and muscle were found to differ significantly due to effect of age within a sex and due to effect of sex within an age group. Similarly the level of plasma free cholesterol, esterified cholesterol, HDL-C, VLDL-C, HDL-C, free fatty acid and esterified fatty acid differed significantly due to age within a sex and due to sex within an age group. Iodine value and saponification value of lipid in liver were influenced due to age and sex, while the same was not observed in the muscle. The acid value of the lipid in the liver and muscle was unaltered due to age or sex. The feed consumption and body weight increased with age in both sexes and it was more in the females. The feed efficiency was unaltered due to age or sex. The egg production was also not influenced by age.