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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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1988 - 19903
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Subject: Fisheries × End date: 1990 ×
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Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Extent of adoption of scientific practices in prawn farming
    (Department of Management Studies, College of Fisheries, Panangad, 1990) Sasikumar, P K; KAU; Pushkaran, P S
    This study was undertaken to probe into the present situation of prawn farming in Kerala. The study aimed at assessing the communication media used for the dissemination of scientific prawn farming practices, the communication media utilized by prawn farmers at awareness and adoption stages, extent of adoption of scientific practices, correlates of adoption behaviour and the reasons for non-adoption or partial adoption of scientific practices. The study was conducted in Ernakulam district among 100 prawn farmers randomly selected. The data were collected through personal interview using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. Appropriate standard statistical tools were used for analysis and interpretation. The extent of adoption was measured using the adoption quotient formula. Twenty four characteristics of prawn farmers were tested to find their association with adoption behaviour. The socio-economic variables studied were age, education, experience , land possession training participation, institutional credit utilization and income from prawn farming. The situational characteristics included total farming area, area under selective stocking , salinity, distance from bar mouth, average depth at high tide, average depth at low tide and number of crops raised. Scientific orientation, economic motivation risk preference, marketing orientation, extent of awareness of scientific practices in prawn farming and rationality in decision making were the socio-psychological variables tested. The communication variables studied were utilization of personal localite sources, utilization of personal cosmopolite sources and utilization of mass media sources. The study revealed that the extension communication media were very extensively used for the dissemination of scientific prawn farming technology. The most important individual method employed was farm and home visits. Other methods frequently employed were lectures, film shows, group discussions, training programmes and demonstrations. The farmers utilized more of personal localite sources, followed by personal cosmopolite and mass media sources for awareness as well as adoption. The mean awareness index of prawn farmers was 64.00 with majority of the farmers falling under the category of medium awareness. The mean extent of adoption of scientific practices was worked out , and majority of the farmers came in the medium category based on extent of adoption. Of the 19 scientific practices selected for study, all the practices except ‘acclimation of seeds’, ‘maintenance of dissolved oxygen level in the pond’ ‘monitoring and control of PH, control of algal blooms and ‘need based control of disease and parasites’ were heard by over 50 percent of the respondents. Only three practices viz. strengthening of buds and deepening of channels, fixing or repairing of sluice gate, and stocking the pond with selected prawn seeds were heard by all the respondents. Only two practices namely ‘strengthening of bunds and deepening of channels’ and ‘fixing or repairing of sluice gate’ were found fully adopted by 50 or above 50 percent of respondents. Highest full adoption was observed for the practices ‘fixing or repairing of sluice gate’. There was no full adoptes for the practices ‘maintenance of dissolved oxygen level in the pond’ ‘need based water exchange’ and ‘need based control of disease and parasites’. Highest partial adoption was observed for the practice ‘need based water exchange’ followed by ‘removal of aquatic weeds’, supplementary feeding based on biomass’ and ‘strengthening of bunds’ and ‘deepening of channels’. The partial adopters of these practices were 99 percent , 92 percent, 57 percent and 49 percent respectively. Important reasons for non-adoption and partial adoption of the practices were lack of awareness, lack of knowledge and non-adoption of the practice ‘stocking the ponds with selected prawn seeds’. Among the 24 variables tested to find out association with extent of adoption, only nine showed significant influence on adoption behaviour. The characteristics of prawn farmers which were found significantly contributing to extent of adoption were training participation, land possession, institutional credit utilization, area under selective stocking, number of crops raised, extent of awareness of scientific practices in prawn farming, rationality in decision making, utilization of personal cosmopolite sources and utilization of mass media sources. Multiple regression model fitted with the above nine variables illustrated that these nine variables together explained 86.82 percent of variations in extent of adoption. Further, the step-wise regression analysis revealed that the best subset of variables in predicting the dependent variables were utilization of personal cosmopolite sources, utilization of mass media sources and area under selective stocking. These three variables together explained 86.48 percent of variations in adoptive behaviour. Of the nine variables subjected to path – analysis all the variables except awareness of scientific practices in prawn farming and rationality in decision making had positive path coefficients. The indirect influence of the variables on extent of adoption were mainly channeled through utilization of personal cosmopolite sources and area under selective stocking.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Impact of training programme on hygienic measures followed in pelling sheds
    (Department of Management Studies, College of Fisheries, Panangad, 1989) Daisy, C Kappen; KAU; Pushkaran, P S
    The study was conducted in Quilon district of Kerala with a view to measure the impact of training programme on hygienic measures followed in peeling sheds. The major objectives were: 1. To study the level of knowledge about hygienic measuroe of trained peeling shed workers in comparison with those who have not attended the training programme. 2. To study the perception of the trained peeling shed workers about the quality of the product. • 3. To compare the association, if any, existing between the socio-psychological and economic factors of trained and untrained peeling shed workers with the level of knowledge and extent of perception. 4. To study the motivational factors responsible for attending the training programme by the peeling shed workers. The sample consisted of randomly selected 60 trained and 60 untrained peeling shed workers. Data were collected using interview schedule and suitable statistical techniques were employed for the analysis of data. The study revealed that the trained peeling shed workers had significantly higher knowledge than untrained peeling shed workers. They also had significantly higher perception about the quality of the product than untrained peeling shed workers. The peeling shed workers perceived the factor ‘Quality of the raw material’ as the most important one in determining the final quality of the product. The perception on the factors contributing to the final quality of the product were same for both trained and untrained peeling shed workers. The selected independent variables together contributed significantly in the variation in knowledge and perception about the quality of the product of both trained and untrained peeling shed workers. The correlation analysis revealed that education was positively and significantly related with level of knowledge of trained peeling shed workers; while age, occupation and family indicated negative and significant association. In the case of untrained peeling shed workers extension orienta¬tion is the only variable Which Indicated positive and signi¬ficant relationship with level of knowledge. Education showed positive and significant relationship with perception about the quality of the product of trained peeling shed workers. Age and occupation revealed negative and significant association. In the case of untrained peeling shed workers only age Indicated negative and significant relationship with perception about the quality of the product. Innovativeness was the major motive which induced the peeling shed workers to attend the training programme.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Secondary production in brackish water culture ponds
    (Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, Panangad, 1988) Aneykutty Joseph; KAU; Jayasree Vadhyar K
    Secondary production of zooplankton and zoobenthos (macrobenthos and meiobenthos) of two brackishwater ponds, A and B, each having 0.042 hectare area and connected to the Cochin backwaters, in the instructional fish farm of College of Fisheries, Panangad, Cochin have been studied for three culture periods. Viz, culture I.C. chenos (120 days, during August to December, 1986), culture II. P.indicus (60 days, during January to March, 1987) and culture III.P. monodon (45 days, during mid May to June, 1987). Fortnightly fluctuations in the biomass of zooplankton, meiobenthos and macrobenthos both group wise and total, their percentage dominance and frequency of occurrence have been studied during each culture period. Attempts have been made to correlate the fortnightly biomass of zooplankton, meiobenthos and macrobenthos with the fortnightly growth increment of C.chanos, P. indicus and P.monodon separately. Since zooplankton production is mainly dependent on primary production, fortnightly estimations of net and gross primary production have been carried out. The physic-chemical parameters of the pond water and soil have been studied fortnightly since both primary and secondary productivity of a culture pond depends mainly on these variables. The zooplankton groups are constituted by rotifers copepods and crustacean nauplii. The total biomass of zooplankton ranges from 22.388 mg/m3 to 5476.950 mg/m3 and 5.085mg/m3 to 1316.832 mg/m3 in ponds A and B respectively. The zooplankton biomass shows three peaks i.e., 1) in November 2) in March and 3) in June in pond A during culture I,II and III respectively while in pond B, it does not show such pronounced peaks. Neverthless, small zooplankton peaks are apparent in pond B in the former half of September, February and May during culture I ,II and III respectively. The relationship between the fortnightly biomass of zooplankton and that of growth increment of C. chanos is mostly an inverse one which could be because of the grazing effect of the latter on the former. An inverse relation is also observed between the biomass of zooplankton and growth increment values of P.indicus and P.monodon. Since the prawns are benthic feeders such an inverse relation cannot be attributed to direct consumption of zooplankton by them. However, zooplankton on dying sink to the bottom and form part of the detritus, constituting direct food for the prawns. The meiobenthos in both the ponds is constituted by nematodes and copepods. The total biomass of meiofauna ranges from 36.018 µg/10cm2 to 2539.322 µg/10cm2 in pond A and from 57.882 µg/10cm2 to 1556.616 µg/10cm2 in Pond B. A direct correlation is observed between the biomass of meiofauna with growth increment values of C.chanos whereas an inverse relation is noted between the former and the growth increment value of P.indicus and P.monodon. This suggests that meiofauna may not from direct food to C.chanos while it may be the contrary to the prawns. The macrobenthos is composed of amphipods, tanaids, polychaetes and mollusks. The total biomass of macrofauna groups ranges from 0.035 g/m2 TO 43.074 G/M2 in pond A and from 0.144 g/m2 5.712 to g/m2 (excluding villorita cyprinoides var.cochinensis) in pond B. One peculiarity observed in pond B is the presence of thick bed of black clam V. cyprinoides var. cochinensis during all the culture periods. A direct correlation between the fortnightly biomass of macrofauna with growth increment of C.chanos during the former half of culture period and inverse relation during the latter half of culture period are observed . this may be attributed to the utilization of macrofauna by c.chanos during the later stages of their growth. This supports the previous views put forward by several authors. An inverse relation is observed between the fortnightly biomass of macrofauna and growth increment values of P.indicus as well as P.monodon. This is in agreement with the views of several authors which highlight the utilization of macrofauna by the prawns. Fortnightly observations on primary productivity of phytoplankton as well as physic – chemical parameters of pond water and soil have also been discussed in general.