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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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2011 - 201613
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Subject: Floriculture and Landscaping × Author: KAU × End date: 2016 × Start date: 2011 ×
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Now showing 1 - 9 of 13
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Variability studies in rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.)
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Sameer Muhamed; KAU; Sajan Kurien
    Rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum L.) or ‘hairy litchi’ is an exotic fruit crop with tremendous potential for cultivation in the whole state of Kerala. There exists great variability in rambutan because of the natural cross pollination and seed propagation, which in turn provides great scope for selection. It is in this context that the hundred variable types of rambutan collected from important rambutan growing tracts of Kerala (Pathanamthitta-40, Kottayam-37, Thrissur-18 and Idukki-5) were evaluated for various morpho-physiochemical traits in addition to sensorial perception. The study was taken up with the prime objectives of recording the existing variability and genetic wealth available in order to select and conserve the elite/promising types and thereby, to serve as a basis for promotion of cultivation of this exotic fruit crop in Kerala. The study confirmed that rambutan fruits varied widely in their morpho-physical and biochemical traits such as tree characters, inflorescence characters, fruit characters and quality parameters, which were recorded as per IPGRI crop descriptor. Flowering and fruiting were characters more observed to be a function of the location. The study on phenological growth stages of rambutan according to BBCH scale in different locations opens out a new area on the possibility of staggered fruit production of rambutan in Kerala. The fruits are available from May to October (if cultivated in the humid tropical plains as in Thrissur, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta as well as in the humid sub-tropical belts as in the high ranges of Wayanad), thus making the availability of fresh fruits for nearly half period of a calendar year. With regard to the individual fruit weight, highest fruit weight of 61.5 g was recorded in Col.052 and the lowest fruit weight of 12 g was observed in Col.012 and Col.013. The largest proportionate edible part was found in Col.072 (52%) and the lowest in Col.008 (15%). Free seed aril was found in 19.39 per cent of the collections, while the adherence of aril to seed was medium in 16.33 per cent of the collections. Only 8.16 per cent of the collections produced fruits which could be characterized as very juicy types and 47.99 per cent were grouped as juicy type. About half of the collections (48.97%) had a TSS above 20° Brix. The collections having TSS above 25° Brix (Col.015 with 26° Brix and Col.061 with 27.5° Brix) were classified under the category ‘very sweet’. The titrable acidity and total sugar content ranged from 0.12 to 1.4% and 13 to 18.4% respectively. The loading plot based on tree characters revealed significant positive correlations between rachis length and leaflet width; leaflet width and leaflet length and between tree age and number of leaflets per leaf. Strong positive associations were also observed among fruit characters such as fruit weight, fruit diameter, rind weight, aril weight, aril thickness and spine length. The principal component analysis performed based on tree characters revealed the major contribution of leaflet length, leaflet width and petiole length towards the genetic divergence in rambutan and about 75 per cent of the total variance in fruit characters was mainly determined by the traits such as fruit weight, aril weight, aril thickness, seed weight, seed width, titrable acidity, TSS and sugar content. Clustering of all the three categories of rambutan collections namely elite, export and industrial use types using score plot confirmed the superiority of six collections (Col.021, Col.022, Col.023, Col.052, Col.55 and Col.061) over others, which were selected further for developing a selection criteria in rambutan. In the sensory analysis, Col.061, Col.021 and Col.042 were most preferred/accepted by panelists because of their better fruit weight, taste, juiciness and easy detachment of aril from seed. Two new pests of economic importance (fruit borer, Conogethes punctiferalis and fruit webber, Eublemma anguilifera) have been identified from the rambutan growing tracts of Kerala from fruit set to fruit ripening stage. Their nature of damage and symptoms of infestation have been clearly studied and being reported for the first time in rambutan from India. The study revealed that rambutan selections from Kerala are not only comparable with the best known cultivars in the world, but even excell them. There is an urgent need to standardize the management practices including the varietal wealth in rambutan by using these genetic resources as this crop has already become one of the most treasured fruit particularly as a courtyard crop in Kerala.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of differential effects of coloured shade nets on selected ornamentals
    (Department Of Pomology And Floriculture, College Of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Andrew L, Myrthong; KAU; Sudhadevi, P K
    Evaluation of differential effect of coloured shade nets on selected ornamentals was undertaken in the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara. Six plant species viz., Nephrolepis exaltata, Asparagus sp. (green leaf type); Spathiphyllum wallisii, Chrysothemis pulchella (flowering type); Tradescantia spathacea „Sitara‟ and Cordyline terminalis (coloured leaf type) were selected for the evaluation. The plants were grown under shade nets of five different colours viz., red, yellow, green, blue and black. Morphological data (both quantitative and qualitative), weather data including temperature, relative humidity, light intensity and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) were recorded for a period of one year from March 2015 to February 2016. The total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents were evaluated twice, at six and twelve months after planting. The plant growth in terms of height and spread was found to be greatly influenced by red and black coloured nets as the plants under these two nets were the tallest with more spread. Except for Cordyline terminalis, the growth of all plants was the least when grown under blue coloured net. Height and spread of Cordyline terminalis was the lowest under black colour net. Leaf characteristics like area, length and breadth were the highest when grown under black, followed by red coloured nets. The effect of yellow, green and blue coloured nets was not significant. Red net only significantly increased the number of leaves in all plants except Spathiphyllum wallisii, in which it was the highest under blue colour net. The internodal length was the longest in plants under red and shortest under blue coloured nets except in Cordyline terminalis which recorded shortest internodes under black net. Length and girth of petiole of all the plants were more when grown under black net except that of Cordyline terminalis in which it was the longest under red and blue nets.The floral characters of Chrysothemis pulchella were homogeneous under nets of all colours while Spathiphyllum wallisii had bigger flowers with longer stalks under black and red nets. The interval of flower production was the least in red and maximum in plants under blue nets for both the plants. Vase life was studied for those leaves that could be used as cut foliage. No detectable difference in vase life of Asparagus sp. and Spathiphyllum wallisii could be observed. But, leaves of Nephrolepis exaltata had maximum vase life under black and red; medium under yellow and green and minimum under blue nets. The vase life of Cordyline terminalis was minimum under blue net and maximum under all the other net colours which were on par with each other. A higher concentration of total chlorophyll as well as carotenoid were found under black coloured net in all plants except in Spathiphyllum wallisii, in which the maximum concentration was under blue net. The maximum and minimum temperatures and relative humidity were always higher inside the shade nets compared to the open condition. Both light intensity and PAR were reduced inside the shade nets and the reduction was in the ascending order of black, yellow, green, blue and red nets. Overall growth of all the plants was higher under red and black nets, while leaf characteristics were better under black net. Quality wise, the plants under black net overshadowed those under red, yellow, green and blue coloured nets. It was observed that all the plant parameters could not be improved by a single net colour. This study will form a base for future works through which we can draw a clear recommendation on the colour of shade net to be used for obtaining the desired plant architecture which will enhance the commercial value of ornamentals.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Performance analysis and combining ability studies in anthurium cultivars
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2015) Sheena, A; KAU; Sabina George, T
    The investigation on “Performance analysis and combining ability studies in anthurium cultivars” was conducted at Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2010 - 2013. The objectives were to evaluate introduced cultivars of anthurium for growth, flowering and floral attributes, to assess their compatibility with cultivars having breeding potential and to produce novel anthurium cultivars through inter-varietal hybridization. The study was conducted in two experiments and the results and salient findings are abstracted here. In experiment I, performance evaluation of nine introduced anthurium cultivars for growth and cut flower production was carried out. The cultivars exhibited differential responses in vegetative and floral characters. With respect to morphological characters the cultivars Marijke and Paradise had greater vegetative vigour, higher yields, larger spathes and greater vase life. Salmon Queen, Mozaik Fresh, Hillary, Cynthia and Elizabeth were moderate in vegetative vigour. Red Amour and Anastasia were short statured, lower in vegetative vigour and low yielders with smaller spathes. Variability studies indicated that phenotypic coefficient of variation was slightly higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for most of the characters indicating the greater influence of environment. Genotypic correlation coefficients were higher than phenotypic correlation coefficients for most of the characters. In experiment II, twenty one anthurium cultivars including the introduced ones were evaluated for their floral characters and from these, eight cultivars namely Paradise, Marijke, Mozaik Fresh, Lady Jane Pink, Orange Glory, Dragon’s Tongue, Lima White and Agnihotri Red were selected as parents for further hybridization. Significant differences in floral characters were noticed among the cultivars. The cultivars exhibited variations in the qualitative characters of spathe colour, texture, spadix colour and type and colour of the young leaf and petiole. Anthocyanin content of the spathe showed a gradation with variation in the intensity of spathe colour. Vase life of the cultivars ranged from 6.33 to 20.50 days. Peak pollen emergence was observed from October to January and absence of pollen was found from March to May. Combining ability analysis was carried out for 11 traits in which eight traits exhibited higher dominance variance and three traits had higher additive variance which indicated involvement of both additive and non-additive gene action in the inheritance of characters and suggested the importance of selection as well as hybridization for improvement of these characters. Marijke and Mozaik Fresh were good general combiners with respect to the characters number of fruits per spadix, percentage of fruit set, number of seeds and percentage of seed germination, Orange Glory and Dragon’s Tongue for days to seed maturity, days to seed germination, seedling survival and days from emergence to maturity of leaves and Paradise for percentage of fruit set, days for germination and leaf area. In vitro seed germination study revealed that surface sterilization with sodium hypochlorite 2 % for 15 minutes recorded the lowest incidence of contamination and highest survival percentage. Highest germination per cent and earlier leaf development were seen in full MS media without growth regulators. Seed germination in vitro and its further multiplication could reduce the time taken to develop new hybrids in large numbers. The hybrid plants in the field are in flowering, near flowering and pre flowering stages. Vegetative and floral characters of the 35 hybrids that flowered when compared with their parents, revealed variations in the parameters studied. Ten hybrids found promising based on qualitative evaluation of spathe and spadix characters in the present study can be further assessed for flower yield and cut flower attributes and selected for cultivation.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of foliage plants for interior plantscaping
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2012) Alex, R; KAU; Sudhadevi, P K
    Studies were undertaken in Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2010-2012 to evaluate the foliage plants for interior plantscaping. The study comprised of four experiments in which fifty foliage plant species were selected for evaluation under two growing structures having two different systems viz., open ventilated and fan and pad. Air Pollution Tolerance Index of all the selected species of foliage plants were computed and based on that, ten species was selected and their performance under different indoor light conditions was studied. The air borne microbes and dust filtering efficiency of these ten indoor foliage plant species were also evaluated. When the growing structures, viz., open ventilated & fan and pad greenhouses were compared, the plants kept in fan and pad system were found to be superior than the plants kept in open ventilated greenhouse with regard to most of the characters. So the fan and pad system could be considered as the best for growing the foliage plants. But precautions should be taken to check the humidity levels. Fifty selected species of foliage plants were classified into six categories namely rosette, tree-like, flowering, upright, grass-like and climbing and trailing based on their growth habit. Among the rosette type, Anthurium crystallinum, Calathea zebrina, Philodendron wendlandii and Homalomena wallisii could be recommended for their compactness. Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Punctatum aureum’, Ficus benjamina, Licuala grandis, Rhapis excelsa and Schefflera arboricola could be recommended among the tree-like species which could be utilized to decorate bigger indoor places. In flowering foliage plants, Anthurium andreanum ‘Bonina’, Spathiphyllum wallisii and Kalanchoe blossfeldiana could be recommended for any indoor conditions as they would improve the interior environment with their attractive flowers as well as foliages. Aglaonema pseudobracteatum, Dieffenbachia amoena, Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’, Dracaena ‘Purple Compacta’, Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Sensation’ and Zamioculcas zamiifolia could be recommended in upright foliage plants. Among grass-like species, Cyperus alternifolius, Chlorophytum ‘Charlotte’ and Ophiopogon jaburan ‘Variegata’ were found to be good and recommended to place them in groupings. Among climbing and trailing plants, Scindapsus aureus, Syngonium podophyllum, Philodendron ‘Ceylon Gold’ and Philodendron elegans were found best and recommended for places like staircase, balcony etc. The Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) of the foliage plant species under the study was computed for three different seasons, viz., March-April, June-July and October- November and based on this they were categorized into sensitive, intermediately tolerant, moderately tolerant and tolerant. It was observed that Anthurium andreanum ‘Bonina’, Calathea zebrina and Dracaena ‘Purple Compacta’ had the highest APTI value and was tolerant to air pollution irrespective of the seasons. In all the seasons, Aglaonema pseudobracteatum, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Hahnii’, Spathiphyllum wallisii, Syngonium podophyllum, Tradescantia spathacea ‘Sitara’ and Zamioculcas zamiifolia were found to be the most susceptible and they could be recommended to be used as indicator plants for pollution. Other species could also be utilized based on their tolerance levels with respect to the seasons. Based on the APTI value, ten species were selected (two from each category) and their performance was studied under five different indoor light conditions viz., low (<800 lux), medium (800-2000 lux), high (>2000 lux), supplementary (800-2000 lux) and supplementary light with air condition. From the results, it was found that most the foliage plants could thrive well under medium light condition. In addition with that, under air conditioned zone with supplementary light, species like Anthurium andreanum ‘Bonina’, Philodendron elegans and Syngonium podophyllum could be recommended. Species like Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, Rhapis excelsa and other palms could be recommended for areas with high light intensity. The performance of Scindapsus aureus was found good with regard to almost all the desirable characters in all the light conditions. The foliage plants were found very effective in reducing air borne microbes present in indoor conditions. The maximum amount of reduction (35.43 %) was recorded in the zone with medium light intensity where there were 127 Total colony forming units (Tcfu) without plants, which was reduced to 82 Tcfu when foliage plants were kept under the same zone. Regarding the dust filtering efficiency, the maximum amount of dust (3.57 gm-2) was found to be removed from the atmosphere by Syngonium podophyllum. Based on the amount of dust collected by the species, they could be arranged as Syngonium podophyllum > Philodendron elegans > Ficus benjamina > Philodendron ‘Ceylon Gold’> Anthurium andreanum > Schefflera arboricola > Chrysalidocarpus lutescens > Rhapis excelsa > Spathiphyllum wallisii > Scindapsus aureus.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Standardization of organic nutrient regimes for Anthurium (Anthurium andreanum Lind.) cultivars.
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2011) Jomy, Jacob; KAU; Sabina George, T
    Anthurium andreanum Lind. is cultivated globally for its attractive flowers and foliage. Kerala is identified as one of the most suitable places for growing Anthuriums because of the congenial climatic conditions similar to its natural habitat. For the nutrition of Anthuriums, standardization of eco-friendly organic manures is a felt need of growers. Though several organic nutrient dosages and an integrated nutrient dosage have been found promising for juvenile to mature tissue cultured plants of the Anthurium, these differed in their content of nutrients, constituent organic-inorganic fractions, components and their frequency of application. Refinement of these dosages and formulation of modified organic nutrient regimes consisting of easily available and eco friendly cost effective organic materials were intended in this investigation. Thus, an investigation was conducted at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani of the Kerala Agricultural University during 2009-2011 for a period of 18 months. The experiment was in CRD with 12 treatment combinations of 2 cultivars ( Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical) and 6 nutrient regimes The nutrient supplied under N1 to N4 was 2.15: 1.47: 2.37 N:P2O5:K2O g plant-1 (total per bimonth), and under N5 and N6 was 2.41:4.73:1.89 N:P2O5:K2O g plant-1 (total per bimonth)]. All the treatments were given weekly application of cow dung slurry 0.83 g/ plant. N1 comprised of organic manure mix 12.4 g plant-1 applied weekly (containing coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake and wood ash) + Cow’s urine 8 ml/plant weekly. Modified organic manure mix 25.96 g plant-1 (containing wood ash, cow dung and bone meal) applied weekly for N2, 51.925 g plant-1 applied biweekly for N3, 103.85 g plant-1 applied monthly for (N4). N5 comprised of organic manure mix 40 g plant-1applied bimonthly (containing leaf compost, coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake, poultry manure and wood ash) +NPK Fertilizer (18:18:18) @1 g plant-1 weekly. N6 comprised of organic manure mix 40 g plant-1 applied bimonthly (containing leaf compost, coir pith compost, bone meal, neem cake, poultry manure and wood ash) + Organic manure mix (containing cow dung, leaf compost, bone meal, and wood ash ) applied weekly. The first experiment was aimed at standardizing organic nutrient regimes for flower production from top cuttings in Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical. Vegetative characters such as the total number of newly emerged leaves upto 6, 12 and 18 MAP, annual leaf production, total leaf area at 6, 12 and 18 MAP, mean petiole length at 6, 12 and 18 MAP, mean phyllochron, days from emergence to senescence of leaves, rate of sucker production were found to differ significantly among manurial treatments. A comparative enhancement in vegetative characters such as number of leaves, leaf area, petiole length, annual leaf production and leaf duration, and lesser interval between leaf emergence were observed in plants under N2, N3, N4 and N6. These treatments also recorded greater number of flowers as well as annual flower production per plant, shorter mean interval between flower emergence and lesser days to harvestable maturity of flowers than organic treatment with cows urine weekly (N1) and organic inorganic integrated regime (N5). The manurial treatments of modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3), monthly (N4) and organic treatment with manure mix bimonthly (N6) increased the length and width of the spathe, greater girth of flower stalk. The vase life of flower were found greater under modified organic treatment weekly (N2), biweekly (N3) and organic treatment with cows urine weekly (N1). Similarly, water uptake was higher in plants treated with modified organic treatment applied biweekly and weekly than under organic inorganic integrated regime. The organic inorganic integrated regime was found to effect in higher N and P content of leaves than all other treatments. Higher K content of leaves was recorded under N3 regime. The second experiment was aimed at standardization of nutrient regime(s) for sucker production and subsequent flower production from basal stem stumps in Anthurium andreanum cv. Acropolis and cv. Tropical. Modified organic treatment applied weekly (N2), biweekly (N3) and monthly (N4) recorded greater total leaf area of shoots from 3 MAP until separation, number and length of roots at separation, total length of suckers and number of leaves at retention and thereafter, lesser interval between leaf emergence and greater longevity of leaves and greater petiole length at 18 MAP, length, number of leaves and mean petiole length of retained suckers at 18 MAP, earlier and greater flower production. Modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3) also recorded higher total number of suckers and rate of sucker production. Cultivar differences in vegetative and floral characters were found to be distinct in both experiments. In the planted basal stumps of experiment 2, sprouting and sucker development was observed. However, earlier sprouting and development of sprouts into shoots was observed in cv. Tropical than in Acropolis. In Experiment 1, though the treatments N2, N3 and N4 had equal effects on leaf production, total leaf area, flower production and shorter interval between flower emergence, in economic analysis, the treatment expenditure increasing from N4 to N2 can be a limiting factor determining their relative feasibility. The advantages in suckering observed in these cultivars in experiment 2, resulted in greater net value realization of cv. Acropolis under modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3) and monthly (N4) and in cv. Tropical under modified organic treatment applied biweekly (N3).
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Variability studies in seedlings of heliconia (Heliconia spp.)
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2011) Kadam Darshan, Shashank; KAU; Sheela, V L
    Heliconias are one of the important cut flowers of tropics and versatile landscape plants due to their variation in the growth habit and flower characters. The objective of study was to assess the extent of variability among open pollinated seedlings collected from 15 different species and varieties. There was wide variation in the seed characters, germination characters, and morphological characters such as plant height, shoot girth and leaf morphology, leaf area, suckering habit. Also variation in physiological characters such as chlorophyll content, leaf sheath colour of the seedlings was observed. The species Heliconia mariae which registered lowest seed weight was observed to have highest value of plant height. Similarly Heliconia longa which recorded minimum value for seed weight developed in to taller plants. The varieties with smaller seed weight recorded higher germination percent as compared to varieties with higher seed weight. The species Heliconia mariae which recorded the highest plant height, also recorded higher values for leaf length, leaf width and leaf area. The variety Heliconia bihai var. ‘Granda’ registered the lowest plant height, also recorded higher values for leaf length, leaf width and leaf area during the whole observation period. The variety Heliconia latispatha var. ‘Orange Gyro’ recorded highest leaf length: width ratio of 3:1. Among the species and varieties Heliconia bihai var. ‘Granda’ registered the highest number of leaves. Among other leaf characters leaf base was found to have more variation. In species and varieties utilized for study ‘oblique’, ‘cordate’, ‘cuneate’ and ‘obtuse’ type of leaf bases were observed. In heliconia most of the species have distinctive leaf sheath colour pattern. Also presence of powdery coating on back surface of leaves was observed in Heliconia mariae, Heliconia curtispatha, Heliconia pogonantha var. ‘Pogonantha’ and Heliconia longa. The species and varieties showed significant difference in leaf midrib colour. These characters might be identifying feature in some of the varieties. Variation in pigment content was also observed among the species and varieties utilized for study. The variability was high both at phenotypic and genotypic level for most of the characters. PCV was slightly higher than GCV in most of the characters studied. High phenotypic (58.7 %) and genotypic (45.42 %), coefficient of variation was found for number of suckers. High heritability along with high genetic advance was observed for seed weight (heritability 98.05 %, GA 71.72%) and leaf area (heritability 99.96 %, GA 62.95%). The low heritability was recorded for percent of germination and pigment content. The character percentage of germination was found to have significant positive correlation at genotypic and phenotypic level with plant height, rate of shoot elongation, leaf length, leaf width and leaf area. Fourteen species and varieties of heliconia were subjected to D2 analysis based on eight characters. They were grouped into five clusters on the basis of relative magnitude of D2 values. The greater the distance between two clusters, greater is the divergence between the accessions belonging to the two clusters and vice versa. The maximum number of genotypes (5) were included in cluster I, followed by 4 genotypes in cluster II. Three genotypes were included in cluster III. Cluster IV and Cluster V consisted of only one genotype each. Using eucedian distance measures dendrogram was constructed to represent inter and intra specific relationships among the species and varieties. Clustering showed slightly different grouping than grouping by D2 analysis. On drawing a vertical line in the dendrogram along the point corresponding to the similarity coefficient value of 110.12, the 14 species and varieties got divided in to five clusters. The varieties Heliconia lingulata var. ‘Red tip fan’, Heliconia pogonantha var. ‘Pogonantha’ and species Heliconia curtispatha, Heliconia bourgaeana formed the largest cluster. The variety Heliconia bihai var. ‘Granda’ formed separate cluster as like in D2 analysis.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Performance of african marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) under different growing conditions
    (Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2016) Nimisha, Augustine; KAU; Sobhana, A
    The experiment entitled “Performance of African marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) under different growing conditions” was undertaken in the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during the year 2015-2016. Performance of eight African marigold cultivars viz., Sonata Orange, Sonata Yellow, Biocarve Orange, Biocarve Yellow, Local Orange, Local Yellow, Sierra Yellow and Orange Giant were evaluated under open field and rain shelter conditions during two seasons; Season I (from July – November 2015) and Season II (from January – April 2016). Observations were recorded on vegetative, floral and seed characters as well as chlorophyll content in leaves and xanthophyll and flavonoid contents in flowers. The vegetative and floral characters of African marigold cultivars were found to be greatly influenced by the growing conditions and growing seasons. The plant height, internodal length, number of primary branches, number of secondary branches, flower diameter, individual flower weight, number of flowers/plant, shelf life, total flower yield and marketable flower yield were better in the rain shelter grown plants during both the seasons. Stem girth, leaf length, leaf breadth, leaf area and petiole length were the highest in plants grown in open field condition during the two seasons. The highest flower length and pedicel length were recorded in the open field condition during first season and under rain shelter condition during second season. During both the seasons, least number of days for first flowering and 50 per cent flowering were recorded in rain shelter grown plants. Highest seed yield was obtained from plants grown under rain shelter condition, whereas highest seed germination, chlorophyll, xanthophyll and flavonoid contents were recorded in plants grown in the open field condition. Among the cultivars, Orange Giant recorded highest plant height (113.00 cm), internodal length (8.02 cm), number of secondary branches (35.38), flower diameter (6.56 cm), flower weight (12.29 g), total flower yield (668.06 g/plant) and marketable flower yield (606.74 g/plant) during the first season. The cultivar Local Yellow recorded highest seed yield (1.11g) and seed germination (90.00%). Maximum shelf life (4.57 days) was noticed in Sonata Orange. The cultivar Biocarve Orange recorded least number of days for first flowering (43.92 days) and 50 per cent flowering (56.08 days). Highest chlorophyll content was recorded in cultivar Local Yellow, xanthophyll content in cultivar Orange Giant and flavonoid content in Sonata Orange. During the second season, highest plant spread, stem girth (2.47 cm), number of primary branches (8.60), leaf length (12.55 cm), leaf area (13.79 cm2) and seed yield (0.62 g) were recorded in Local Yellow. The cultivar Sonata Orange recorded highest plant height (47.97 cm) and number of secondary branches (22.93). Highest number of flowers/plant (51.27), shelf life (3.17 days), total flower yield (186.43 g/plant), marketable flower yield (182.94 g/plant) and seed germination (89.00%) were recorded in cultivar Orange Giant. The cultivar Biocarve Yellow took least number of days for first flowering and 50 per cent flowering among the cultivars. Highest chlorophyll content was recorded in cultivar Orange Giant, xanthophyll content in cultivar Local Orange and flavonoid content in Sonata Orange. Evaluation of cultivars under open field and rain shelter conditions during both the seasons revealed that, the cultivar Orange Giant was superior to all other cultivars. All the vegetative, floral and seed characters were found to be better during the first season. Even though higher concentration of total chlorophyll was recorded in plants grown during first season xanthophyll and flavonoid contents were maximum during the second season. From the study it is concluded that African marigold can be very well grown under rain shelter condition during July – November, which coincides with the rainy season in Kerala.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Morpho-molecular characterization of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) accessions
    (College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Aswini, A; KAU; Lila, Mathew K
    India is the largest producer of jackfruit in the world (APAARI, 2012). A wide range of genetic and morphological variation has been reported in jackfruit (Ullah and Haque, 2008). In Kerala also rich genetic diversity is reported (Muthulakshmi, 2003; Amma and Kumaran, 2011). Hence it is essential to characterize the accessions at morphological and molecular levels for knowing their identity, genetic relatedness and for exploitation in future breeding programmes. The study on ‘Morpho-molecular characterization of jackfruit (Artocarpusheterophyllus L.) accessions’ was carried out at College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Kerala from August 2013 to June 2015. The main objective of the study was to characterise the selected accessions/varieties of jackfruit based on morphological and molecular analysis. Twenty types/accessions of jack fruit maintained in the College orchard and in the Pineapple Research Centre, Vellanikkara along with the Muttom Varikka, Sindoor and Thamarachakka varieties were used for the study. All the accessions/varieties were studied for morphological, physico-chemical and organoleptic properties. Molecular characterization of the selected accessions/varieties was carried out using standard procedure and subjected to ISSR techniques. All the accessions/varieties showed variability in tree characters,inflorescence characters, fruit characters and fruit quality. At the similarity coefficient status of 30 percent, grouping of accessions was done based on tree characters,which resulted in 6 non-overlapping clusters.Tree characters viz.,tree height (4.50 m to 18.00 m), trunk girth (76.00 cm to 270.00 cm), crown shape (pyramidal, broadly pyramidal, spherical, oblong, semi-circular, elliptical and irregular), branching pattern (erect, opposite, verticillate, horizontal and irregular), leaf blade shape (obovate, elliptic, broadly elliptic, narrowly elliptic, oblong and lyrate (wavy)), leaf apex (acute, acuminate, retuse and obtuse) , leaf base shape (oblique, rounded, cuneate and shortly attenuate) , leaf length (12.34 cm to 18.02 cm) and breadth ( 6.37 cm to 9.43 cm) were observed. The accessions were grouped at the similarity coefficient status of 75per cent based on inflorescence characters, which resulted in 5 non-overlapping clusters.Time of flowering, female inflorescence density, female and male inflorescence positions, bearing habit (regular) and secondary flowering (no secondary flowering) were recorded. At the similarity coefficient status of 26 per cent, grouping of accessions was done based on fruit characters, which resulted in 5 non - overlapping clusters. Variation was observed with respect to fruiting season, fruit clustering habit, fruit number (21 to 135) , shape, surface, fruit weight (1.65 kg to 20.00 kg ), fruit yield (41.25 kg/ plant to 1593 kg/ plant), shelf life ( 3 to 5 days ), latex exudation, rind colour and thickness, core length (10.20 cm to 50.50 cm ) and thickness (2.50 cm to 13.90 cm), number of flakes (bulbs) per kg of the fruit (12.61 to 71.15), weight of flake (16.69g to 33.91g), flesh thickness ( 1.26 mm to 7.8 mm), bulb diameter (6.08 cm to 10.11 cm), shape, pulp flavour, colour and consistency, number of seeds (44 to 482), 100-seed weight (240g to 800g) and rind, flake and seed ratio (2.30 to 7.31). Sensory evaluation viz.,taste, flavour, colour, texture, sweetness and appearance were recorded on basis of 9 point hedonic scale. At the similarity coefficient status of 7 per cent, grouping of accessions was done based on biochemical characters, which resulted in 14 non - overlapping clusters.The percentage of moisture (29 to 74 %), TSS (20.30 0 Brix to 33.80 o Brix), reducing sugars (6.61 to 13.16 %) and non-reducing sugars (5.16 to 13.29 %) and β carotene (0.99 to 12.94 mg/100g) were estimated. In molecular characterization five main clusters were formed at 77 per cent similarity. The first cluster grouped four accessions (Acc. 1, Acc. 3, Acc. 5, Acc. 4). The second cluster consists of Sindoor. Third cluster consists of Thamarachakka, fourth cluster consists of Acc. 2 and MuttomVarikka and the fifth cluster consist of five accessions (Acc. 15, Acc. 17, Acc. 18, Acc. 19, and Acc. 16). First cluster included the firm fleshed jackfruit accessions whereas Cluster V included all the soft fleshed accessions. Thus in the present investigation, evaluation and characterization of twenty accessions and three varieties namely Sindoor, Muttom Varikka and Thamarachakka have been made to understand the extent of genetic diversity and similarity with the help of morphological, biochemical and molecular characters for identifying superior types for further selection. Sindoor and Muttom Varikka are the two firm fleshed varieties widely accepted in Kerala and suited for homestead cultivation. The morphological and fruit quantity and quality parameters of accessions 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 15 are compared with the above varieties. But for specific purposes, desirable traits are to be employed for selection. Further studies are also required to confirm the results. Molecular markers - ISSR markers could be successfully employed in determining the texture of the jackfruit flakes (firm/soft flesh types) and also for knowing the genetic relatedness.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of vanda orchids for commercial traits
    (College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Minnu, Sebastian; KAU; Geetha, C K
    The investigation on the evaluation of Vanda orchids was conducted at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, during 2013-‘14 with the objective of evaluating the field performance for commercial exploitation. Thirty Vanda varieties/ hybrids were selected for the study. They were evaluated for their height, spread, shoot characters (nature, girth, internodal length), leaf characters (length, breadth, area, number, interval of leaf production, leaf sheath characters), root characters (length, girth, number), floral characters (days from spike emergence to opening, longevity of spike, interval of spike production, annual production of spike, blooming period, number of florets per spike, individual flower life, flower size, features of petal, lip and column) under field conditions, as well as post harvest parameters (spike longevity, number of buds opening in vase, physiological loss in weight, water uptake and floret span). The varieties exhibited wide variation in both vegetative and floral characters. Maximum plant height was observed in V. Pompimol and the minimum in V. Thailand Beauty. V. Kasem’s Delight x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob recorded the maximum plant spread and V. Pachara Delight Pink the minimum. Shoot girth and internodal length were the maximum in V. Taweesuksa x V. Kultana Gold x V. Green Gold and V. Pakchong New Land x V. Annette Jones, respectively while the minimum was recorded by V. Varuvathe Pink and V. Thailand Beauty, respectively. Leaf number was maximum in V. Prapawan and the minimum in V. Apec Blue. Leaf length as well as leaf area were the maximum in V. Pompimol, whereas the least values for these characters were for V. Prapawan and V. Anek Delight, respectively. V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan recorded the maximum leaf breadth and V. Fuchs Delight, the minimum. Interval of leaf production was the maximum in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight and the least in V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan. Among the vanda varieties, V. Apec Blue recorded, the maximum number of roots whereas V. Anek Delight and V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan had maximum root length and girth, respectively and the minimum was in V. Varuvathe Pink, V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob and V. Dr Anek x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob, respectively. The duration from spike emergence to opening of florets was the maximum in V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob. Time required for opening florets (first and 50%) was the least for V. Apec Blue and V. Anek Delight, respectively. Spike longevity was the maximum for V. Madame Rattana and the minimum for V. Anek Delight. Interval of spike production was the maximum in V. Pompimol and the minimum in V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata. Accordingly, annual spike production was the minimum in V. Pompimol and it was the highest in V. Pathum Gold. Spike characters, like length was maximum in V. Kultana Delight Red, while girth in V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob .The rachis length and number of florets were the maximum in V. Thailand Beauty and the minimum in V. Varuvathe Pink. The internodal length between florets was the maximum in V. Prapawan and the minimum in V. Red Gem. Lip length and flower size recorded the highest values in V. Pompimol whereas column length was the highest in V. Dr Anek x V. Mimi Palmer. All these characters were the lowest in V. Red Gem. The life of individual floret on the spike was the maximum for V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight and the minimum in V. Pakchong New Land x V. Annette Jones. Among the post harvest characters, spike longevity (vase life) was the maximum in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight followed by V. Thailand Beauty and the minimum in V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan. The life span of each floret was also high in V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight. The qualitative characters of vanda varieties/hybrids differed in all aspects. The leaves were channelled, smooth, rigid and green coloured, with no pigmentation. Three types of leaf apex, viz., tridentate, praemorse and emarginate were observed. The leaves were arranged alternately and were oriented as straight or horizontal with an arching tendency. Varying petal shapes and curvatures were observed. The petal margin was undulated in most of the cases and rarely entire. Uniform, spotted as well as blotched colour patterns were seen in the petals. Lip-lobe shapes and lip curvature were varying in the varieties. Lip apex was bilobed in most cases; acute or truncate apices were also noticed. Lip surface was glabrous, usually single or double coloured whereas it was triple coloured in V. Pathum Gold and V. Robert’s Delight. Lip colour pattern was uniform or streaked or spotted. The column colour pattern was uniform, streaked, blotched or spotted. Spur type was found to be cylindrical in most varieties and saccate in some. The variety V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata possessed good fragrance. Considering the overall quantitative and qualitative parameters, V. Pathum Gold, V. Lumpini Red x V. Taweewan, V. Pachara Delight Pink, V. Apec Blue, V. Prapawan, V. Urbchitr x V. Bitz’s Heartthrob and V. Thailand Beauty were excellent, both for cut flower production and as pot plants. V. Pranermprai x V. tessellata and V. Katsuura x V. Fuchs Delight have more potential for use as cut flower whereas V. Red Gem and V. Anek Delight were excellent as pot plants.