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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 Impact of invasive alien plants on understorey vegetation in Wayanad wildlife sanctuary(Department of Natural Resource Management, Vellanikkara, 2018) Vishnu Chandran, M; KAU; Gopakumar, SThe present study “Impact of invasive alien plants (IAP) on understorey vegetation in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary” was conducted in three vegetation types (Plantation, NF and Vayal) of WS II part of the sanctuary. The distribution characteristics of selected invasive alien species (IAPS) viz. Lantana camara L., Senna spectabilis (DC.) H.S. Irwin and R.C. Barneby and Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King & H. Rob and the impact of these invasive alien species on the regeneration of other plant communities were studied and compared. L. camara and C. odorata invaded all areas of the sanctuary except in the borders of Kurichiat and Sulthan bathery forest ranges. Lantana invasion was high in the Kurichiat RF (Reserve forest) and Rampur RF. Chromolaena invasion was found to be high in Mavinahalla and Kurichiat RF. In WS II part of the sanctuary, S. spectabilis was mainly distributed along the boundaries of Sulthan bathery and Muthanga ranges. In Muthanga, Senna invasion was extended up to “Kakkapadam” (2.5 km from Muthanga station). Among the IAPS, Chromolaena showed the highest density in all the three vegetation types, while the density of Senna was lowest in all the three vegetation types in WS II area. The density of Chromolaena in plantation and NF was 4943.52 ± 1079.07 and 4996.47 ± 1484.42 respectively. The density of Lantana in plantation and NF was 322.35 ± 88.18 and 85.42 ± 29.55 respectively. The density of Senna in plantation and NF was 63.5 ± 31.66 and 49.74 ± 23.93 respectively. Senna invasion was absent in vayal. Vayal showed highest density of Chromolaena (5810.59 ± 1262.43). Chromolaena had the highest percentage cover in both plantation and vayal. In NF, Lantana has (14.2 ± 2.8) the highest percentage cover. In all the three vegetation types, Chromolaena had the highest frequency and abundance. Among the seven weed category areas identified from the study area, highest MSR (Mean Species Richness) was seen in Control (weed free area), followed by L (Lantana invaded) and LC (Lantana and Chromolaena invaded)regions. The lowest MSR was obtained in S (Senna invaded) and CS (Chromolaena and Senna invaded) regions. All the three IAPS negatively influenced the native species richness. But no specific declining trend in species richness was observed during regression analysis. Results of regression analysis showed that, among the three IAPS, C. odorata had the biggest impact on the species richness of native species. It was followed by L. camara and S. spectabilis. Species richness of each growth form (herb & shrub) declined significantly with increasing Lantana, Chromolaena and Senna cover. In the current study, trees and climbers did not show any significant variation with increasing percentage covers of IAPS. For every 10% increase in percentage cover of C. odorata, two native herb species were observed being removed from the study area. At the same time only one shrub species was removed at every 10% increase in Chromolaena cover. For every 10% increase in Lantana cover, one native herb species was removed from the study area of the sanctuary. The species richness of shrubs also declined due to Lantana invasion. On plotting herb species richness against Senna percentage cover, only four herb species were obtained at 50% Senna cover. On further increase in percentage cover of Senna the herb species richness declined linearly and it was decreased to one at 100% Senna cover. It was also found during the study that, in plots where Senna and Chromolaena occured together, the species richness decreased from 86 to 4. Similarly in plots where Senna occured with Lantana and Chromolaena, species richness declined. This probably indicates a dominating interference of Senna on the recruitment of native species and could be because of the impacts of its larger size, big and wider canopy, competitive reproductive ability, allelopathy and a broad, deeper root system. Out of the 125 plant species identified from the sanctuary, only thirteen were observed from Senna invaded region. But during regression analysis it was found that, among the three IAPS Senna has the least impact on native species richness. This may be due to the fact that compared with Lantana and Chromolaena, the invasion of Senna is restricted to only a small portion of Wayanad WLS. But left uncontrolled Senna will soon become a major threat in Wayanad WLS in the near future.ThesisItem Open Access Standardisation of preservation techniques of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) palm wood(Department of Wood Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2017) Jeeshma, V J; KAU; Anoop, E VCoconut (cocos nucifera L.) palm wood belongs to the class of perishable timbers which can be used as an alternative wood sources with affective preservation. Preservative treatment of coconut wood can enhance the service life of coconut service life of coconut wood. The objective of this study was to develop appropriate preservative methods to treat sawn coconut wood under the prevailing eco-climatic conditions in Kerala and to evaluate the effect of different factors on the treatability of coconut wood. Wood samples were treated with inorganic (Copper Chrome Boron- CCB and Borax Boric Acid-BBA) and organic preservatives (Cashew Nut Shell (CNS) liquid, need oil and turpentine). Diffusion and pressure treatment were deployed for inorganic preservation and organic preservatives were investigated only through diffusion treatment. Wood samples were air dried to a moisture content of about 50 per cent and total of 354 sampled belonging to high and medium density wood were treated with preservatives. Diffusion treatment of inorganic preservatives in high and medium density wood showed no significant difference in retention whereas significant difference was observed for penetration percentage. For pressure treatment, retention and penetration were significant in high density wood whereas medium density wood showed only significant retention. A proportionate relation existed between the solution concentrations and the two observations- overall retention and penetration percentage. Relation of diffusion period and retention in high density wood showed no uniform pattern while, an increasing trend was seen in medium density wood. Penetration depth followed an increasing pattern under increasing treatment duration in the two density classes. Among the two treatment methods, pressure treatment performed better than diffusion treatment. Absorption percentage of organic preservatives was non-significant among treatment factors (chemicals and duration), and their interaction in the two density classes. The study found that sawn coconut wood samples could be effectively treated with preservatives complying with the prescribed retention and penetration percentages as per the different standards and therefore, could be used as a potential substitute for conventional timbers.ThesisItem Open Access Characterisation of phytopathogenic fungi in nursery seedlings of Tectona grandis L.F, Swietenia macrophylla King and Cassia fistula L. In Central Kerala(Department of Forest Management and Utilisation, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2017) Kiran Mohan; KAU; Gopakumar, SDisease free planting stock significantly ensures a better field survival while at the same time reducing the burden of economic loss. Teak, mahogany and Indian laburnum which are extensively used for afforestation programmes in India are attacked by several fungal pathogens at nursery stage. Hence an investigation was undertaken to identify the fungal diseases associated with above mentioned seedlings in Kerala and also to assess the efficacy of selected fungicides and bio-control agents against these pathogens through in vitro studies. Purposive sampling survey was conducted in eighteen Government tree nurseries of Thrissur (10 nos.) and Palakkad (8 nos.) districts during the summer (February-May), monsoon (June- September) and post monsoon (October-January) seasons for monitoring the occurrence of fungal diseases and collection of diseased samples. Out of the fifteen fungal diseases observed, nine was from teak, two was from mahogany and four was from Indian laburnum seedlings. Fungal diseases observed from teak seedlings included teak leaf blight (TLB), teak leaf spot-1 (TLS-1), teak leaf spot-2 (TLS-2), teak leaf spot-3 (TLS-3), teak leaf spot-4 (TLS-4), teak collar rot, teak root rot-1 and teak root rot-2. In the case of mahogany, mahogany leaf blight-1 (MLB-1) and mahogany leaf blight- 2 (MLB-2) were noticed. Four foliar diseases were observed from Indian laburnum viz., Indian laburnum leaf blight-1 (ILB-1), Indian laburnum leaf blight-2 (ILB-2), Indian laburnum leaf spot-1 (ILS-1) and Indian laburnum leaf spot-2 (ILS-2). TLB was found to be most severe foliar disease in teak and maximum Percent Disease Index (PDI) and Percent Disease Severity (PDS) of 63.50 and 18.72 per cent respectively were recorded from Vellanikkara in Thrissur district. Collar rot (PDI 18%) was observed only from Chettikkulam in Thrissur district. Chittur (Teak root rot-1) recorded maximum PDI of 34.5 per cent. In mahogany, MLB-1 observed from Aatoor recorded maximum PDI (57.50 %) while maximum PDS (10.4%) was recorded from Vellanikkara. In Indian laburnum, ILS-2 observed from Vellanikkara recorded maximum PDI (38.50%) as well as PDS (5.76%). TLB showed positive correlation with temperature while it showed a negative correlation with relative humidity. TLB symptoms originated as small irregular grey to blackish spots surrounded by yellow halo scattered over the lamina. Symptoms of teak leaf spot (TLS-1, TLS-2, TLS-3 and TLS-4) started as small necrotic spots and were generally observed in old, mature leaves. Leaf blights in mahogany (MLB-1 and MLB-2) was characterized by necrotic regions with definite black margin. Leaf blight diseases of Indian laburnum (ILB-1 and ILB-2) were observed as necrotic regions in the tip as well as base of the leaf. Leaf spots (ILS-1, ILS-2) occurred as medium sized spots on the upper surface of the leaf. Pathogenicity of the thirteen isolates was proved by Mycelial Bit Inoculation Method (MBIM) as well as Micro Droplet Inoculation Technique (MDIT). Spore suspension method was adopted for collar and root disease. Cultural as well as morphological characters of pathogens were studied and morphological identification done with the expert advice of National Centre for Fungal Taxonomy (NCFT), New Delhi. Molecular identification of selected pathogen was done at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram. The causative pathogen in TLB was identified as Curvularia eragrostidis, in TLS-1 as Alternaria alternata, in TLS-2 as Macrophomina phaseolina, in TLS-3 as Botryodiplodia theobromae, in TLS-4 as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, collar rot pathogen as Alternaria alternata, root rot-1 pathogen as Fusarium solani and root rot-2 pathogen as Fusarium oxysporum. Olevea tectonae was confirmed as the pathogen of teak rust fungus. MLB-1 and MLB-2 were caused by Curvularia geniculata and Alternaria alternata respectively. In Indian laburnum, Alternaria alternata (ILB-1), Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (ILS-1) and Phoma cassiocarpa (ILS-2) were the disease causing pathogens. The identity of obligate parasite causing ILB-2 was also confirmed as Cercospora sp. in vitro evaluation studies revealed that carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63%, difenoconazole 25EC, carbendazim 50WP to beefficient against teak foliar diseases. Similarly carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63%, carbendazim 50WP, hexaconazole 5EC showed promising results against collar and root diseases of teak. Carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63%, hexaconazole 5EC, cymoxanil 8% + mancozeb 64%, propineb 70WP, carbendazim 50WP were observed to be efficient against foliar diseases of mahogany. In Indian laburnum, hexaconazole 5EC, difenoconazole 25EC, carbendazim 50WP, carbendazim 12% + mancozeb 63% were found to be efficient. The fungal antagonist Trichoderma asperellum showed promising results compared to the bacterial antagonist Pseudomonas fluorescens.ThesisItem Open Access Cause-consequence analysis of human-wildlife conflict at Nemmara forest division, Kerala(Department of Forest Management and Utilization, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2017) Anand, R; KAU; Gopakumar, SA study titled “Cause-consequence analysis of human-wildlife conflict in Nemmara forest division, Kerala” was conducted during 2013-2017. The main objectives of the study were to portray the nature and distribution of human-wildlife conflict, study the land use and land cover change pattern. Another objective of the study was to assess the attitude and awareness of the people including the victims of human-wildlife conflict about forest conservation and human- wildlife conflict. The observations of the study would be made useful to evolve location specific management strategies at Nemmara Forest Division. A detailed pre tested questionnaire was used to gather information regarding socio-demographic details, land use and land cover change patterns, human wildlife conflict data, crop farming details and also attitude and awareness of the people. A total of 398 individuals were surveyed from Alathur, Kollengode and Nelliyampathy ranges of the forest division. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods such as oral history, time line and problem tree methods were used to collect additional information. The study found out that major conflict areas were along the fringes of the forest areas. The type of conflict even though was mainly crop raiding, the nature of damage and the animal causing the damage were found to be different in different ranges in the forest division. Over the past 30 years there was significant change in the land use and land cover in the division. Over all, cropping pattern has changed from food crops to cash crops. The number of wild animals has increased and this was portrayed as the main reason for human-wildlife conflict. The people found the forest department as the best responsible agency to look up to take action regarding conflict mitigation and were also ready to join hands with them to resolve such issues. Even though the people had a positive attitude towards forest conservation and wildlife they were not satisfied with the conservation policies and human-wildlife conflict mitigation schemes of the government. The people did not favour compensation or insurance schemes as a mitigation strategy towards crop raiding mainly because of the low compensation amounts and difficulty in applying for such schemes. Site specific plans, based on the data generated from this study can be used to develop not only location specific plans but also both animal as well as people specific plans for conflict management and mitigation.ThesisItem Open Access Standardisation of gum-oleoresin extraction technique in matti (ailanthus triphysa (dennst.) alston.)(Department of Forest Management and Utilisation, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2018) Dipti Choudhury; KAU; Vidyasagaran, KThe research work entitled "Standardisation of gum-oleoresin extraction technique in Matti (Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.) Alston.)" was carried out April 2017 to April 2018. The experiment was carried out in the field of Instructional Farm, College of Horticulture, KAU, Vellanikkara. The main objective was to develop an appropriate technique for extraction of gum-oleoresin and also to study the correlation between tree dimension and anatomical features with gumoleoresin production in Ailanthus triphysa. A total of twenty-seven trees were selected for conducting the study in which three girth classes (<75, 75-150, >150) and three extraction technique each with three replication were taken. Data analysis done for monthly interval, showed significant difference in girth class except in the month of July and August and for extraction technique it was found to be non-significant difference for all the months except May. Data analysed for different seasons revealed that the girth class <75 was found to be significantly different from other girth classes i.e., 75-150 and >150. Different extraction techniques were found to be non-significant for all the three seasons. Effect of season and treatment (girth x extraction techniques) on gumoleoresin yield was found to be significantly different. The highest quantity of gum oleoresin was reported in post-monsoon season (65.15 g/tree/season) followed by monsoon (39.23 g/tree/season) and least in summer season (18.08 g/tree). Analysis for whole study period revealed that girth class <75 was found to be significantly different from girth classes >75. As the amount of gum-oleoresin yield was obtained from girth class >150 cm (712.07 g/year) and in 75-150 cm girth class, (604.06 g/year) and least in girth class <75cm (147.64 g/year). It was found to be non-significant for different extraction techniques. 128 Anatomical study unveiled the deposition of gum-oleoresin in vessels through the pits present on the walls of vessels and it was also observed that the ray parenchyma was playing an important role in production of gum-oleoresin as the rays are mainly meant for radial conduction. The effect of bark thickness and girth on production of gum-oleoresin was found to be significant with correlation coefficient 0.65 and 0.82 respectively. The climatic parameters like temperature, relative humidity, Rainfall, number of rainy days, sunshine hours, wind speed was found to be nonsignificantly related with gum-oleoresin production. The present study carried out during April 2017 to April 2018, concluded that the trees having <75 girth should not be tapped as its yield was found to be very low. For the extraction of gum oleoresin, all the three methods can be used as it has no effect on the gum-oleoresin production. The present study also revealed that the gum-oleoresin production was less during the summer season. So, the tapping can be avoided during that period.ThesisItem Open Access Spatio-temporal patterns in human-wildlife conflict in Kerala(Department of Wildlife Sciences College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2018) Shaji, M; KAU; Nameer, P OThe human-wildlife conflict (HWC) data for the period from 2006 to 2016 collected from the State Forest Department was analyzed in a GIS software – QGIS ver. 2.18. Asian Elephant was found to be involved in 47.7 per cent of the HWC incidences in Kerala, followed by Wild Boar (23.3 %) and Bonnet Macaque (17.3 %). 81 per cent of the conflict incidences occur in the Forest Divisions towards north of Palakkad Gap in Western Ghats. 64 per cent of the HWC incidences were reported from the three Fds in Wayanad District alone. High level of fragmentation of forest ecosystems, changes in cropping pattern, decreasing tolerance level of people towards wildlife, etc. may be contributing to high level of HWC incidences in North Kerala. HWC data of all the Forest Divisions (FD) were analyzed with geospatial tools and presented as heat maps, which depicts the spatial concentration of HWC incidences. Temporal variation of the HWC incidences was also analyzed and found that conflicts involving herbivores are higher during the months from June to December. Heat maps were generated for the villages with high incidences of HWC in Mannarkkad and Thrissur FDs. In Mannarkkad FD, Padavayal, Pudur and Kottathara Villages together experience nearly 50 per cent of the HWC incidences. Asian Elephant contributes to 79.9 per cent of the HWC incidences in this Division, followed by 9.1 per cent of Wild Boar and 6.5 per cent of Leopard. In Thrissur Forest Division, villages like Peechi and Mannamangalam only are exposed to conflicts by Asian Elephant, which accounts for ten per cent of the HWC in this Division. However, Wild Boar is involved in 53.1 per cent of the conflicts in this Division. Conflicts involving Wild Boar are high in villages like Pilakkad, Thonnurkkara, Varavoor, etc. Decadal changes in land use land cover was studied and found that there was a very high increase in the area under kharif crop in Mannarkkad FD. Within the villages with high intensity of conflict in this Division, a very high increase in the area under kharif crop is observed. In Thrissur FD also the area under kharif crop is increased in all the villages with high conflict intensity. The preventive measures adopted in Mannarkkad FD are elephant-proof trench and solar fencing. Elephant-proof trenches are dug at Pudur Village in Attappady Forest Range in less than a kilometer. Two to three year old solar fences only are maintained well and found to be functional. The solar fences installed during 2010 are completely damaged and not functional. The solar fences installed currently in this FD are not sufficient to contain the HWC incidences. No preventive measures were adopted in Thrissur Forest Division to prevent the HWC incidences. However, solar electric fences were installed in Peechi and Mannamangalam villages in Pattikkad Forest Range in 2016 along the boundary of the forests for a length of 20 km. More than 60 per cent of the respondents in Mannarkkad and Thrissur Forest Divisions, support the wildlife protection activities due to various reasons. The respondents had a low satisfaction level in Mannarkkad (57.8 per cent) and Thrissur (92.3 per cent) FD on the compensation pattern of Government. However, quick compensation was suggested by 39.7 per cent of the respondents in Mannarkkad FD and 43.8 per cent in Thrissur FD. 88.6 per cent of the respondents in Mannarkkad FD and 74.4 per cent of the respondents in Thrissur FD agree that among the government agencies, Kerala Forest Department is prompt in responding to the HWC related issues. A timely response from the Forest Department officials in reaching the conflict locations and quick release of compensation for the affected individuals will improve the tolerance level of people towards wildlife.ThesisItem Open Access Diversity, distributional status and ecology of poly-pores in forest ecosystems of Kerala(Department of Natural Resource Management, Vellanikkara, 2018) Adarsh, C K; KAU; Vidyasagaran, KThe study was carried out with the objectives to find out the diversity, distributional status and ecology of polypores in forest ecosystems of Kerala. The representative sample plots of major forest types on either side of the Palakkad gap were selected in order to get a good sampling to cover northern, central and southern regions of Kerala and all the major forest ecosystems viz., evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous and shola forest. Three permanent sample plots of 100 m×100 m with subplots of 10 x 10 m were established in three different locations in each ecosystem (5 in south of Palakkad gap and 5 in north of Palakkad gap). Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Periya forest range of North Wayanad forest division were selected to represent evergreen forest. Semi-evergreen forest plot was taken in From Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. The moist deciduous forest samplots were taken from Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. The dry deciduous forest sample plot were taken in Walayar forest range and Marayoor sandal forest. Eravikulam National Park and Brahmagiri shola of North Wayanad division were selected to locate sample plots of shola forest. Apart from the plot based sampling, opportunistic sampling method was also adopted to maximize the documentation of polypore fungal diversity and distribution. As part of opportunistic sampling, all the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries were visited. The polypore collection was carried out during the southwest monsoon (June to September) and north-east monsoon (October to December) from the sample plots. Additionally, labelling, rot character identification, photography, recording macromorphological characters and details of substratum were also made on the illustrated data sheet. All the logs and branches ≥ 20 cm diameter were enumerated using standard equipments. The decay stage of the logs was determined according to a 5-grade scale (based on decay classification system of Pyle and Brown, 1998). An attempt has also been made to find out the effect of substrate features like diameter, type and decay class on the diversity and abundance of polypores. Various polypores associations was worked out along with the different phytosociological indicators like density, frequency, abundance, Simpson’s Index and Shannon-Weiner Index. All the trees in the sample plots (3x10 of 100 x 100) were identified and documented (both host and non host trees).371 Ninety five polypore species in fourty nine genera belonging to eight families were documented. The Polyporaceae was the dominant family with 42 species followed by Hymenochaetaceae (31), Fomitopsidaceae (6) and Meruliaceae (5). Meripilaceae and Ganodermataceae made their presence with 4 species each. The family Schizoporaceae was represented by 2 species. Only one species was reported from the family Phanerochaetaceae. Among the polypores documented, 64 species were annuals and 31 were perennials. While analyzing the rot characteristics of the recorded polypores, it was found that the white rot polypores have notable dominance over brown rot polypores. Of 95 species analyzed, 88 polypores were white rotters and only 7 species were brown rotters. An identification key was developed for the polypores documented from forest ecosystems of Kerala based on the micro and macro morphological features. During the present study, 14 species were found to be new records from Western Ghats and one species is reported for the first time from India. These species have been described based on the macro-morphology and micro-morphology. In evergreen forest at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Simpson’s Index of diversity was observed to be the highest (0.965) followed by evergreen forest of Periya Forest Range (0.958) and semi-evergreen forest at Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (0.957). The lowest Simpson’s Index was recorded at dry deciduous forest at Marayoor and Walayar with 0.873 and 0.916 respectively. The shola forest at Eravikulam National Park and Brahmagiri was also recorded with low polypore diversity with Simpson’s Index 0.921 and 0.923 respectively. Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary showed higher Shanon-Wiener Index value (3.637) followed by evergreen forest of Periya Forest Range (3.458) and semi-evergreen forest at Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (3.354). The Margalef Richness Index was found to be highest in wet evergreen forest at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary (5.747) while it was 1.798 in dry deciduous forest at Marayoor. The evenness in distribution of polypores was observed to be highest in evergreen forest at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and semi-evergreen forest at Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary with Pielou's Evenness Index 0.908 and 0.905 respectively. The shola forest at Eravikulam National Park and Brahmagiri shola showed more Berger-Parker Dominance Index value 0.238 and 0.194 respectively. The lowest Berger-Parker Dominance Index value (0.076) was recorded in evergreen forest at Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary. Sorenson’s Similarity Index was worked out to find the similarity of polypore community in different forest ecosystems of Kerala. The similarity between polypore community372 of each forest ecosystems in either side of Palakkad gap was found out. The similarity between each forest types on either side of Palakkad gap found to be more or less uniform (above 0.75) except the dry deciduous forest at Marayoor and Walayar (0.37). The overall similarity of forest on either side of Palakkad gap is found to be much higher (0.918) The influence of altitudinal variation in the distribution pattern of polypores in different forest ecosystems of Kerala were analyzed based on their occurrence along different altitudinal gradients. In all forest types the diversity and richness is decreasing along the altitude. The evenness of polypore is decreasing along the altitude in all forest types of Kerala. The dominance is increasing along the altitude in all forest types A total of 306 tree species belonging to 68 families were identified to occur in the selected sample plots and out of this, 168 species under 51 families were host species. Leguminosae and Lauraceae contributed 18 and 13 species respectively and they represented the major host families followed by Malvaceae (8), Meliaceae (8), Phyllanthaceae (8), Myrtaceae (7), Clusiaceae (6), Moraceae (6), Rubiaceae (6) and Rutaceae (6). Most of the species were host generalist and more or less evenly distributed among the host tree species. Among the substrate types, maximum polypore occurrence was observed on logs followed by branch/twig and snag while, living trees supported only few polypores in all forest ecosystems. Decay class association of polypores showed that the intermediate decay stages harboured the maximum in terms of number of species, number of fruitbodies and frequency of occurrence. The conceptual framework on primary ecological strategy revealed that polypores exhibits ruderal, combative and stress tolerant behaviours. The polypores documented from forest ecosystems of Kerala was classified into ruderal, combative and stress tolerant categories.ThesisItem Open Access Screening of Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.) alston. for preferred match wood qualities(Department of Wood Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2017) Bill Nelson, Paul; KAU; Anoop, E VAilanthus triphysa, a member of the family Simarubaceae is an important tree with regard to match manufacture. Twenty Candidate plus trees (CPTs) were selected from 10 panchayats across two districts (Thrissur and Palakkad) in Kerala to study the variation in wood properties and the growth parameters of their half-sib progenies during 2013-2017. Core samples were collected to analyse the anatomical properties and fibre indices between the CPTs, which was later found to vary significantly at one percent level. Morphological and growth parameters were observed in the half-sib progenies of the selected trees both in nursery and field condition for 150 days each. The morphological parameters like height, collar diameter, root length, leaf area, number of leaves etc. were found to vary significantly at nursery but not throughout the study period. Relative Growth Rate, Absolute Growth Rate and Net Assimilation Rate did not show significant variation among the seed sources. Field performance of the progenies was evaluated at Aaramkal, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala in RBD. Height and collar diameter varied significantly initially but the differences were not significant for collar diameter from 90 days after planting. However, survival percentage did not show any significant difference between the progenies. FCV AT 1 showed the maximum height growth at 150 days after planting. A questionnaire survey was conducted to access farmers’ perception towards growing raw materials for match manufacture. The respondents had an overall positive approach toward tree farming. The majority of the respondents were confident that scientific guidance will help them in increasing the yield.ThesisItem Open Access Wood property profiling of coconut palms grown in different agro-climatic zones of Thrissur District, Kerala(Department of Wood Science, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2017) Alex, K George; KAU; Anoop, E VWood anatomical, physical and mechanical properties of samples collected from 51 coconut palms belonging to three age groups viz., 15-25 years (young), 35- 45 years (mature) and 55-65 years (over mature), grown in three agro-climatic zones (Malayoram, Central midland and Coastal sandy) of Thrissur district, Kerala were profiled in this study. Dermal, sub-dermal and core wood from each sample were used for assessing physical and anatomical properties and samples of density above 650 kg m -3 were selected for profiling mechanical properties. Nested analysis of variance was carried out to analyse the variation in coconut palm wood properties due to location, age and radial position. Most of the physical, anatomical and mechanical properties did not vary significantly across agro-climatic zones and age groups. However, across age groups, basic density, vascular bundle percentage, fibre lumen diameter, fibre wall thickness and compression parallel to grain (maximum load and compressive stress at maximum load) were found to vary significantly. Along the radial positions there was significant difference in physical and anatomical properties. Basic density, being highly positively correlated with mechanical and anatomical properties, estimation of density can be used as a key to determine end use under field conditions for potential utilization at the industrial level.