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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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20201
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Subject: Genetics and Plant Breeding × Author: Akhil, K P × Author: KAU × Start date: 1961 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Genetics of shattering resistance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)
    (Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Akhil, K P; KAU; Biju, S
    Rice is the staple food crop of Kerala. Among the plethora of rice varieties available Jyothi is by far the most popular in the state owing to its consumer preference. Easy seed shattering leads to significant loss in Jyothi which can be overcome by transferring shattering resistance to it. Screening of genotypes for shattering resistance identified donors like Athira and Triveni with good combining ability. The present experiment was thus envisaged to transfer shattering resistance to Jyothi from the donors and to study the nature of inheritance of seed shattering trait using six parameter model of generation mean analysis. Observations were recorded in the two crosses viz., Jyothi x Aathira and Jyothi x Triveni for eleven quantitative characters viz. days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height, tillers per plant, panicles per plant, panicle length, spikelets per panicle, seeds per panicle, days to maturity, test weight, grain yield per plant and shattering per cent in six generation (P1, P2, F1, F2, B1 and B2) obtained from the two crosses. Panicle per plant, test weight, grain yield per plant and shattering per cent recorded significant heterosis in the desirable direction in both the crosses. Mean effect (m) was significant and positive for all the characters studied in both the crosses. The additive component (d) was significant and positive for days to 50 per cent flowering, tillers per plant, panicles per plant, days to maturity, grain yield per plant and shattering per cent in the cross Jyothi x Triveni while the other characters recorded significant and negative additive gene effect. The characters tillers per plant, test weight and shattering per cent showed significant positive additive gene effect in the cross Jyothi x Aathira and rest of the characters showed significant and negative additive component. Dominance gene effect was observed to be significant and negative for most of the characters studied in both the crosses. Non-allelic interactions were observed to be significant in most of the characters except days to 50 per cent flowering, tillers per plant, days to maturity and shattering per cent in the cross Jyothi x Aathira. The epistatic interaction model of generation mean analysis was found adequate for obtaining gene actions for all the characters. Among the three type of interactions dominance x dominance interaction was found to be more important for all the characters. Additive x additive and additive x dominance gene interactions were found to be equally important for most of the characters studied in both the crosses. Dominance gene effect was observed controlling the genetic variance in most of the traits studied. Presence of additive and non-additive along with epistatic interaction revealed the complex nature of inheritance of the characters. Predominant dominant gene effect along with duplicate epistasis limits the scope of direct selection. In the F2 populations characters showed high heritability in both the populations studied. Plant height, panicle length and days to maturity were found to have low genetic advance. Plant height recorded moderate genetic advance, whereas, other characters exhibited high genetic advance in F2 population derived from the cross Jyothi x Triveni. Days to maturity showed low genetic advance, days to 50 per cent flowering and panicle length recorded moderate genetic advance and other characters recorded high genetic advance in F2 population derived from the cross Jyothi x Aathira. As shattering resistance is governed predominantly by additive gene effects selection in the early segregating generations will be highly rewarding. The selected lines may be advanced to further generations to identify lines with high yield coupled with shattering resistance and can be forwarded to develop high yielding varieties with low shattering or bi-parental mating among the selected lines may be undertaken to recover superior recombinants with high yield and shattering resistance.