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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 Nutritional status of women engaged in the coir industry(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1996) Lovely, Ranganath; KAU; Vimalakumari, N KThe study entitled Nutritional status of women engaged in the coir industry was carried out of assess the nutritional status of women engaged in the spinning of coir yarn and to find out its influence on the work output, which in turn could affect their socio economic status. For the evaluation of nutritional status, the study was conducted in two levels – on a macro sample of 200 coir workers and on a microsample of 40 women coir workers. Details of the socio economic survey showed that the majority of families were small nuclear type, headed by male members following Hinduism. The main occupation of the community was coir work and in all the families at least one woman was employed in a coir cooperative society in the vicinity. Many of the families had a monthly income that ranged between Rs.1000 to 2000. Lack of permanent and full time employment, high cost of living , inability to educate their children, problems related to economic burdens imposed by repayment of loans and medical expenses, lack of housing facilities and absence of male earning members in the family were the important economic problems, in the order of priority, as felt by the families, which have led them to a life of miserable existence. Their poor socio-economic background is reflected the fact that the physical amentities available to the coir worker’s household left much to be desired. All the families were found to be poverty stricken when the Rural Quality of life Index (RQLI) was calculated. The families suffered from household food insecurity that their diets were ill balanced and were deficient with respect to pulses, egg, meat, green leafy vegetables and fruits. The poverty and poor food intake by the families were reflected in the socio economic characteristics and low nutritional status of the women coir workers though they were wage earners. The poor nutritional status is reflected in their poor stature which was suggestive of low food intake and dual responsibilities of the household as well as of the work site. Apart from this the dietary inadequacy was reflected in wide prevalence of anaemia among 85.00 per cent of the respondents, from the microsample, which was found to influence their work output. The work output and nutritional status which are interrelated seemed to be further influenced by the poor working conditions, absence of physical amenities, poor food intake insanitary conditions and consequent parasitic infections and infestations. However, it is gratifying to note that occupational disorders were not prevalent to an extent that merits mention. The coir workers when spin the golden yarns of the economic and social fabric of the state of Kerala, the land of palms, re found to be tredding through a path of poverty and food insecurity leading them to poor nutritional and health status. This makes them a vulnerable lot needing economical social support from the rest of the population and from the Government, through a multidimensional approach, so that they may have better health and nutritional status so as to become the torch bearers of our heritage, who may boost our economy paving way to healthy descendants.ThesisItem Open Access Developing baked and confectionery products based on sweet potato(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1999) Elizabeth, Augustine; KAU; Chellammal, SA study on ‘Developing baked and confectionery products based on sweet potato' was conducted with major objective to develop value added baked and confectionery products based on sweet potato flour. The study comprised of standardisation of raw materials, product development, assessing nutritional significance, organoleptic quality studies, preference tests and shelf life studies. The five baked and five confectionery products was formulated with sweet potato flour as the basic ingredient. Three combinations were tried with different proportions of sweet potato flour. The other ingredients added to sweet potato flour were maida, egg, sugar, ghee and skimmed milk powder. The selection of best combination was based on amino acid scores chemical scores and cost benefit ratio. A combination with 50 per cent sweet potato flour and 50 per cent maida was selected as the ideal combination, since it secured higher amino acid score and chemical score. The cost of the combination was also found to be satisfactory. The nutritional composition of the food product revealed that the product contained all the nutrients in optimum quantity. The nutritional quality of the developed food products after processing with reference to calories, proteins, β carotene, calcium, phosphorous and zinc were determined through suitable laboratory techniques. ISI type tests specified to such products were administered to the developed foods and the values were comparable with ISI specification. Organoleptic studies of the developed food products was assessed by two groups of consumers viz., college students and technical experts. The parameters tested were appearance, colour, flavour, texture and taste. The analysis revealed that both the baked and confectionery products got highest scores. Baked products had a slightly higher mean score, compared to confectionary products. In the preference tests of the developed products conducted among farm women of Venganoor, Srikariyam and Kaliyoor panchayath and entrepreneurs in Thiruvananthapuram city were also showed the same result. Moisture and insect infestation were-lower in flour stored in glass and plastic containers. Effect of storage on moisture and over all acceptability were revealed that there was an increase in moisture content during the fourth week of storage period. There was an increase in moisture during storage and the difference was statistically significant. The overall acceptability was found to be decreased after storage. There was no insect infestation in the developed products during the storage period. The assessment of microbiological quality revealed that all the products were attacked by different types of microorganisms. The result of the present study suggest that new methods of processing could be introduced to add value to the crop and it is possible to develop different types of processed products based on sweet potato products which may result in increased consumption of tuber in the future and also for building up a healthy rural population.ThesisItem Open Access Food consumption pattern of rural house-holds below poverty line as influenced by food subsidies distributed through fair price shops(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 1994) Priya Gopinath R; KAU; Prema LA Study on the food consumption pattern of rural household below poverty line as influenced by the food subsides distributed through fair prices shops was taken up to evaluate the socio – economic and personal characteristic of the beneficiaries, daily food consumption pattern and contribution of food subsidies available through fair price shops on their daily diet. On the basis of their participation in public distribution system 120 households of 4 groups with 76 to 100 percent participation , 51 to 75 percent participation , 26 to 50 percent participation and less than 25 percent participation were selected for the study. All the house holds surveyed were more or less in similar socio economic back ground. Present of the monthly income in all the four groups was incurred for food especially for cereals. It was also found that percentage cereal expenditure was increasing from group 1 to group4. Among the house holds in the four groups more percentage of house holds were spending less than ten percent of their total food expenditure for purchasing food ration. A comparison among four groups revealed that percentage of ration expenditure against total food expenditure was low in group 1 and this was gradually increasing from 1 to group 4. All households in the four groups were found to include rice, sugar, coconut, milk, spices and condiments and oil every day. Rice , wheat, sugar and oil were purchased from fair price shops. Rice and oil distributed through this shops were not adequate for the households and hence open marker services were utilized. House holds under groups 1 were found using the ration cards regularly in every week and households in group 4 were not in the habit of purchasing ration regularly. The beneficiaries had favourable views about the quantity and quality of food subsidies supplied through this system. Food consumption pattern of all households in 4 groups in revealed that the food consumption of households were better in group 1 than the house holds in other 3 groups. But the diets of all the four groups were below the recommended daily allowances. Nutritional status of different age groups was ascertained in the 20households selected (10 each from group 1 and group 4). It was found that clinical scores based on various deficiency diseases was higher for family members belonging to group 2. Teethcarries and spongy bleeding of gums were common among the children of the two groups of the house holds. Haemoglobin level was below average in adult females and adolescent females in both the groups. The present study gives an indication that public distribution system has positively influenced the regular beneficiaries and prolonged implementation of the programme is one of the methods to achieve sufficient health profile for the population in below poverty line of the country.ThesisItem Open Access Qualitative and quantitative changes in stored rice(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1995) Geetha, Roy; KAU; Prema, LQualitative and quantitative changes in stored rice varieties viz. PTB – 10 and Red Thriveni were determined by assuming the changes in their grain constituents, physical characteristics, insect infestation, cooking characteristics and organoleptic qualities. After six months storage effect of different storage containers such as gunny bag, pathayam and metal bin on these qualities were taken into consideration. The grain constituents like protein, nonprotein nitrogen, calcium , iron and phosphorous were found to decrease at a greater rate in PTB – 10 stored in gunny bag when compared to red thriveni. Similarly constituents like moisture, uric acid and freefatty acids were found to increase in PTB-10 than in red thriveni. Chnages in grain constituents, reducing sugars, nonreducing sugars, starch and amylose were observed both in raw as well as in cooked rice samples after storage. Increase in reducing sugar and amylose was at a greater rate in PTB-10 stored in gunny bag especially when cooked while nonreducing sugars and starch level were found to decrease in a similar order. Compared to PTB – 10 in gunny bag after storage, red Thriveni obtained lower values for thousand grain weight and total solid level, when stored in all the storage containers tried. Head rice yield and gelatinization temperature of rice samples increased in red thriveni after storage, the rate being higher in gunny bag when compared to other two storage structures. Viscosity was found to increase greatly in red thriveni stored in metal bin. Insect infestation was found to be greater in gunny bags while metal bin was found to be insect proof. PTB – 10 was affected by insects more when compared to Red thriveni. PTB-10 obtained higher values for cooking characteristics such as volume expansion and gruel loss than red thriveni, when stored in gunny bag. As as result of storage water uptake level and swelling index increased at a greater rate in red thriveni in all the storage containers tried. The rate of decrease in optimum cooking time was greater in PTB-10 stored in gunny bag while stickness was greatly reduced in red thriveni when compared to PTB-10. Raw rice samples were more acceptable before storage as quality parameter hardness increased after storage. Storage provided low scores for colour and odour which had a negative influence on consumer acceptance. Red Thriveni was more acceptable for all the quality attributes than PTB-10. The quality attributes colour and appearance obtained low scores in the two rice varieties the decrease being greater in PTB-10 than Red Thriveni. Taste, flavor and doneness was found to decrease in the two rice samples. The rate of decrease in taste. Flavor and doneness was lower in red thriveni when compared to PTB-10. Among the storage containers, metal bin was found to be a better storage structure than pathayam and gunny bag. The experiment threw light on the significant of metal bin as a storage structure and favourable facts in the shelf life qualities of evolved varieties like red thriveni.ThesisItem Open Access Food preference and dietary habits of adolescents among agricultural laboures(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Mony Paul, E; KAU; Mary, UkkuruA study entitled food preference and dietary habits of adolescents among agricultural labourers families was undertaken to assess the socio economic personal characteristics food consumption pattern food preferences and the nutritional status of adolescents boys and girls. Majority of the families surveyed belonged to Hindu community and were under privileged. The families were nuclear type with medium size. Father was the main bread winner and major share of the income was earned by the male member. The per capita income of majority of families were found to be between 100 to 200. All the surveyed adolescencts were found to be well educated. All of the surveyed adolescents were non vegetarian cereals, vegetables, roots and tubers, milk fish fats and oils , sugar and jiggery and spices were found to be high frequently used foods among the adolescents. Pulses and fruits were medium frequently used foods . Green leafy vegetables meat and egg were low frequently used foods among them. Cereal based preparation were liked by both adolescents boys and girls. They liked fried foods and sweet preparations. Adolescents most preferred foods were found to be egg, apple, grapes, plantain, sapota and cashew nuts and low preferred foods were ragi, raddish, bittergourd , ivy gourd, star gooseberry and watermelon. Food preference of adolescent boys and girls were not found to vary very much. Factors such as total income of the family, type and size of family, educational status of adolescents and their parents, and the influence of peers were not found to influence the food preferences of the studied adolescents. Consumption of cereals, and fish met above the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) and nutrients such as protein , energy thiamine and niacin was met above 90 percent of RDA in adolescent boys and girls apart from vitamin C in adolescent girls. Weight for age and height for age of the adolescents were below the NCHS standard as well as Indian standards. Anaemia, pigmentation of skin , dental caries were the most common clinical manifestations in both adolescent boys and girls. Normal haemoglobin level was observed only in negligible adolescents. Nutritional status of adolescent girls were found to be better than adolescent boys in the present study.ThesisItem Open Access Nutritional status and dietary habits of irulas of Attappady(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Indira, V; KAU; Prema, LA study on the nutritional status and dietary habits of Irulas of Attappady was carried out among 180 families to assess the socio-economic and food consumption pattern of the tribal families and also to assess the nutritional status of the children between the age group of 5 to 15 years. The results of the study indicated that majority of the families were of nuclear type with an average family size of 4.73. Agriculture labour was the main occupation of the tribes and most of the families were below the poverty line. Housing conditions and personal hygiene of the families were found to be poor. Irula tribes in general, were habitually non-vegetarians. Major expenditure of the family income was incurred for food especially cereals. Diet was found to be monotonous with less variety. Two –meal-a-day pattern was the standard system followed by the families, which included cereals, fats and oils and spices and condiments. Boiling was the predominant cooking method followed by the Irula tribes. Gunny bags were used to store cereals and pulses. Tribal families followed certain food restrictions during illness and special food were not included either in the diet of pregnant of lactating women or in the diet of children. Prolonged breast feeding and late weaning was practiced by the Irula tribes. The nutritional status of the children between 5 to 15 years of age was deficient and it was revealed in the anthropometric measurements like height, weight, mid upper arm circumference and skinfold thickness. Food weighment survey revealed a deficient intake of all foods except cereals. The intake of most of the nutrients was low. Low to medium nutritional status was observed among most of the children and birth order of the boys was found to influence their nutritional status. Anaemia was the most important clinical symptom observed among children which was reflected in the biochemical examination of blood for haemoglobin RBC count and packed cell volume. Sickle cell anaemia and parasitic infestations were observed among the children. The respondents had a favourable attitude towards the developmental programme implemented by various agencies to improve their health status. However awareness about health and nutrition was found to be poor.ThesisItem Open Access Nutritional status of women engaged in fishvending in Thivandurm district(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Karuna, M S; KAU; Prema, LThe study on the “Nutritional status of women engaged in fishvending in Trivandrum District” comprises of the socio-economic and food consumption pattern of the fisherwomen families with special reference to their actual food intake, energy expenditure and nutritional status. Families surveyed were nuclear type belonging to under privileged communities. Main occupation of the families was fishing and fishvending. Most of the families belonged to the income groups of Rs.1000 to 2000. In these families as the income increased the percentage of income spent on food items decreased. Expenditure on education and health was very low. Male members spent much money for their faulty habits like alcoholism and playing cards. Most of the families were in debts and only women were responsible for the economic management of the families. Index developed from various socio-economic variables revealed that all the families lived below the poverty line. All the families were non-vegetarians and fish was the main nonvegetarian food in their diet. However, consumption of vegetables, pulses, eggs and green leafy vegetables was less due to lack of knowledge about nutritious food. Preparation of food is not upto the standard and this results in the poor quality of the food. Unbalanced, monotonous meal pattern was observed in the community. Compared to other stages of life, special attention was given only during infancy and pre-school period. Besides fishvending women were responsible for household tasks and child care practices. The women got employment for 7 months in a year. Most of the women sold the fish either in the markets in the city or by home to home delivery. Income getting from fishvending was not in proportion to the distance covered. Time spent for fishvending activity was more than the time they spent for other activities. Most of the household activities were combined with fishvending activities. It was found that total time spent for fishvending and household activities was more than 10 hours in a day. Time spent for fishvending activities was positively associated with family income, age of the fisherwomen and income of the fisherwomen. Compared to recommended daily allowance, higher energy expenditure was noticed in all the fisherwomen studied. Majority of the women were below the normal weight. Body Mass Index of the women showed that 33.33 percent suffered from energy deficiency. Nutritional status index was developed from height, weight and body mass index. The index developed ranged from 14.04 to 18.58. A highly significant positive association was observed in between nutritional status index of the women and their height, weight, BMI, Index developed from socio-economic factors and their energy expenditure. Clinical examination of the fisherwomen revealed that 95.33 percent of the women were suffering from any one of the nutritional deficiency disorders. Consumption of food quantity and availability of nutrients from the food were not satisfactory. The nutrients like energy, calcium, iron , retinol, thiamine , niacin and riboflavin and Vitamin C were deficient in their diets. As a result nutritional deficiency symptoms were more prevalent among them. Energy expenditure was more than the intake of energy. Blood constituents like haemoglobin, total protein albumin and Vitamin A were deficient in many of the women studied. From the above findings it was concluded that the nutritional status of the fisherwomen was found to be affected by geographic, environmental and disease factors.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of pre-treatments and processing on the shelf life quality of papaya products(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1994) Sheeja, N; KAU; Prema, LThe present investigation was undertaken to study the influence of pretreatments and processing on the shelf-life quality of papaya products. The papaya squash, jam and candy developed were found to satisfy the FPO recommendations. The pretreatments administered were blanching, sulphiting, exposure to sulphur fumes and immersion in citric acid solution. An analysis of the proximate composition of the three products revealed that moisture and sugars were high in squash and jam pretreated with sulphur fumes while candy pretreated with citric acid solution was high in acidity, sugars and carbohydrates. The organoleptic evaluation of the fresh products indicated that squash was most acceptable. The pretreatement with sulphur fumes was affective in improving the appearance and colour of all the three products. The shelf-life qualities of the three products were assessed periodically for one year. Periodical testing of stored papaya squash showed little variation in acid soluble ash, specific gravity and pulp content. Negative results were obtained for fermentation test and mold content. The periodical testing for acidity, reducing sugar, total sugar and TSS in squash showed an increase during storage, while pH and overall acceptability decreased with storage. The monthly evaluation of papaya jam revealed that storage at low temperature was effective in retaining the quality. Among the pretreatments, products prepared with fruits exposed to sulphur fumes showed the maximum shelf –life period (84 percent) compared to control (43 percent) which showed the least shelf – life. The periodical evaluation of papaya jam indicated negligible changes in bulk density. Acidity and reducing sugar showed an increase while pH and overall acceptability decreased with storage. The microbial evaluation of jam revealed that the main causative organism were bacteria, yeast and mold. The pretreatment with sulphur fumes was effective in preventing the microbial attack. At the same time the refrigerated samples were found fresh even after one year. The analysis of the shelf – life period of papaya candy revealed that pretreated refrigerated samples had a longer shelf-life of more than one year than control. At ambient conditions. Samples processed fruits from exposed to sulphur fumes had the highest shelf – life period (75 percent) compared to the control (34 percent) which was the least. The periodical evaluation of candy showed only negligible variation in bulk density. Acidity and reducing sugar was found to increase while pH and overall acceptability showed a decrease with storage. The microbial evaluation of the damaged product revealed that the major causative organism were yeast and mold. The shelf-life evaluation of the products indicated that the refrigerated samples gave quality products compared to that at ambient condition. All the refrigerated samples showed a slower rate of change in the chemical constituents. The evaluation of the three products revealed that pretreatment with chemical compounds, especially with sulphur compounds produced a better effect both qualitatively and orgnoleptically. Pretreatments attempted in the study indicates the advantages of there procedures with respect to the shelf – life qualities of the products. Among there pretreatments, exposure to sulphur fumes process to be the most ideal one, is a very simple technology which can easily be adopted moderately educated farm women.ThesisItem Open Access Dietary habits, fat consumption pattern and blood lipid profile of adults engaged in moderate activity(Department Of Home Science, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1996) Lisa Poopally, J; KAU; Vimalakumari, N KThe study entitled “Dietary habits, fat consumption pattern and blood lipid profile of adults engaged in moderate activity” is an attempt to assess the food and fat consumption pattern of selected moderately active adult males in relation to their blood lipid profile. Fifty adult male employees, between the age of 25-40 years, doing moderate activity for the past 8-10 years were selected for the study. Socio economic back ground of the families revealed that majority of them were Hindus, belonging to extended type of families. All the respondents were moderately educated, and in addition, some of them also possessed technical qualification essential for their job. The personal monthly income of the respondents were in the range of Rs.3000-4000. In addition to this, income earned by different family members, and income from agriculture also contributed to the total family income. Anthropometric measurements of the subjects revealed that the mean height and weight of the subjects were above the ideal height and weight suggested for a reference man by ICMR. Body Mass Index(BMI) of all the respondents were found to be below 25 which indicated that none were obese. Majority of the respondents were non smokers, and only a very small per cent were found to use alcohol daily. Few of the respondents also had the habit of taking exercise regularly to keep them physically fit. All the respondents were consuming two major meals from the factory canteen. The dietary survey revealed that ninety eight percent were habitual non vegetarians. The food served in the factory canteen was found to be an affluent one characterized by energy rich foods, comprising of fats and refined sugars. The consumption of pulses, leafy vegetables, other vegetables, milk and products far exceeded the RDA, where as the energy intake was 30.6 percent above RDA. The consumption of fish was found to be high among the respondents. Coconut oil was the chief used in cooking in the factory canteen as well as in 92 percent of the families. The per capita availability of oil in the house hold showed a wide variation ranging from 13.5 – 56g. The average invisible fat intake of respondents were 56g, which was higher than the average visible fat intake, of 45g/day. Compared with recommended daily allowance, higher energy intake was noticed in majority of the respondents, indicating that they are in a positive energy balance. Analysis of the lipid profile revealed that 20 percent had serum cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dl, where as LDL cholesterol level was found beyond 150 mg/dl only in 73 percent. HDL – cholesterol, which has a protective effect, was found beyond 55mg/dl only in 7 percent. All persons except one had the total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio more than 5, which shows that they are at CVD risk in future. Personal habits showed a significant association with the blood lipid profile of the subjects. The non vegetarian food habits also showed a significant positive association with blood cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Assessment of the food and nutrient in take of the subjects showed that protein content of the diet was mainly contributed by the consumption of fish and egg, while the coconut kernel supplied the invisible fat content of the diet. A significant positive association was observed between the percent of energy supplied from invisible fat and the triglyceride and VLDL cholesterol levels. From the above findings it was revealed that the blood lipid profile in terms of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and the ratio between the total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol of the subject was found to be affected by food and fat consumption (especially the invisible fat) and personal habits of the respondents. All these lipid fractions and the ratio, exhibited an increasing tendency, with the existing dietary and fat consumption pattern and personal habits of the respondents, which could be indicative of a tendency for independing cardiovascular disease risk.
