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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 Seed invigoration and dormancy studies in snake gourd(Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2005) Mohan, N; KAU; George, T E“Seed invigoration and dormancy studies in snake gourd (Trichosanthes anguina L.)” were carried out at Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during 2004-2005. This study aimed at standardizing seed invigoration techniques in snake gourd that can break dormancy and improve seed vigour and studying the impact of invigoration techniques on storability as well as field performance. Among the different invigoration treatments tried, mechanical scarification by way of seed rupturing was the most effective one followed by acid treatments (5N H2SO4, 5N HCl and 5N HNO3 for 10-20 minutes), hot water soaking (400 C for 5 minutes) and treatment with 1 % KNO3 for 12 hours. These treatments could break the dormancy of snake gourd seeds from the freshly extracted state onwards and improve the seed vigour. From the fourth month onwards, untreated seeds also showed higher germination. Treatments such as water soaking, GA3 250 / 500 ppm, NAA 100 ppm, 0.5 % NaH2PO4 and 0.5 % KH2PO4 did not show any positive influence on dormancy release. It is evident from the present study that dormancy in seeds of snake gourd is due to water impermeable seed coat and this is naturally broken only four months after extraction and if the seeds are to be used immediately after extraction or till three months afterwards, an invigoration treatment is inevitable. An insight in to the changes in the anatomy of seed coat thickness revealed the differences in the layer wise coat thickness of invigorated seeds, stored seeds and fresh seeds. The stored seeds had lesser coat thickness as in the case of invigorated seeds. In contrast, untreated fresh seeds had higher coat thickness and this acts as a mechanical barrier for water imbibition. The study on moisture imbibition rate revealed that the seeds subjected to mechanical scarification imbibed water more rapidly after 24 hours and resulted in higher and early germination and high speed of release of dormancy. The stored seeds as well as seeds invigorated with acids and hot water also displayed high imbibition rate due to reduced seed coat thickness and opening of specialized cracks in seed coat. On the other hand, untreated seeds showed lesser water imbibition. There was a gradual reduction in quality parameters like germination percentage, speed of germination and vigour indices during storage of invigorated seeds. This indicates that the invigorated seeds can be supplied to farmers only for immediate use and they are not amenable to storage beyond one to two months. Electrical conductivity of seed leachates was significantly influenced by the invigoration treatments during the period of storage. The EC values showed increasing trend with increase in duration of storage. This confirms the usefulness of electrical conductivity study as a rapid and effective indicator of seed deterioration during storage. The seeds subjected to mechanical scarification and seeds from previous Kharif crop were found to have maximum field emergence and the seeds treated with 1 % KNO3 recorded highest fruit set, earliness, higher yield, maximum fruit weight as well as higher seed yield followed by stored seeds from previous Kharif crop. All other treatments were also superior in field performance when compared to untreated fresh seeds. Thus it can be seen that the initial advantage gained through seed invigoration has been sustained to a larger extent in the field performance as well.ThesisItem Open Access GxE interaction of semi-erect cowpea genotypes(Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2005) Ampily, M; KAU; Salikutty JosephExperiments on “G x E interaction of semi-erect cowpea genotypes” were carried out at the Department of Olericulture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during Kharif, Rabi and summer 2004-2005. Fifty accessions of cowpea collected from various parts of Kerala were used for the study. The study was aimed at identification of stable high yielding and dual purpose semi-erect cowpea accessions over different seasons. With regard to yield and yield contributing characters, summer season was found to be best. The performance of all the accessions during Rabi was inferior as compared to Kharif and summer. The accessions VS-1177, VS-1025 and VS-1179 performed better with a green pod yield of 9.5 tonnes, 6.9 tonnes, 6.2 tonnes per hectare respectively and a seed yield of 3.3 tonnes, 2.1 tonnes, 2.3 tonnes per hectare respectively tonnes per hectare. Along with these three accessions during summer the accessions VS-1172 and VS-1170; during Kharif the accessions VS-1174 and VS-1042 during Rabi the accessions VS-1175 and VS-1015 were also superior. The pest and disease infestation scenario during cultivation showed that the accession VS-1111 had a pod borer infestation below 2 per cent and can be recommended as a resistant variety. The coreid bug infestation was maximum during summer followed by Kharif and was nil during Rabi. None of the accessions were found to be resistant to coreid bug. The incidence of aphids was lowest during Kharif followed by summer and Rabi. The accessions VS-1230 and VS-1231 were free from aphid attack during all the seasons and can be considered as resistant varieties. There was no incidence of anthracnose during Rabi season. Considering all the seasons, the accessions VS-1294, VS-1047, VS-1171, VS-1286 (Varun), VS-1276 (Kanakamony), VS-1179, VS-1213, VS-1160, VS-1263, VS-1032, VS-1266 (Kairali) and VS-1248 were free from anthracnose. The incidence of collar rot was lowest during summer followed by Kharif and Rabi. There was no incidence of mosaic during Rabi. The study on analysis of variance revealed the presence of considerable variability for most of the characters among the genotypes. The magnitude of PCV was higher indicating a higher degree of environmental fluctuation in the case of green pod yield per plant (42.13), number of pods per plant (35.75) and seed yield per plant (35.33). GCV also revealed the same pattern of genetic variability as shown by the PCV for all the characters. High heritability of more than 60 per cent was noticed for characters like 100 seed weight followed by pod length, seed yield per plant, green pod yield per plant, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod and number of clusters per plant. The estimates of genotypic correlation coefficient were higher than the phenotypic correlation coefficient. Considering the G x E interaction, the accessions VS-1177, VS-1025 and VS-1179 were highly adaptable for green pod yield and seed yield per plant during all the seasons. Hence these accessions can be recommended as dual purpose, adaptable semi-erect cowpea for large scale cultivation throughout the year in Kerala.ThesisItem Open Access Export performance of tea industry in south India in the context of economic liberalization(Department of Rural Banking and Finance Management,College of Co Operation Banking and Management,Vellanikkara, 2005) Radha Mani, A; KAU; Molly JosephThe present study entitled “EXPORT PERFORMANCE OF TEA INDUSTRY IN SOUTH INDIA IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION” was conducted with the following objectives. 1) To analyse the export performance of tea industry in South India during pre and post liberalisation period in terms of volume and direction; and 2) To examine the adequacy of policies, financial and other institutional supports in order to comply with the liberalisation agreements regarding Indian tea industry. Secondary data have been used to study the trends in area, production, productivity and export of tea in South India along with price behaviour and examination of competitiveness. Time series data were collected from various publications of Tea Board for the period 1981-82 to 2002-03. An informal discussion with the exporters of Coimbatore Tea Trade Association was undertaken to examine the adequacy of policies, institutional and financial supports and constraints faced by the exporters. The trends in area, production, productivity and export of tea in South India as also all India were estimated using the kinked exponential model. Coppock’s instability index, residual based index and coefficient of variation were used to find out instability. The quinquennial averages, Annual Average Growth Rates were also supplemented to find the growth in above variables. An analysis of area under cultivation, production, productivity and export performance of tea industry at the global level for the period 1981 to 2002 points out to some fundamental issues facing the Indian tea industry. The area under cultivation and production have been increasing in absolute terms throughout the period. The AAGR has been positive for both for all years except during 2002 for production. But the productivity, which stood at a relatively higher level in the early 1990s, has drastically declined, the AAGR being negative since 1991. The exports have declined tremendously even in absolute terms, the AAGR sliding to –11.6 per cent in 2001. The trends in area under cultivation of tea revealed that there had been a significantly higher growth rate at the all India level during the post liberalisation period. It has to be noted that the growth rates were above the national level in South India in the post liberalisation period, which is contributed by Tamil Nadu. The instability analysis revealed that coefficient of variation was relatively higher for South India compared to all India. Among the tea producing states of SI, Tamil Nadu occupies the first position during pre and post liberalisation period. Except for Kerala, all other states showed significant positive growth rates in production. Residual based index and Coppock’s index indicated that the instability in production is not very high. There has been a continuous decline during the post liberalisation period in Tamil Nadu and SI and the highest is in Karnataka. For Kerala, it was almost stagnant during this period. The Instability index estimates exhibited that variability was higher in all the South Indian states. The trend analysis in exports of tea from all India showed that there was a significantly higher decline compared to marginal decline in exports from SI. It may be noted that in the post liberalisation period, increase in export quantity from SI was higher than all India. In value terms, the country recorded a high growth rate in the pre liberalisation period. Though in the early 1990s the exports registered a positive growth rate, there was a significant decline in the late 1990s i.e. the post WTO period. Similar trend was observed in the case of South Indian tea exports. The instability analysis revealed the higher instability in case of South Indian exports compared to all India, both in terms of volume and value. Regarding the destination of exports, the share of U.S.S.R remained high during both the pre and post liberalisation period. It has not shown any change, except the decline in case of A.R.E, U.K and Sudan. The industry is also catching up in the Poland, U.S.A and U.A.E markets. The analysis of imports showed that there was a steady increase in the imports from 1992 to 2003 in terms of quantum as well as value. The price analysis showed that there was a sharper decline in the post liberalisation period in case of domestic prices. The domestic and international prices were following the same trend except in the late eighties. The magnitude of decline was lower in the case of international prices during the study period compared to domestic prices. The instability analysis for the whole period as well as sub periods showed lower variation in international prices than in the domestic prices. Among the South Indian markets, high instability was noticed in the case of Coonoor market. Compared to all India prices, the South Indian prices were showing higher instability. The results of NPC values are less than one during post liberalisation period when compared to pre liberalisation period, which depicted the existence of comparative advantage for tea. The taxation policies denoted that the present taxation structure is not feasible for the tea producers in general when compared with other producing nations. The GOI renewed the Tea (Marketing) Control Order in 2003, removing several shortcomings of the earlier Tea (Marketing) Control Order, 1984, which enriched the Tea Board to exercise stiff regulation including the provisions of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. UPASI has taken initiatives like Tea Futures Exchange with Forward Marketing Commission (FMC) and Consortium of Tea Producers in potential upcountry markets. For promoting tea exports, the Tea Board was established in 1953 under the Tea Act, 1953 during First Five Year Plan. During 1980’s the stress is given towards liberalisation of trade. From 1st August 1998, India unilaterally removed all Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) on imports of items from SAARC countries in order to promote trade among SAARC countries by South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA). As of 28th December 1998 a free trade agreement was concluded between India and Sri Lanka, which would result in zero import tariffs for most of the commodities on both sides by 2007. QRs were removed from 1st April 2000 for tea. The developmental allowance given under the Central Income Tax Act, 1961 is raised from the present level of 20 per cent to 40 per cent. The budget announced in 2002-03 increased the customs duty on tea and coffee to 100per cent. With a view to provide stability in terms of income for the small growers, from 2003-04 onwards, Government announced a Price Stabilization Fund of Rs.500 crore for the benefit of tea as well as other plantations. The budget 2004-05 has reduced the customs duty of 50 per cent to five per cent over some of the plantation machinery including that of tea. While reviewing WTO response strategies, it can be seen that the removal of QRs facilitated import of cheaper teas from Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Sri Lanka. The tea plantations are also faced with import threats from SAARC countries because of the lower CIF values. It would be desirable for the tea plantations to ensure that the tariff quota system is avoided. Otherwise it is difficult to insist the use of tariff quotas by the MFN principle. It is to be advised that GOI may adopt SSM for the import sensitive plantation crops like tea. The Board is also trying to preserve the Intellectual Property Rights of the growers of various forms of tea in foreign markets through Geographical Indication. To check the inflow of low quality substandard teas, there is a need for strict enforcement of PFA, ISO 3720, and ISO 9000 series and HACCP system for the domestic market. Tea industry in India is subjected to several legislations imposed by the GOI. To strengthen the base of the industry, the Tea Board, the central government and state governments as well as the plantation associations have actively taken part in assisting the producers of tea plantations by both institutional and financial supports. The Tea Board is in the process of implementing an IT based information dissemination plan for the industry, including the electronic trading at the auction centres. The discussion with the exporters revealed that the exporters are satisfied with the role played by the GOI, Tea Board and UPASI as well as the present policy resolutions undertaken by the Tea Board and GOI to a certain extent. They suggested for constructive efforts in generic promotion of tea in all the angles, through increasing production, consumption and exports in general.ThesisItem Open Access Swot analysis of agro-chemical distribution system in Thrissur district(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co-operation Banking &Management,Vellanikkara, 2004) Hena, M; KAU; Ushadevi, K NThe study on ‘SWOT Analysis of agro-chemical distribution system in Thrissur district’ was undertaken with the following objectives: 1. to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of agro-chemical distribution system, and 2. to suggest a strategy for streamlining it as a farmer friendly agro-chemical distribution system. The study was conducted in Pazhayannur and Wadakkencherry blocks in Thrissur district. Pazhayannur block was having the highest area under rice cultivation and the Wadakkencherry block was having the highest area under banana and vegetable cultivation. A ‘Padasekharam’ having highest area of rice cultivation and a ‘Harithasangam’ and a ‘Self help group’ having the highest area of banana and vegetable cultivation were selected respectively from these blocks. Thus, the ‘Pazhayannur padasekhara samiti’ from Pazhayannur panchayath in Pazhayannur block, Malakom Harithasangam and a KHDP Self Help Group from Thekkumkara panchayath in Wadakkencherry block were selected for the study. The sample group of farmers was fixed to 100, in which 40 farmers from a ‘Padasekharam’ and 30 each from a ‘Harithasangam’ and a ‘Self Help Group’. 25 co-operative outlets and 20 private traders from these blocks were also surveyed. The study made an explorative search in to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of agro-chemical distribution system. Based on the distributors response towards agro-chemical distribution, the most popular fertiliser manufacturers among co-operative outlets and private traders were ‘FACT’ and among plant protection chemicals ‘Bayer India’, ‘Rallis India’ and ‘BASF’ were the most popular manufacturers. All the distribution outlets pointed out that they were providing credit facility to farmers for purchasing inputs. While the co-operatives were helping the farmers in marketing their produce. The distribution outlets used to recommend products to farmers and the major factor behind the recommendation was the availability of products in the outlets. In the opinion of farmers, majority of the respondents were using both organic materials and agro-chemicals for increasing crop yield and protecting the crops. Decision regarding the quality and type of agro-chemicals to be applied in the field was taken by the influence of the salesman. The major source of information to the respondents was private trader followed by Krishi bhavan. The farmers preferred private traders as their source of purchase and the major factor influenced the source preference of farmers towards the distribution outlet was credit availability. Majority of the respondents revealed that co-operative outlets were at a distance of more than 6 kms. while private traders were at a distance between 2 - 4 kms. SWOT Analysis of co-operative distribution outlets revealed that the major strengths which were existing in the system are credit facility to farmers, good farmer-supplier relationship and helps the farmer in marketing their produce. The major weaknesses were supply of subsidised products only and lack of promotional efforts. The identified opportunities which have to be tapped were insurance scheme for farmers and bio-fertliser supply. The threats for the co-operative distribution outlets in their view were interest is to earn high margin and supply of adulterated products. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified for private traders also. The major strengths were credit facility to farmers, good farmer-supplier relationship and inform farmer about new products. Lack of sale point training was the major weakness to private traders among the other weaknesses. The identified opportunities were insurance scheme for farmers and bio-fertiliser supply and the threats were interest is to earn high margin and supply of adulterated products. From the results obtained from the SWOT Analysis, suitable strategies are formulated for both co-operative distribution outlets and private traders. The suggested strategy for co-operative outlets is to maximise strengths and opportunities and to minimise weaknesses ie., SO-W (maxi-maxi-mini) strategy. Similarly, probable strategy is suggested for private traders by taking into consideration of their strengths, opportunities and weaknesses. The strategy for the private traders is also SO-W strategy (maxi-maxi-mini) strategy, ie. to maximise strengths and opportunities and to minimise weaknesses.ThesisItem Open Access Consumer behaviour towards branded rice and rice products in Thrissur district(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co-operation, Banking and Management,Vellanikkara, 2002) Sangeetha, P R; KAU; Philip SabuThe study entitled "Consumer behaviour towards branded rice and rice products in Thrissur District" was undertaken with the following objectives: * To find out the share of branded rice and rice products in total rice and rice product consumption; * To examine the consumer behaviour towards branded varieties of rice and rice products; and To identify the factors influencing consumer choice. The study was conducted in three wards viz., Mission Quarters, West Fort and Wadakkechira Bus Stand Area of Thrissur Municipal Town (now part of the Corporation). The sample consisted of 200 households, which were selected proportionate to the total number of households in each selected ward. The study was based on primary data collected from the sample respondents (housewives) using a pre-tested structured schedule. Bivariate tables, Percentages, Preferential Ranking Method, Kendall' s Coefficient of Concordance, Satisfaction Index and Likert's Scale were empl?yed to analyse and interpret data. The study was an explorative search into the behaviour of the consumers towards branded rice, rice products and basmati rice. An attempt was also made to find out the share of brand users among the respondents and to identify the factors influencing consumer choice. Analysis of the socio-economic profile of the respondents revealed that majority of them preferred non-branded rice and home-made rice products irrespective of socio-economic differences. The preference towards branded rice and rice products was comparatively higher among the respondents with higher education and higher income. Similarly, compared to aged people, the share of brand users was higher among the younger generation. The share of employed respondents preferring branded rice products was more than the share of employed respondents preferring branded rice. The share of brand users was relatively higher among 'nuclear' families than joint families. Majority or the respondents, were spending on an average of 45.5 per cent of the total monthly expenditure on food items. The average monthly household expenditure on rice, rice products and basmati rice was around 14 per cent of the total food expenditure and six per cent of the total household expenditure. Regarding the share of brand users among the respondents, it was observed that majority of the respondents were using non-branded rice, non- branded basrnati rice and home-made rice products. The share of brand users was only 30.5 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent respectively in the case of rice, rice products and basmati rice. Most of the respondents were using boiled rice for meals and a mix of raw and boiled rice for making rice products. 'Taste' and 'custom/habit' were the major reasons stated for the use of home-made nee products, while 'convenience' and 'taste' influenced the use of branded rice products. 'Quality perceptions' about the branded varieties was identified as the major reason for using branded rice and basmati rice by the users. 'Low price' and 'satisfaction with the currently used variety' were the factors that influenced the users of non-branded rice and basmati rice. Irrespective of brand and non-brand preferences, brand awareness and ability to recall the brand was higher in the case of rice and rice products and lower in the case of basmati rice. Brand loyalty was also very high among the brand users in all the selected items. Brand shifting tendency, in general, was weak among the respondents. As regards the source of purchase, 'supermarkets' were the major source of purchase for all branded items. 'General provision stores' and 'margin free supermarkets' were the major source of purchase in the case of non-branded rice and basmati rice respectively. Store loyalty was very high among both the brand and non-brand users across the items. 'Accessibility', 'better customer service' and 'discount offered by the shop keeper' were the major reasons for store loyalty. 'High price', 'inconveniences', 'non-availability' and 'poor customer service' were the reasons that caused store shift by the respondents. As far as quantity preferred for single purchase was concerned, brand users of rice preferred to buy in small quantities compared to non-brand users. But in the case of basmati rice, most of the brand and non-brand users preferred to buy one kg packet for a single purchase. Similarly branded rice product users preferred to buy half kg or one kg packet for a single purchase. Purchase decision regarding rice, rice products and other consumables were made by women in majority of the families eventhough the husbands constituted the major actual buyers in rice and other consumables. Wives constituted the major shoppers in the case of rice products. Media exposure, both print and electronic, was very high among the respondents. Majority of them were subscribing newspaper and magazines and possessing television, telephone and radio. Television was identified as the most preferred advertising media and the main source of information regarding rice and rice products. In the bid to find out the parameters influencing purchase behaviour, it was found out that 'taste', 'absence of foreign materials', 'less cooking time' and 'aroma' were the major parameters that influenced the purchase behaviour of both brand and non-brand users in rice and basmati rice. 'Taste', 'easy availability' and 'convenience' were the parameters influencing the purchase of rice products. Satisfaction level of both brand and non-brand users towards the brand/variety currently used by them was also very high and 'price' was the only factor which scored a lower degree of satisfaction. In the effort to examine the general attitude of the respondents towards branded rice, rice products and basmati rice, it was observed that all the brand users and majority of the non-brand users had a favourable attitude towards brands. A detailed analysis of the attitude of the respondents towards statements representing various features of the selected items revealed that majority of the brand users had a favourable attitude towards all the statements. Most of the non- brand users showed neutral attitude towards product related attributes such as 'volume expansion', 'taste' and 'shelf life' of the product. Majority of the brand and non-brand users agreed that the price of the branded items was high. The general observation from the study was that eventhough most of the brand and non-brand users showed a favourable attitude towards brands, only a small percentage of them was using branded items. The share of brand users was only 3Cl.5 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent in the case of rice, rice products and basmati rice respectively. The major factor which prevented the non-brand users from using brands was the relatively higher price of the brands. It was also observed that the product related factors such as 'taste', 'absence of foreign materials', and 'less cooking time' were the major factors that influenced the purchase decision of consumers, both brand and non-brand. Majority of the respondents were highly satisfied with the brand or variety currently used by them except in the case of price.ThesisItem Open Access Simultation of the Effect of Land and Vegetation Management on Runoff and Sediment Yield From a Small Watershed- a case Study(Department of Land and Water Resources and Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology,Thavanur, 2000) Vinod Kumar, P R; KAU; Xavier Jacob, KConservation of soil by sound measures forms one of the fundamental premises towards a sustained future. The management of land and vegetation has profound influence in conservation programme. To simulate the effect of land and vegetation management measures on runoff and sediment yield from a waterhed, a study was conducted at Development Unit – IX of Attapadi region, in Palghat district. The relationship between effective rainfall and sediment mobilized due to rain storm was established as; ES = 28.57 ER0.9385., where ES is the effective sediment mobilized in T/km2 and ER is the effective rainfall in cm. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was applied on perstorm basis to estimate the soil erosion. The Modified – USLE (R) factor was used to represent the erosivity factor in the soil loss estimation. The topographic factor (LS) was computed using the USLE and Revised – USLE methods. This particular parameter computed with the USLE was more than that of the RUSLE. The amount of soil erosion predicted with the USLE were more than that of the RUSLE due to greater LS factor associated with the USLE method. However both methods provided an ‘r2’ value of 0.9724. The WEPP – model was applied to simulate the runoff and soil erosion processes during individual rainstorm events. The model provided reliable simulation of the erosion process, but the runoff values were under – predicted for all the simulated events. The hillslopes cultivated with tuber crops gave maximum erosion per unit area during the simulation. The reason could be assumed as the absence of sufficient ground and canopy cover in this areas, which possessed a loosened surface after harvesting. The lands left as barren after tree felling also had increased rates of erosion during the simulation, which could be due to the lack of vegetative protection. While the paddy field had lesser rates of erosion owing to the flatness of land and vegetation cover. The other areas yielded reduced rates of erosion due to good canopy cover as well as surface cover provided by closely growing vegetation.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic cataloguing of hot chilli (Capsicum chinese JacQ.)(Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2001) Manju, P R; KAU; Sreelatha Kumary, IThe research project "Genetic cataloguing of hot chilli (Capsicum chinense Jacq.)" was carried out in the vegetable research plot of the Department of Olericulture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during September 2000 to May 2001. The objective of the study was to catalogue the accessions based on the IBPGR descriptor for Capsicum and to estimate the genetic parameters for different traits in the germplasm for identifying superior lines based on yield, quality and pest and disease resistance. Thirty two accessions of C. ch inense collected from various sources upon cataloguing pointed out wide variation for several morphological characters. Analysis of variance revealed significant difference among the accessrons for all the characters studied namely, plant height, primary branches per plant, plant spread, days to first flowering, pollen viability, days to maturity, fruits per plant, fruit length, pedicel length, fruit girth, fruit weight, seeds per fruit, 1000-seed weight, yield per plant, yield per harvest, number of harvests, capsaicin, oleoresin, ascorbic acid and mosaic incidence. Among the accessions, CC 23 recorded the maximum yield (1649.72 g) as well as fruits per plant (637.44). CC 13 was the earliest to flower (54.67 days) with the maximum number of harvests (6.94) and least vulnerability index for mosaic (40.63). Fruits per plant recorded the maximum phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, followed by yield per plant and fruit weight. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for fruits per plant, yield per plant, fruit weight, fruit girth and fruit length. Correlation studies and path coefficient analysis revealed that fruits per plant is the primary yield component as evidenced from its high positive correlation as well as high direct and indirect effects on yield. In the discriminant function analysis, CC 23 (Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram) ranked first, followed by CC 13 (Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram) and CC 7 (Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram). Based on the analysis for genetic divergence, the 32 accessions were grouped into six clusters, with the maximum intercluster distance observed between clusters I and VI. On the basis of the present study, the accessions CC 23, CC 13 and CC 7 were found to be promising with regard to yield, quality and mosaic resistance and the same may be utilized for further improvement.ThesisItem Open Access Buyer behaviour of rice farmers towards selected agricultural inputs in Thrissur District(Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co-operation, Banking and Management,Vellanikkara, 2003) Sreeja Nair, P; KAU; Sukumaran, AThe study on 'Buyer behaviour of rice farmers towards selected agricultural inputs in Thrissur district' was undertaken with the following objectives: 1. to analyse the buyer behaviour of the rice farmers in relation to the quantitative, qualitative and market attributes of rice varieties and agrochemica\s, 2. to examine the source preference of seeds and agrochemicals, and 3. to assess the influence of technocrats and input supply agencies on the buying behaviour. The study was conducted in Pazhayannur block in Thrissur district. Pazhayannur block was having the highest area of rice cultivation and four pc nchayaths namely Pazhayannur, Chelakkara, Thiruvilwamala and Kondazhy were selected based on highest area of cultivation. From each panchayath each padasekharam was identified with highest net cropped area. A sample group of 30 farmers, comprising of small, medium and large fanner proportionately from each padasekharam constituted the total 120 respondents. The study made an explorative search in to the buyer behaviour of the respondents towards seeds and agrochemicals. The respondents were practicing two seasonal cultivations namely. virippu and mundakan. The summer crop {JIIIljO was not practicing due to lack ,of irrigation facilities. The main seed variety popular among the respondents was Kunjukunju, a non-descript variety. Some of them were using a HYV namely, Kanchana, on experimentbasis and it was released by Kcrala Agricultural University. The reason for preferring non- descript variety to HYV was that respondents had no faith in the high yielding properties of HYV seeds and they feared that such properties would decline within 2 to 4 generations. Variety loyalty was high among the respondents in case o i' Kunjukunju as they were using it for last 20 years. The respondents were aware aoout 3 or 4 varieties where, more than 100 varieties are available in the state. "" ,,, ~ .... ~ ---_ .... _- They were using their own output for seeds and an insignificant portion were pproaching Krishi Bhavan. In case of agrochemicals, the study revealed that majority of the respondents were using FACT fertilizers followed by SPIC and BASF's brands were the leading plant protection chemicals in the study area. The respondents identified availability as the major factor influenced the continuous usage of FACT fertilizers and HASF's brands. They were depending upon private outlets for purchasing agrochemicals and were forced to buy the available brands, as the traders were interested in some specific manufacturers based on the commission t ey earned. The respondents were using the agrochemicals according to the stages of application and brand multiplicity done nothing in the usage of grochemicals. The influence of technocrats including the agriculture officers and extension officers on the buying behaviour of the respondents was less and that of sales persons was high, especially in case of agrochemicals. The fanners were depending upon private trader for selling of output, as the private traders t. emselves will arrange the transportation of the end produce. But a major problem faced by the respondents was the low price offered by the private traders, comparing to the actual price prevailed in the market. The study emphasise that steps should be taken to increase the awareness of the farmers about HYV seeds and agrochemicals. The state agriculture department and agricultural university should expand their extension activities, and importance should be given in the field of researches on the buying behaviour of farmers, especially that of rice farmers as rice being the staple food of Kerala. Besides, the results point out vividly to the prime need for a systematic and effective marketing facilities for the farm output and a thorough price support system to improve the agricultural production, and ultimately the income of the fanner. '