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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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Subject: Plant Biotechnology × Author: Abeesh, P × Author: KAU × End date: 2014 × Start date: 2014 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Identification and characterization of esterase producing microbes from dairy sludge through metagenomic approach
    (Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2014) Abeesh, P; KAU; Soni, K B
    The study entitled “Identification and characterization of esterase producing microbes from dairy sludge through metagenomic approach” was conducted at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram during 2013-2014. The objective of the study was to construct and characterize metagenomic library for esterase producing microbes from dairy sludge. The dairy sludge samples were collected from the outlet of waste water treatment plant of MILMA (Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation) unit, Ambalathara, Thiruvananthapuram. Three protocols were tried for the isolation, out of which the protocol of Singka et al. (2012), which combines mechanical and chemical lysis, was found to be the best. This protocol was modified by increasing the concentration of NaCl, to optimize it for dairy sludge, which contained polysaccharides and humic acids as contaminants. The modified protocol yielded good DNA in terms of quality (A260/A280 of 1.784) and quantity (11.4 µg/g). For metagenomic library constriction, the DNA was digested using restriction enzyme Hpa I (Haemophilus parainfluenzae I) and the fragments obtained after 1 and 2 h were cloned in to pEZ BAC vector using clone smart ligase of Lucigen (USA). The Blue white screening system, along with selection based on chloramphenicol resistance, yielded eighty two transformed colonies. Functional screening of the library on tributyrin agar plates could identify 24 esterase positive clones. Estimation of enzyme activity of ten selected clones showed the maximum activity of 8.942 U/mg protein. Agarose gel electrophoresis of the vector DNA isolated from ten selected esterase positive clones showed the presence of metagenome insert. Inserts of size more than 3 Kb could be amplified from the five esterase positive clones.