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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 Induction of genetic variability in ginger (zingiber officinale rosc.) through in vitro fertilization(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Rethidevi, A; KAU; Valsala, P AInvestigations on ‘Induction of genetic variability in ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) through in vitro fertilization’ were carried out at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2004-2005. Molecular characterization studies of the eight ginger cultivars -Z-0-78 (V1) Kodakara Local (V3), Kuruppampady (V4), Mahima (V5), Maran (V6), Rejatha (V7), Rio-de-Janeiro (V8) and Varadha (V9)- by RAPD using nine random primers revealed that the genetic variability among the cultivars very narrow in the range of 5 to 19 per cent. The cultivar Rio-de-Janeiro was distinct with maximum variability. The variability among the released varieties from IISR ranged from 5 to 10 per cent. The flowering season in ginger extended from August to November. The cultivars showed variability with respect to duration for initiation of flowering and flowering duration. The mean pollen fertility and viability among the ginger cultivars were 35.76 per cent and 8.11 per cent respectively. The autotetraploids had high pollen fertility and viability compared to diploids. The range of pollen viability in autotetraploids was from 12.03 to 15.68 (Z-0-78) and in diploids it was from 3.68 to 8.90 per cent. Among the diploids the released varieties Varadha, Mahima and Rejatha had more pollen fertility and viability. Attempts were made to refine the in vitro pollination technique with respect to basal media combination, growth regulators, vitamins and gelling agent. Studies conducted in the cross Varadha X Z-0-78 using placental pollination technique. The basal medium of half MS with 2X vitamins was superior to B5 medium. As gelling agent phytagel 0.18 per cent was superior to agar 0.65 per cent. Among the various plant growth regulator combinations tried the combination of picloram and BA was found to be best. The medium of half MS with 2X vitamins + 3 per cent sucrose + BA 2.5 mgl-1+ picloram 0.2 mgl-1 + 0.18 per cent phytagel was the best with respect to maximum ovule swelling, percentage of cultures with ovule development and percentage setting per culture. Seed set and seed development in various crosses involving autotetraploids and diploids were assessed. The parental combination between autotetraploids (Z-0-78 X Z-0-86) produced seeds with very good swelling in maximum number of cultures with maximum setting per culture. The parental combination Z-078 X Varadha and its reciprocal also favoured very good ovule swelling. The parental combination Z-0-86 X Varadha as well as Varadha X Mahima and their reciprocals produced seeds with good swelling. The size increase of the developing ovules after in vitro pollination was monitored from the day of pollination to 60 DAP. The size increase upto 15 DAP was rapid. At 60 DAP the ovules attained four-fold increase in size. The pollinated ovules cultured, in the course of maturation turned pink and later blackened. The seeds showed complete endosperm filling at 10 DAP. The soft and jelly like endosperm became hard by 20 DAP. Viability test with tetrazolium showed that the seeds were viable up to 50 DAP. Embryo was found to be seated towards the chalazal end and endosperm constitutes the major portion of the seed. Germination studies were conducted in a number of plant growth regulator combinations. The 60 days old seed derived from the parental combination of Kuruppampady X Z-0-78 showed radicle emergence in the medium of half MS + 3 per cent sucrose + 0.65 per cent agar + IBA 3.0 mg l-1. The seeds of parental combination Z-0-78 X Varadha germinated through somatic embryogenesis in the medium of B5 + 3 per cent sucrose + 0.18 per cent phytagel + 2,4-D 0.2 mg l-1 + BA 2.5 mg l-1 105 days after in vitro pollination. The germination was 10 per cent It was found that the seed coat was pushed apart by the callusing embryo and it developed globular somatic embryoids. Embryoids developed root and shoot poles in the same medium. The somatic embryoid is in the initial stage of development. Embryo culture studies with embryos excised from seeds of 15 to 60 DAP in various media combinations did not give positive response. Prolonged culturing may give positive results.ThesisItem Open Access Induction of variability in Vanilla planifolia Andrews through intra/inter specific hybridisation and embryo culture technique(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Blessy Paul; KAU; Valsala, P AThe present investigation entitled “Induction of variability in Vanilla planifolia Andrews through intra/interspecific hybridisation and embryo culture technique” was carried out at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (CPBMB), College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara during the period from 2003-2005. Genetic variation in the germplasm of Vanilla planifolia is relatively limited because of the continuous clonal breeding of the existing gene pool. The present work was taken up with the main objectives of enhancing the spectrum of variability in vanilla through intra/interspecific hybridisation and thereby to get desirable recombinants of higher yields, richer vanilla flavour and disease resistant. The superior clones of V. planifolia (a 82, a 94, a 425, a 428, vv97/84) and V. tahitensis plants maintained at CPBMB were taken as parent plants in the hybridisation programme. Variation in the foliar and stem characters of parent plants was observed which could be manifested in the progeny. Floral morphology and biology of V. planifolia and V. tahitensis plants were studied and variation was observed in flowering season of both species. Pollen fertility was assessed in acetocarmine (1%) stain and was 61 per cent for V. planifolia and 74.69 per cent for V. tahitensis flowers. The viability of pollen was assessed in pollen germination reported by Ravindran (1979) and was 39 and 45.3 per cent for V. planifolia and V. tahitensis pollen grains. There was no significant variation in the pollen fertility and pollen viability percentages of both species. In vivo crossing was done as per the pollination technique of V. planifolia for inter and intraspecific crosses. The pod set percentage varied significantly with genotype. The pod development pattern was similar in both inter/intraspecific hybrid pods. Embryo culture was done as per the protocol reported by Mary et al. (1999) to get hybrid progenies. Seeds from pods of different ages were cultured. The time taken for embryo germination and intensity of embryo germination varied significantly with the maturity and genotype of pods. Seeds from hybrid pods (a 82 x a 94) of 6 weeks maturity germinated early compared to seeds from half mature (14, 18, 20, 22 and 24 weeks) and mature (28 and 36 weeks) pods. The germinated seedlings were multiplied and planted out with the already available protocol. Variability in the seedling progenies was assessed at monthly intervals for morphological characters. The hybrids obtained from intraspecific crosses a 82 x a 94 and vv 97/84 x a 94 were found vigorous with respect to plant growth. The hybrid progenies from interspecific cross V. t x V. p showed remarkable variation in leaf shapes and four leaf shapes broadly ovate, oblong lanceolate, lanceolate and linear lanceolate were observed in the progenies against narrow lanceolate in V. t parent and oblong-elliptic in V. p parent. Simple and branched stem type were observed in the progenies of interspecific cross (V. t x V. p) and intraspecific crosses (a 82 x a 94 and vv 97/84 x a 94) against normal simple stem in the parents. Single and double aerial roots were produced from single node in the progenies of interspecific cross (V. t x V. p) and intraspecific crosses (a 82 x a 94 and a 425 x a 94) against single root origin in the parent plants. Variation was also observed for number of leaves, plant height, leaf size, leaf colour and internodal length. Molecular characterisation of selected parents and hybrid progenies was done using RAPD technique. Heirarchical cluster analysis of RAPD data revealed variability between parents and hybrid progenies of intra/interspecific crosses. The variation in the parents and progenies of interspecific cross (V. t x V. p) ranged from 8 - 40 per cent. The intraspecific crosses a 82 x a 94, a 94 x a 82, a 425 x a 94 and vv 97/84 x a 94 showed variation range of 16 - 36 per cent, 4 - 31 per cent, 10 - 34 per cent and 12 - 28 per cent respectively. The results obtained from morphological and molecular characterisation of parents and progenies confirmed that variability was induced in vanilla through intra/interspecific hybridisation and embryo culture technique.ThesisItem Open Access Isolation and characterisation of B-1, 3-glucanase gene from Piper spp.(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Mable Rose, George; KAU; Nazeem, P AThe study entitled isolation and characterization of β-1, 3- glucanase gene in Piper spp was carried out at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (CPBMB), College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara from December 2003 to September 2005. β-1, 3-glucanase is reported to be involved in the defense mechanism of Piper against the Phytophthora foot rot disease. Attempts were undertaken to isolate the gene from tolerant species P. colubrinum and susceptible species P. nigrum. The information of plant β-1, 3- glucanase gene sequence available in the public domain NCBI was collected and subjected to multiple sequence alignment to detect conserved boxes of the gene among different plant species. Based on the data, eight degenerate primers were derived and out of this, three sets of forward and reverse primers were synthesized for gene isolation. Genomic DNA isolated from Piper spp namely P. nigrum and P. colubrinum was subjected to PCR with the designed degenerate primers at various combinations at different annealing temperatures. The amplification with the primer combination GluF1R2 yielded multiple bands in both the selected Piper species, whereas the primer combination GluF2R1 yielded multiple bands in P. colubrinum only. The primer combination GluF2R2 and GluF3R3 yielded single intact band in both P. nigrum and P. colubrinum. The amplicons obtained were eluted and cloned in pGEM-T vector and transformed into competent cells. High level of recombination was observed on blue and white screening. Recombination of the insert was confirmed by PCR and restriction analysis of the plasmid isolated from white colonies. The cloned fragments were sequenced. The fragments Pnglu from P. nigrum and Pcglu from P. colubrinum sequenced and subjected to BLAST search revealed, significant level of homology to β-1, 3-glucanase genes reported from other plants deposited in the public domain. Two other fragments cloned and sequenced from P. nigrum did not show homology to β-1, 3-glucanase genes deposited in the public domain. The sequences of the fragment Pnglu and Pcglu were subjected to other sequence analysis utilizing bioinformatics tools including BCM Search Launcher, ORF finder, GENSCAN, Biology workbench, Conserved domain database, Interproscan and CATH. Multiple sequence alignment of nucleotide of Pnglu and Pcglu with the selected nucleotides of -1, 3- glucanase gene sequence from different plant species indicated several conserved regions. The cloned fragment Pnglu and Pcglu had largest open reading frame of size 450 and 372 bp respectively. Internal exons of size 423 bp and 348 bp respectively were detected in the fragment Pnglu and Pcglu respectively. Restriction analysis revealed that both Pnglu and Pcglu have restriction sites for the frequent cutter AluI and the rare cutter NaeI. The fragments had high GC content of 56.1 per cent and 56.9 per cent for Pnglu and Pcglu respectively. The major amino acid composition deduced from Pnglu were alanine, leucine, arginine and proline, while in Pcglu major amino acids were alanine, glycine, arginine, leucine and valine. The secondary structures predicted for the polypeptides deduced from Pnglu and Pcglu had a high proportion of helices. Conserved domains detected from deduced amino acids of Pnglu and Pcglu suggested that both belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 17, which is a single domain family. Both fragments lack transmembrane regions. Domain structure comparison indicated that domains of Pnglu and Pcglu had similarity to glycosidase, which is the sequence super family of -1, 3-glucanases. The sequence information obtained from Pnglu and Pcglu confirmed that they are genomic counter part of -1, 3- glucanase gene from Piper spp and can be further utilized for the isolation of full length gene from Piper spp.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic transformation of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) with osmotin gene(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Resmi Henry, T; KAU; Girija, DThe study entitled ‘genetic transformation of chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) with osmotin gene’ was carried out at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (CPBMB), College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, from December 2003 to September 2005. The study was undertaken to standardize in vitro regeneration and Agrobacterium mediated transformation of chilli with osmotin gene. Different explants, media and hormonal combinations (auxin and cytokinin) were tried in order to standardize in vitro regeneration in chilli var.Ujwala. The best explant for in vitro regeneration was hypocotyl. Only the buds originated from hypocotyl explants showed elongation. Shoot buds formed from cotyledon and leaf segments did not elongate in any of the media tested. Based on the percentage regeneration in cultures and no. of shoot-buds per explant, MS medium containing the hormonal combination; BA (5.0 mg l-1) + IAA (0.3 mg l-1) was found optimum. The regenerated plantlets were transferred to pots for acclimatization so that they can sustain and survive in the natural conditions. The hardened plantlets were planted out. Agrobacterium mediated transformation protocol was optimized considering all the factors for successful transformation. Optimum inhibitory concentration of selectable marker (Kanamycin: 100mg l-1) was established. The antibiotic cefotaxime (200 mg l-1) was selected for killing the bacteria. Agrobacterium strain EHA 105 harbouring the gus reporter gene was used for the standardization of transformation. Hypocotyl explants of chilli were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strain (EHA 105). The inoculum density-0.1 OD600 nm, infection time-5minutes and co-cultivation period-2 days were found optimum based on GUS assay and survival rate 60 days after co-cultivation. The hypocotyl explants of chilli were co-cultivated with Agrobacterium strain (GV2260) harbouring osmotin gene in the plasmid pGV2260 tagged with 35S CaMV promoter. The transformed explants were regenerated on the selection medium optimized for regeneration of chilli. However, none of the transformed buds were elongated in the elongation medium containing selection agent. Hence the transformed plants were transferred to elongation medium containing no antibiotics. Even in this medium, no elongation of shoots was observed even after 60 days. So, further refinement of transformation protocol using an optimal selectable marker is needed for the production of transgenic chilli. After selection of the transformants, the putative transgenics were characterized employing molecular biology techniques viz. PCR-utilizing the gene specific primers of nptII. The presence of transgene was confirmed in the transformed plants.ThesisItem Open Access Variability in chakkarakolli (Gymnema sylvestrwe R.Br.) using morphological, biochemical nad molecular markers(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Smitha Nair; KAU; Keshavachandran, RPlants represent an unparalleled source for drug development. Plant based natural products play a dominant role in the pharmaceutical industry. Plant based remedies are available for a number of different health problems. In today’s scenario, diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally and is also the fourth major cause of death in most developed countries. So the demand for natural alternatives to blood sugar control is ever increasing. Several indigenous medicinal plants have been indicated in the Ayurveda system of medicine to possess antidiabetic activity. Native to the forests of South India, Gymnema sylvestre R.Br. is known for its hypoglycaemic property from the time immemorial. Practitioners of Ayurveda first used Gymnema to treat diabetes almost 2000 years ago. Keeping in view the importance of this medicinal plant, a study was conducted to identify the variability in Gymnema accessions collected and maintained at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. The present study was undertaken at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during the period 2003-2005. The objectives of the study were to characterise the variability in Gymnema germplasm accessions using morphological, biochemical and molecular markers. The morphological characterisation of 93 Gymnema accessions based on vegetative characters indicated the existence of a wide variation. All the 93 accessions were then characterised using biochemical markers. The total saponin content in the leaves was chosen as the marker constituent since saponins are the major bioactive components in Gymnema. The saponins were estimated based on TLC-Densitometry technique. The techniques for detection of saponins through TLC could be standardised. The saponin content in the leaves of different accessions ranged between 0.6 per cent and 5.4 per cent. Based on the morphological and biochemical characters, variants were identified in Gymnema germplasm collection. Eighteen such plants showing high variation were subjected to molecular characterisation using isozyme and RAPD markers. Isozyme analysis was carried out using three enzyme systems viz. malate-dehydrogenase, esterase and RUBISCO. Eight isozyme loci could be clearly identified of which five were polymorphic. Ten alleles were identified over the five polymorphic loci giving an average of two alleles per polymorphic locus. A mean observed heterozygosity of 19.8 per cent and a mean expected heterozygosity of 17.2 per cent were obtained over the heterozygous loci studied. The cluster analysis grouped the 18 accessions in to two major clusters of 17 and one accession. Molecular characterisation using RAPD markers was conducted to appraise the extent of diversity among the 18 accessions of Gymnema. The protocol for genomic DNA isolation from Gymnema was standardised. The protocol suggested by Rogers and Bendich (1994) with slight modification was found to be most appropriate. The protocol for RAPD assay in Gymnema was standardised. Sixty random primers were screened and 15 were selected for RAPD profiling of Gymnema accessions. The primer OPAH 12 was found to have the highest resolving power. A total of 123 amplification products were generated by 15 primers, of which 90 were polymorphic. In the dendrogram, the 18 accessions were grouped in to two major clusters of 16 and two accessions. The accessions Peringottukurushi 137 and Kuzhalmannon 89, occurring in the third sub-cluster were the most closely related with 85 per cent similarity. A combined dendrogram was also derived from the results of morphological and molecular studies. The present study revealed the existence of sufficient genetic variation in the Gymnema germplasm collection. This variability can be used to identify useful genotypes that could be used as cultivars for the extraction of standard drugs. More precise techniques like HPLC and AFLP could further be used to get a better idea about the extent of variability in Gymnema.ThesisItem Open Access Molecular characterisation of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl CoA reductase (hmgr) gene from solanaceous plants(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2005) Smitha Jose; KAU; Girija, D3-Hydroxy-3-methyl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of mevalonate, which is the precursor of terpenoid compounds, that are vital in biological processes like respiration, photosynthesis, growth, reproduction and defense mechanisms in plants. It is also the rate-limiting enzyme in tri- and sesqui-terpene biosynthesis. The gene encoding HMGR protein has been cloned and sequenced in several plants like Arabidopsis, rubber, potato, tobacco, tomato, wheat, rice, apple, periwinkle, chilli and black pepper. In the present study, an attempt was made to isolate and characterize hmgr gene from four plants belonging to family Solanaceae: Solanum xanthocarpum, S. nigrum, S. torvum and Physalis minima, having medicinal/ insecticidal properties. Gene was amplified through polymerase chain reaction with two pairs of gene-specific primers, designed on the basis of conserved boxes in HMGR from other solanaceous plant species. The amplified products were cloned in the plasmid vector pGEMT and sequenced. A total of four sequences were characterized: two from S. torvum (945 and 1835bp) and one each from S. xanthocarpum (882bp) and S. nigrum (945bp). Theoretical analysis using various tools revealed conserved domains corresponding to HMGR in all the four sequences. The sequences were found to be rich in glycine, which is important in maintaining the correct structure of -domain. These sequences exhibited a high degree of identity with hmgr genes in tomato, tobacco and potato, all belonging to family Solanaceae. Generally, HMGRs exhibit a high level of homology at the catalytic domain, present at the C-terminal region. Two functional domains (CoA reductase and NAD binding) could be located on Sxhmgr, the sequence from S. xanthocarpum. However, no putative transmembrane region could be located in any of the sequences, probably because the N-terminal region has not been represented in the cloned sequence. Normally, two transmembrane regions are associated with plant HMGRs, involved in anchoring the enzyme to endoplasmic reticulum. Attempts to obtain 5’ and 3’ ends of Sxhmgr did not prove successful. Sequence diversity of hmgr gene among various plat species was determined. The evolutionary distance of Sxhmgr was much lower, compared to other sequences. The two sequences cloned from S. torvum showed divergence, indicating that hmgr genes could be divergent, within the species. For further exploitation of the sequences in genetic improvement programmes, the full-length genes will have to be cloned from the mRNA population and expressed in Escherichia coli. The expression profile of mRNA in different parts and at different developmental stages of the plant will also throw light on the role of these genes in various metabolic processes taking place.ThesisItem Open Access Effect of muncipal garbage on the growth and vigour of rose wood (Dalbergia latifolia Roxb) seedlings in the nursery(Department of Tree Physiology and Breeding, College of Forestry, Vellanikkara, 2004) Sreelekha, P T; KAU; Gopikumar, KThe present study to evaluate the effect of potting media containing fresh and decomposed municipal garbage on the growth and vigour of rose wood (Dalbergia latifolia Roxb.) seedlings in the nursery was carried out at the College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during the period 2002-2004. A total of twelve treatments with and without municipal garbage were tried for raising the seedlings. . The result of the study revealed that seedlings could not be established when fresh municipal garbage alone was used as potting media. The potting medium containing soil: 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage recorded the maximum height, where as maximum collar diameter was observed when the seedlings were grown in medium containing soil: sand: cowdung in equal proportions. This medium was also found to be superior with regard to shoot fresh and dry weights. Seedlings grown in media containing soil: sand: fresh municipal garbage in equal proportions recorded more root length, where as with regard to root number, a higher value was recorded by seedlings grown in media containing soil: sand: 2 weeks decomposed municipal garbage. The treatment containing soil: sand: cowdung in equal proportions was found to be the best with regard to root fresh and dry weights. Media with 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage alone and soil: 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage were also found to be promising with regard to these parameters. Significant response with regard to leaf area was recorded by potting medium containing 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage. Other physiological growth attributes like leaf area ratio, leaf weight ratio, specific leaf area, specific leaf weight and relative growth rate did not follow any systematic pattern. No uniform trend could be observed with regard to chlorophyll content of the seedlings also. Seedlings grown in potting media containing soil: sand: cowdung recorded maximum content of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium in the tissues. Media containing 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage also recorded high content of tissue nitrogen and phosphorous. It was observed that at the end of the study period, percentage of nutrient elements in different potting media slightly increased compared to the initial content. Potting media containing 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage recorded high nitrogen content, while phosphorous and potassium were highest in potting media containing soil: sand: fresh municipal garbage. In general, with regard to most of the shoot and root growth parameters, biomass and physiological growth attributes, media containing hundred percent 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage and media with soil: 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage in equal proportions were found to be quite comparable to standard media having soil: sand: cowdung. However, considering the cost, ease of availability and as an alternative use, 4 weeks decomposed municipal garbage could be recommended for extensive production of rosewood seedlings in the nursery.