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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 Breeding × Author: KAU × End date: 1992 × Start date: 1992 ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Combining ability in vegetable cowpea
    (Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1992) Rejatha, V; KAU; Ramachandra Nair, N
    A 6 x 6 diallel analysis was conducted at the Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during 1990, aimed at analysing the combining ability, gene action and heterosis of six vegetable cowpea (Vigna unguiculata var-sesquipedalis) lines collected from the germplasm maintained in this department. The experiment I consisted of crossing the six parental lines in all possible combinations, without reciprocals. The material for experiment II consisted of the six parental lines and fifteen hybrids. They were grown in a Randomised Block Design with three replications.The combining ability analysis was carried out based on method 2 under model I as suggested by Griffing (1956). The treatments showed significant differences in most of characters except number of pods/plant and fruit yield/plant. The variance due to general combining ability was significant and higher in magnitude than specific combining ability for the characters days to flowering, mean weight of pod, mean length of pod, number of seeds/pod, length of internode and seed/pod ratio. It was found that the parent selection 104 and selection 145 were the best general combiners for most of the characters studied. The parent selection 129 was the best general combiner for earliness. The hybrids selection 145 x selection 129 was the best specific combiner for mean weight of pod and number of seeds/pod. The hybrid selection 145 x kurutholapayar was the best specific combiner for earliness. The significance of g.c.a. and s.c.a. variances for most of characters indicate the importance of additive and non-additive gene action in controlling the inheritance of these characters. But additive gene action played a major role suggesting that improvement could be made through selection. Heterosis was calculated over mid and better parental values. Maximum positive heterosis was found for the character fruit yield/plant. Since considerable heterosis was evident in most of the characters, heterosis breeding can be attempted in cowpea
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Genetic divergence, prepotency and inbreeding depression in para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.)
    (Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1992) Kavitha Mydin, K; KAU; Gopinathan Nair, V
    A study on genetic divergence, prepotency and inbreeding depression in rubber was undertaken in an effort to identify clones for use as components of polyclonal seed gardens. Forty clones of Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Sri Lankan origin were evaluated in a replicated trial at the Rubber Research Institute of India. Genetic variability, correlations and the cause and effect relationships of dry rubber yield and its components were worked out. Genetic divergence was estimated employing the Mahalanobis' D2 techinique. The factors of divergence were identified through principal factor analysis. Twenty promising clones from genetically divergent clusters were subjected to seedling progeny analyses for the estimation of propotency based on performance of their open pollinated seedling progenies and inbreeding depression in the first generation of selfing. Significant clonal variation was revealed in respect of all the physiological, morphological and structural attributes studied as mean values for the fourth year of tapping for the stress period and for the peak yield period. High genetic variability for volume of latex under stress, plugging index under stress, annual mean dry rubber yield and dry rubber yield during the stress and peak periods was indicated by the high estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation. Additive gene effects offering scope for improvement through selection was indicated for dry rubber yield, latex flow rate and volume of latex during the three periods, girth increment rate, annual mean plugging index and plugging index under stress, by the moderate to high heritability estimates along with high genetic advance for these traits. Non- additive gene action was indicated by the high heritability and low genetic advance for dry rubber content during the three periods, girth and bark thickness. At both genotypic and phenotypic levels, annual mean dry rubber yield showed moderate to high positive correlations with dry rubber content and latex flow rate during the three periods, girth, girth increment rate, length of the tapping panel and bark thickness and negative correlations with yield depression under stress and plugging index during the three periods. Dry rubber yield under stress emerged as a more important component than peak dry rubber yield by its higher magnitude of positive direct effect on annual mean dry rubber yield. Latex flow rate during the stress and peak periods and annual mean volume of latex exhibited high positive direct effects on annual mean dry rubber yield while plugging index during the peak yield period, volume of latex under stress and girth increment rate had negative direct effects on annual mean dry rubber yield. The magnitude and direction of the effects of the components on dry rubber yield during the three periods varied indicating these relationships to be under different genetic control. Selection for a high dry rubber yield under stress, annual mean volume of latex and latex flow rate during the stress and peak periods and against a high plugging index during the peak period, volume of latex under stress and girth increment rate would help achieve improvement in annual mean dry rubber yield. Considerable genetic diversity was revealed by the wide range of D2 values and intra and inter cluster distances. The forty clones were grouped into eight genetically divergent clusters irrespective of their country of origin indicating the absence of any relationship between geographical diversity and genetic divergence. Volume of latex, plugging index, latex flow rate, dry rubber content and dry rubber yield contributed more towards divergence than the morphological and structural attributes. Supporting evidence was obtained from principal factor analysis which revealed the yield factor to be the main factor of divergence with respect to the clusters studied. Junveile rubber yield on test tapping, number of latex vessel rows and number of leaf flushes in seedling progenies exhibited high heritability and genetic advance indicating scope for their use as early selection parameters, while girth exhibited high heritability and low genetic advance. These three traits showed significant positive correlations with juvenile rubber yield, of which girth exhibited the strongest association. Juvenile rubber yield, number of latex vessel rows, girth and number of leaf flushes were identified as important traits for being accorded simultaneous emphasis in the computation of performance index and index scores for the determination of recovery of superior seedlings as estimates of prepotency. Nine clones were identified as likely preopotents on the basis of seedling progeny analysis at the age of two years. Selfing resulted in a lower fruit set than open pollination in the clones in general. No significant inbreeding depression was recorded for juvenile vegetative traits and rubber yield in seedlings. Clones PB 28/83, PB 215, RRII 105, AVT 73, PB 217, PB 252, Ch 26, PB 242 and PB 5/51 were identified as likely prepotents from three genetically divergent clusters. They recorded superiority for yield and various yield components. These clones exhibited synchrony in flowering and are suggested as components of a nine parent polyclonal seed garden. For a seven parent seed garden the clones suggested to be excluded are PB 5/51 and PB 242. A polyclonal seed garden comprising these nine or seven clones as components could generate good quality polycross seed material. Appropriate seed garden layouts have been suggested.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Combining ability in grass cowpea [Vigna unguiculata var- sesquipedails]
    (Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1992) Rejatha, V; KAU; Ramachandra Nair, N
    Two lines, six testers and twelve bybrids of cowpea were evaluated in the partially shaded conditions of coconut garden of Vellayani for combining ability and gene action. The lines and testers were selected based on their previous performance and crossed in line x tester manner to get twelve hybrids. Observations were made on sixteen characters of which twelve characters showed significant differences among the twenty treatments. Combining ability analysis was carried out as suggested by kempthorn (1957) suggested the importance of specific combining ability for all the characters except for length of pod and days to flowering. It was seen that the varieties chharodi – 1, Culture – 9, V – 26 and GC – 82 – 7 were the best general combiners and the cross combinations Chharodi – 1 x V – 26, Chharodi – 1 x Kanakamani and Culture – 9 x V – 322 were the best specific combinations for yield and yield attributes under partially shaded upland conditions. The yield and important yield attributes were under the control of non – additive gene actions except days to flowering and length of pod. The varieties Culture – 9, GC – 82 – 7,Chharodi – 1 and V – 26 and the cross combinations Chharodi–1 x V–26, Chharodi-1 x Kanakamani and Culture –9 x Kanakamani can be further exploited through selection
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Fruit component and seedling progeny analysis of komadan coconut types
    (Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1992) Manju, P; KAU; Gopimony, R
    The present study was undertaken with a view to unravel the genetic status of a coconut type, Komadan, popular in the Central Travancore region of Kerala, in relation to its origin by comparing its three generations with WCT and NCD through fruit component and seedling progeny analysis. The study revealed that the Komadan types showed significant superiority for majority of the mother palm characters especially number of bunches and spadices and number of nuts per palm per year. Number of nuts per palm per year and number of female flowers per bunch had high heritability combined with moderate to high genetic advance indicating the predominance of additive genes. Among the Komadan palms, 33 per cent were of self pollinating nature thereby occupying a position in between WCT and NCD regarding pollination system. All the Komadan palms had nuts of different shades of brown while 70 per cent of WCT palm had nuts of green shade and NCD palms had varying shades of green, olive and brown nuts indicating the distinction of Komadan as a separate group. Komadan types were superior to WCT in all seednut characters except polar diameter of nut, oil content, thickness of husk and husk/nut ratio. It behaved as a distinct type regarding thickness of meat. One or the other of the Komadan generations was found to be on par with NCD for majority of the seednut characters. Komadan types occupied an area midway between NCD and WCT based on Niu kafa-Niu vai Introgression hypothesis with a clear progression through generations towards better weight of unhusked nut. Inbreeding depression was noticed in WCT and NCD as indicated by significant reduction in embryo and kernel weight in selfed nuts compared to open pollinated nuts. In Komadan there was no inbreeding depression indicating a high degree of homozygosity. The seednuts of Komadan types showed early germination compared to WCT and NCD. Regarding seedling characters, Komadan behaved as a distinct type for total leaf area over both WCT and NCD. Number of seedlings with split leaves was also more in Komadan. This type was superior to WCT for seedling vigour index also. Estimation of prepotency based on recovery of quality seedlings showed that 40 to 60 per cent of Komadan palms were prepotent where as the same in WCT and NCD were only about 20 per cent. Analysis of petiole colour of seedlings showed that 71 to 82 per cent of seedlings among the three Komadan generations showed moderates brown colour (bronze) ; 97 per cent of WCT seedlings had different shades of green and wider variations in petiole colour were noticed in NCD seedlings. It can be concluded that the Komadan type maintained its genetic identity over generations with respect to economically important characters viz. Kernel, copra, and oil content and also in the recovery of quality seedlings which inturn reflects its prepotent nature. The collection and maintenance of typical komadan germplasm through inter se crossing and development of isolated seed gardens for large scale production of komadan seedlings are suggested as future line of work.