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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 Evaluation of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle [Callosobruchus spp.](Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Thouseem, N; KAU; Beena, ThomasThe present study entitled “Evaluation of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle [Callosobruchus spp.]” was carried out at farmer’s field, Kayamkulam during 2015-2017, with an objective to evaluate cowpea genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle. The study was conducted in two experiments. In experiment-I, yield and resistance to pulse beetle was evaluated in a Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications using 30 genotypes collected from different places. Experiment-II was to study the seed morphological and biochemical factors associated with resistance to pulse beetle in five relatively resistant genotypes and five relatively susceptible ones which were identified through experiment-I. The field experiment revealed that the genotype T1 (Ambalappuzha local) showed the highest mean values for days to 50 per cent flowering, length of main stem, pod weight, pod length, number of seeds pod-1, 100 seed weight and crop duration. The maximum yield plant-1 (32.91g) was obtained for the genotype T29 (Sreya) followed byT14 (Alathur local) and T7 (Dhavengarae local), whereas the minimum yield plant-1 (11.07g) was for the genotype T13 (Hridya). Thirteen genotypes were found to be infested under field condition and only very low seed damage via carry over population was noticed. The characters studied were found to be significant for all the genotypes evaluated. The pod weight exhibited the highest GCV (47.73%) and PCV (52.12%). Heritability was high for all the characters except number of primary branches plant-1, number of pods plant-1 and seed yield plant-1 which possessed moderate heritability. GA (% mean) was high for all the characters except crop duration. The association analysis revealed highly significant positive correlation for 100 seed weight, days to 50 per cent flowering, crop duration, number of seeds pod-1, pod girth, and pod length with seed yield both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. The path analysis revealed that 100 seed weight, number of pods plant-1 and number of seeds pod-1 had the maximum positive direct effect on seed yield plant-1. In no choice confinement test under experiment-I, there were significant differences among the genotypes in terms of oviposition, percentage seed damage and percentage seed weight loss. T2 (Kayamkulam local-1) had the least egg load while more eggs were laid on seeds of T29 (Sreya) and T1 (Ambalappuzha local). The highest percentage seed damage and the highest percentage weight loss were recorded for T13 (Hridya) and T27 (Bijapur local) respectively. The lowest percentage seed damage and percentage seed weight loss were observed for the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local). In the study of seed morphological and biochemical factors associated with resistance under experiment-II, it was found that seed coat texture, seed coat colour and protein content of seeds were found to have no influence on resistance to pulse beetle. However, total phenol content of seed was having significant negative correlation with percentage seed weight loss. An index score was worked out to find out genotypes with good yield and relative resistance to pulse beetle. It was observed that the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local) had the highest index score followed by T14 (Alathur local). The present study revealed that the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local) was found to be a good yielder with relative resistance to pulse beetle followed by the genotype T14 (Alathur local). Hence these genotypes can be recommended for future breeding programmes.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic divergence in kiriyat (andrographis paniculata nees)(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Prathibha, S S; KAU; Arya, KThe study entitled “Genetic divergence in kiriyat (Andrographis paniculata Nees)." was under taken at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2015-17 with the objective to assess the genetic variability present in the natural ecotypes of kiriyat from different regions and identifying the superior ecotypes in terms of herbage yield and quality. Thirty accessions of kiriyat were collected from different parts of India and were evaluated for genetic variability with respect to herbage yield (fresh weight) and quality in terms of total extractives (%). Accession A10 from Aruvipuram showed highest mean values for seedling height (15 DAT), number of primary branches, herbage yield (137.25 g), yield plant-1 (dry herbage yield plant-1) (37.79 g) and total extractives (13.6 %) followed by the A14 (Kottakkal) and A7( Kottakkunnu). The accessions A14 (Kottakkal) and A15 (Nilambur) showed highest mean values for number of secondary branches and number of leaves seedlings-1 (15 DAT) respectively. Mean value for days to 50 percent flowering was least for accession A10. The lowest yield was exhibited by A3 (Coimbatore) accession. Average duration of the plants exhibited ranged between 182.67 and 213 days. The earliest accession was A10 (Aruvipuram) with an average duration of 182.67 days. Seedling height, number of leaves seedling-1, number of secondary branches, leaf length and width, stem girth, leaf/stem ratio, plant height, herbage yield, yield plant-1 and total extractives exhibited high coefficient of variations. Heritability was high for all the characters except number of leaves seedling-1 (15 DAT), herbage yield and yield plant-1 which possessed moderate heritability. GA (% mean) was high for all the characters except plant duration. The association analysis revealed a significant correlation among almost all characters and also with yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that plant height, herbage yield, number of primary and secondary branches had high positive direct effect on yield. The genetic divergence was studied using Mahanalobis D2 statistics and accessions were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster VII accommodated maximum number of accessions (13) followed by cluster VI (5), cluster V (4), cluster IV (3), clusters III and II (2) and cluster I (1). Highest inter cluster distance was between clusters VI and VII while intra cluster distance was highest for cluster IV. The study revealed that variability existed among the different ecotypes of kiriyat and the ecotype collected from Aruvipuram (A10) was found to be superior in terms of herbage yield and quality followed by ecotypes from Kottakkal (A14) and Kottakkunnu (AThesisItem Open Access Characterization of kuttiattoor mango (Mangifera indica L.) Cultivar of Kannur district, Kerala(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Reshma Reghu; KAU; Elsy, C RThe present investigation on ‘Characterization of Kuttiattoor mango (Mangifera indica L.) cultivar of Kannur district, Kerala’ was undertaken to characterize Kuttiattoor mango cultivar grown in Kuttiattoor Panchayath and the nearby Grama Panchayaths viz., Kolachhery, Mayyil, Koodali, Munderi and Malappattam and to characterize the similar mango cultivar of the area. The preliminary survey revealed that Kunjimangalam mango cultivar found in Kunjimangalam Grama Panchayath was a similar cultivar to the Kuttiattoor cultivar. Therefore, Kunjimangalam mango cultivar was also characterized. In the present study it was noticed that flowering commenced in the second week of November in majority of the Panchayaths but a slight delay was noticed in Kuttiattoor and Kunjimangalam Panchayat. The peak flowering was observed in third and fourth week of December in most of the Panchayaths while in Kunjimangalam Panchayath it was in the second week of January. The time of fruit maturity was during the fourth week of March and first week of April in trees from most of the Panchayaths but in Kunjimangalam Panchayath, a slight delay was noticed. Kuttiattoor cultivar was noted to have an attractive semi-circular crown shape. Generally, all the trees were tall and found to have spreading type of tree growth habit. Tree height ranged from 13.50 m to 16.10 m with an overall mean of 14.82 m. Trunk circumference ranged from 129.00 cm to 164.20 cm with an overall mean of 144.22 cm. The crown diameter ranged from 10.90 m to 15.90 with an overall mean of 13.12 m. The tree characters did not vary significantly in trees across the Panchayaths. Kuttiattoor cultivar showed medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration in young leaves. The colour of young leaves were light green with brownish tinge. Mature leaves were dark green in colour without leaf blade twisting. Leaf base was obtuse and leaf tip was acuminate. The petiole attitude in relation to shoot was perpendicular. The leaf characters except petiole length did not show significant variation in tree from Panchayath to Panchayath including Kunjimangalam. Leaf blade length ranged from 21.83 cm to 22.46 and leaf blade width ranged from 6.08 cm to 6.33 cm with an overall mean of 6.16 cm. The ratio ranged from 3.54 to 3.59. The spacing of secondary veins in leaf blade ranged from 1.31 cm to 1.49 cm with an overall mean of 1.42 cm. The petiole length ranged from 3.39 cm to 4.02. Petiole length varied slightly in leaves across the Panchayaths. The anthocyanin colouration of the inflorescence was absent or weak uniformily in all the Panchayaths. The inflorescence length ranged from 20.33 cm to 23.95 cm with an overall mean of 22.13 cm. The inflorescence diameter ranged from 17.80 cm to 20.54 cm with an overall mean of 19.54 cm. The inflorescence length and diameter varied slightly across the Panchayaths. Broad elliptic shape in cross section, green colour of skin, medium colour contrast between lenticels and skin, absence of roughness of surface, medium depth of stalk cavity, rounded outward shape of dorsal shoulder, rounded upward type of ventral shoulder, absence of neck, absence of bulging on ventral shoulder, absence of sinus and absence of bulging of proximal stylar scar where the typical qualitative mature fruit characters. The qualitative characters did not vary across the Panchayaths including Kunjimangalam. The fruit length ranged from 8.78 cm to 9.18 cm and the fruit width ranged from 8.11 cm to 8.30 cm. The ratio obtained by dividing the fruit length by fruit width ranged from 1.07 to 1.10 with an overall mean of 1.08. The size of lenticels ranged from 134.78 μm to 137.28 μm with an overall mean of 136.20 μm. Diameter of stalk attachment recorded an overall mean of 4.46 mm. Density of lenticels and diameter of stalk attachment of fruits varied slightly across the Panchayaths. The other fruit quantitative characters did not vary significantly across the Panchayaths. Yellow-orange colour of skin, medium orange colour of flesh, absence of skin speckling were the characters shown by ripe fruits. The characters viz. adherence of skin to flesh, firmness of flesh, juiciness, texture of flesh, amount of fibre attached to stone and amount of fibre attached to skin were recorded as ‘medium’ in fruits from all Panchayaths including Kunjimangalam. The thickness of skin ranged from 1.02 mm to 1.09 mm with an overall mean of 1.06 mm. The relief of stone surface was ridged and the seed shape was reniform. The cultivar was highly polyembryonic. 89.66 per cent of the nuts exhibited polyembryony whereas 10.34 per cent exhibited monoembryony. Biochemical characterization revealed that TSS ranged from 12.62 0Brix to 15.40 0Brix with an overall mean of 14.45 0Brix. TSS was very similar to that obtained for Muvandan in earlier studies. Titratable acidity ranged from 0.14 per cent to 0.21 per cent with an overall mean of 0.18 per cent and carotenoids ranged from 4.48 mg/100g to 7.66 mg/100g with an overall mean of 6.47 mg/100g. Ascorbic acid ranged from 37.65 mg/to 50.98 mg/100g and the crude fibre ranged from 2.56 per cent to 5.05 per cent. TSS and crude fibre showed slight variation in mangoes across the Panchayaths. The cluster analysis grouped 55 trees into two clusters. It was observed that trees from same Panchayath were distributed to both the clusters. Majority of trees from Kunjimangalam were distributed in Cluster I, which had most of the trees of Kuttiattoor, indicating that, the trees identified from Kunjimangalam had close similarity to the trees from Kuttiattoor and nearby Panchayaths.ThesisItem Open Access Characterization of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench] genotypes in North Kerala(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, 2017) Aswathi, G Prasad; KAU; Namboodiri Raji, VasudevanThe study entitled “Characterization of okra [Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench] genotypes in North Kerala” was carried out in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Padannakkad during 2015-2017. The main objective of the study was exploration and collection of okra genotypes in North Kerala and evaluation of collected accessions for morphological characterization, genetic variability and diversity in qualitative and quantitative traits. On the basis of eco-geographic survey conducted in North Kerala, 44 accessions of Abelmoschus esculentus were collected from Kannur, Malappuram and Kasaragod district and the passport data of these accessions were prepared. During the exploration in areas of okra collection, a wide variability was noticed with respect to its morphological traits. Thirty eight accessions out of fourty five were evaluated for various qualitative and quantitative traits in augmented design using two checks viz Salkeerthi a variety released from Kerala Agricultural University and Arka Anamika from Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Bangalore. They were subjected to morphological characterization for fourteen qualitative traits based on IPGRI descriptors and genetic variability analysis for nineteen quantitative traits. The morphological characterization showed distinct morphotypes in the okra accessions as depicted by variation in branching habit, stem colour, leaf shape, leaf colour, flower colour, fruit shape, fruit pubescence and fruit position. The analysis of variance indicated significant differences among the accessions for all the quantitative characters except number of locules per fruit and fruit length. However among the checks there was no significant difference for characters such as days to 50 per cent flowering, internode length, number of units in epicalyx, size of sepal, size of petal and fruit diameter. When checks were compared with accessions, characters like number of fruiting nodes, size of sepals and size of petals did not show any significant difference. Two accessions viz, AE-16 followed by AE-20 recorded higher green fruit yield than two checks with AE-16 recording maximum. The accession AE-20 was also superior for characters such as number of marketable fruits per plant, primary branches per plant and required lesser number of days to attain marketable maturity. The accession AE-5 had shown superiority for important fruit characters such as fruit weight and fruit diameter. All these accessions showed no incidence of fruit and shoot borer except AE-5. Among the components of variability, high heritability coupled with high genetic advance as per cent of mean was observed for plant height, primary branches per plant, internode length, fruit weight, fruit diameter, days to marketable maturity and green fruit yield indicating effectiveness of selection based on phenotypic performance of these traits. Yield being a complex character, the association analysis of component characters of yield revealed high positive genotypic correlation for characters such as primary branches, fruit weight and number of marketable fruits. Significant negative genotypic correlation was exhibited by first flowering node with green fruit yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that internode length, number of fruiting nodes, fruit diameter and number of marketable fruits per plant are the main determinants of green fruit yield in okra as indicated by their high positive direct effects and the characters first flowering node and days to 50 per cent flowering are major determinants of earliness as indicated by their high negative direct effect on green fruit yield. So improvement in yield will be efficient if selection is done based on all these characters. Genetic diversity analysis based on Standardized Euclidean Square Distance for nineteen quantitative characters grouped thirty eight accessions into seven clusters. The clustering showed that there is no parallelism between the geographical distribution and clustering pattern. On the basis of qualitative characters cluster analysis with UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic mean) method grouped the 38 okra accessions into three main clusters as distinguished by branching pattern, leaf and stem colour. There was a total of twenty cross combinations of genotypes belonging to clusters with high inter cluster distance and superior mean performance based on the overall ranking in the clusters for the four attributes viz. fruit weight, marketable fruits per plant, days to marketable maturity and green fruit yield. AE- 5, AE-10, AE-16, AE-18, AE-20 and AE-30 were identified as promising. The present investigation projected the importance of AE-16 and AE-20 as one of the parents for higher heterosis in F1 and potential transgrents in the subsequent generation. Both these accessions have considerably high green fruit yield per plant greater than the checks Salkeerthi and Arka Anamika. Similarly the accessions like AE-10, AE-18, AE-30 belonging to cluster I, V and IV were identified as superior in yield and AE-5 belonging to cluster VI as promising with highest fruit weight. If these genotypes are involved in crosses with Salkeerthi, the popular variety of KAU with excellent fruit characters will give potentially high yielding segregates with good market value.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic stock development for phytophthora pod rot disease resistance in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.)(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Veeresh, S Akki; KAU; Minimol, J SCocoa production is ruthlessly affected by pod rot disease caused by many Phytophthora species. Among these, the pod rot caused by Phytophthora palmivora is of prime importance. Since, the disease infection period is rainy season, the application of fungicides has not evidenced as a successful control measure. Hence, the effective and eco-friendly way to tackle this disease is by developing resistant varieties. The success of any breeding programme depends upon the availability of well characterised genetic resources. In this context, the current study was formulated for characterisation of exotic germplasm and identifying genetic stock of cocoa for Phytophthora pod rot resistance. Morphological characterization of 30 genotypes were carried out by recording ten qualitative and 23 quantitative characters governing leaf, flower, pod and bean. High variability was observed for most of the characters except petal colour and number of ridges and furrows. The germplasm when characterized based on biochemical parameters such as fat, polyphenols and mineral content (Na, K and Ca) also expressed wide variability. It is essential to quantify the diversity available among genotypes in order to design an effective breeding programme. Hence, cluster analysis was carried out by D2 statistics and principal component analysis. Among all the qualitative clusters, cluster III was the biggest with eight members. Cluster analysis of quantitative characters showed that most of the genotypes were placed separately in distinct cluster due to wide variability available in the germplasm. Cluster analysis of biochemical characters also exhibited wide variability which is evident from the fact that it formed 15 clusters even at 25 per cent similarity. Correlation studies and path analysis were employed to know the nature and relationships among the yield attributing characters. Here, it was found that wet bean weight (g) showed positive correlation with pod weight (g), furrow thickness (cm), pod length (cm), pod breadth (cm), weight of the bean (g) and number of beans per pod. Results of path analysis revealed that total wet bean weight (g) was directly influenced by pod thickness (cm), number of beans per pod, single dry bean weight (g) and wet bean weight (g). Since, quantitative and qualitative descriptors serve as an effective tool to discriminate among the genotypes, a evaluation data was constructed for all the genotypes considering distinct characters governing them. The non-pricking and pricking methods of pod inoculation with pure culture of pathogen were employed to know the disease resistance reaction exhibited by different genotypes. In the non-pricking method, five genotypes (ICS 41, SIAL 339, PNG 250, PNG 336 and IMC 20) with zero per cent infection and 14 genotypes (CRU 12, MO 109, GDL 7, GU 261/P, NA 149, PA 156, LX 43, POUND 4/B, JA 10/12, DOM 14, ICS 75, DOM 25, POUND 18 and POUND 16/A) with infection less than 15 per cent were grouped under highly resistant category. However, these genotypes did not show same disease resistance reaction in pricking method which indicated that the resistance was influenced by certain morphological characters apart from the internal resistance and the significance of those morphological characters were lost when pods were pricked. Binomial logistic regression revealed that different phenes like ridge thickness, polyphenol content and calcium content were positively contributing to disease resistance. Whereas, phenes like pod rugosity, pod basal constriction and pod length were negatively correlated with disease resistance. If these phenes are considered for selection, ample increase in the level of resistance will be noticed in the resultant population. Genetic stock was developed considering disease resistance and yield. As opined by many scientists “Disease resistance is a double-edged sword”. The phytotoxin developed in plants against pathogen is not only toxic to the pathogen but also to the plants resulting in yield reduction. Here also same trend was noticed and majority of the genotypes which expressed high resistance were low yielders. The accessions manifested high resistance can be used for further breeding programme.ThesisItem Open Access Development and validation of novel EST-SSR markers in black pepper(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, 2017) Sherin Jose; KAU; Sujatha, RThe study entitled ―Development and validation of novel EST-SSR markers in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.)‖ was carried out at College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, Kasaragod, Kerala during 2015-2017. The main objectives of the study were to develop EST-SSR markers in black pepper, validation of the developed EST-SSR markers in different genotypes of black pepper and to study the genetic relationship among different species of Piper. Different genotypes (53 numbers) including nineteen varieties and sixteen cultivars of black pepper and eighteen different species of Piper were included in the study. The plant materials were collected from Hi-Tech black pepper nursery in College of Agriculture, Padannakad; Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR- IISR), Kozhikode; the Experimental farm of IISR, Peruvannamuzhi and Pepper Research Station, Panniyur. Simple sequence repeats (SSR) were mined from the expressed sequence tags (EST) obtained in a previous study about the genes expressed during berry development stage of black pepper. The microsatellite identification tool, MISA was used for detecting SSRs from 1048 unigenes having a total size of 518179 bp and the results were confirmed using another microsatellite identification tool, GMATo. Seventy SSRs were detected from 68 unigene sequences which accounts for 6.49 per cent of total sequences. There were 62 mononucleotides (88.6 per cent), two dinucleotides (2.8 per cent) and six trinucleotides (8.6 per cent) identified from the sequences. Ten microsatellites including six trinucleotides, two dinucleotides and two compound SSRs were selected and primers were designed based on the corresponding unigene sequences to amplify these regions in the genomic DNA. Nine primers (which consist of forward and reverse primer) were designed, viz., PNS1, PNS2, PNS3, PNS4a, PNS4b, PNS5, PNS6, PNS7 and PNS8. Primers were designed for eight repeat motifs including six trinucleotide repeats, one dinucleotide repeat and one compound repeat. The developed primers were screened using genomic DNA isolated from black pepper variety Panniyur-1. Annealing temperature of the primers was standardized through gradient PCR. Based on the specificity of the amplification, five primers (PNS1, PNS3, PNS4a, PNS6 and PNS8) were selected for further validation. Genomic DNA was isolated from the 53 genotypes of Piper spp. and amplified with the selected primers for validation. In total, 34 alleles were obtained for the five loci amplified by the five primer sets. The average number of alleles per locus was 6.8. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) value of different primers was calculated based on the number of polymorphic bands obtained using each primer set. All the five primers were successful in amplifying the corresponding locus in P. nigrum genotypes as well as in other Piper spp. Among the 34 alleles, seven were found only in P. nigrum, 16 were specific to other Piper spp. and 11 were shared by both groups. PIC value was in the range of 0.16 to 0.83. The maximum PIC value was given by PNS6 with 10 alleles bringing out the difference between all the species and minimum was shown by PNS8. For cluster analysis using the software DARwin version 6, scoring was carried out based on the presence (1) or absence (0) of the alleles in each genotype using each primer. Dissimilarity between the genotypes was found out using dice matrix. Dissimilarity values were in the range of 0.08 to 0.87. The genotypes were grouped into different clusters based on the similarity between genotypes. Different Piper species were present in two clusters, Cluster II with seven species and Cluster III with eleven species. In Cluster III-B, one species, Piper sp. (North East Fragrance) was present along with six black pepper cultivars indicating that this may be a closely related species of P. nigrum. Some of the parental type and corresponding varieties derived from them (Aimpiriyan and Panchami, Balankotta and Panniyur-2) were present in single cluster which indicates the genetic similarity between these genotypes. Allelic size of 400 bp obtained using EST-SSR marker, PNS 1 was unique to Piper sp. (North East). The marker PNS 3 also showed a unique allele in Piper sp. (North East) with two alleles having a size of 230 bp and 210 bp. Allele with a size of 180 bp was given by Piper sp. (Anand) using PNS 3 EST-SSR marker. Allelic size of 400 bp, 320 bp and 300 bp was unique to Piper chaba, Piper ornatum and Piper betle using PNS 6 marker. The markers developed will be linked with a gene, as they are derived from the expressed region of the genome. In the present study also the limited number markers could bring out preliminary information about the existing genetic diversity between certain groups which was reported earlier using other molecular markers such as ISSR and RAPD. However this cannot be generalized, as further information is needed based on more number of SSR markers.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes for yield under water stress conditions(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Namitha, Elizabeth; KAU; Beena, ThomasThe present study entitled “Evaluation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes for yield under water stress conditions” was carried out in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2015-2017, with an objective to identify high yielding genotypes of tomato under water stress conditions. Twenty genotypes including 12 accessions from the previous project in the Department viz., Nellanadu local, Kuttichal local I, Venpalavattam local, Palakkad local, Vellayani local I, Kottayam local , Kuttichal local II, Kaithamukku local, Pettah local, Vellayani local II, Haripad local and Thrissur local along with 8 released varieties Arka Alok, Arka Vikas, Arka Saurabh, Arka Meghali, Vellayani Vijay, Anagha, Akshay and Manulekshmi were evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications during October 2016- February 2017. Water stress was imposed from flowering onwards by restricting the irrigation to once in three days at 10mm depth. The analysis of variance was calculated for the characters under study viz., plant height (cm), number of primary branches plant-1, number of leaves plant-1 , days to 50 % flowering, number of fruits cluster-,1, number of fruits plant-1, fruit length (cm) , fruit girth (cm), fruit volume (cm3), fruit weight (g), yield plant-1(g), stomatal frequency, relative water content (%), canopy temperature (0C) and proline content of leaves (μmol g-1) and was found to be significant for all the genotypes evaluated. The mean performances of the genotypes for the characters under study were evaluated. The maximum yield was recorded for the accession A6 (Kottayam local) and the minimum yield was observed for accession A1 (Nellanadu local). The accession A6 (Kottayam local) showed the highest mean values for stomatal frequency, relative water content and proline content. The proline content of leaves exhibited the highest GCV (66.02 %) and PCV (68.00 %). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for stomatal frequency, yield plant-1, proline content, number of fruits plant-1, fruit volume (cm3), number of leaves plant-1 and number of primary branches plant-1. The yield plant-1 was found to be significantly and positively correlated with plant height (cm), number of primary branches plant-1, number of fruits cluster-1, number of fruits plant-1, fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), fruit volume (cm3), fruit weight (g), stomatal frequency (number cm-2), relative water content (%), canopy temperature (0C) and proline content of leaves (μmol g-1) both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. Days to 50% flowering was found to be negatively correlated with yield plant-1. The path analysis revealed that number of fruits cluster-1 and fruit weight had the maximum positive direct effect on yield plant-1. The study revealed that accession A6 (Kottayam local) was superior in yield performance under water stress condition followed by the accession A4 (Palakkad local), accession A2 (Kuttichal local I) and accession A7 (Kuttichal local II). The accession A6 (Kottayam local) also recorded the highest relative water content, stomatal frequency and proline content. Accumulation of proline in leaves was found to be an important water stress tolerance mechanism.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic variability for yield and resistance to legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Fab.) in yard long bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) verdcourt)(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Asoontha; KAU; Mareen AbrahamThe present study entitled “Genetic variability for yield and resistance to legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Fab.) in yard long bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdcourt)” was carried out in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2016-2017, with the objective to evaluate yard long bean germplasm for yield and legume pod borer resistance as well as identification of promising genotypes. The study involved two separate field experiments. In the first experiment thirty genotypes, collected from different locations waere evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications for legume pod borer resistance. The following damage parameters viz., per cent of infested flower buds, number of larvae per 25 flowers and per cent infestation of pods were recorded at flower bud initiation, flowering and pod formation stages of the crop respectively. Non glandular trichome density on pod wall (counts mm-2) was also recorded at the vegetable maturity stage to assess the morphological basis of resistance. Plant resistance index was worked out using metroglyph analysis and twelve genotypes showing moderate resistance to legume pod borer was identified. They were subjected to yield evaluation in the second field experiment. The twelve moderately resistant genotypes were evaluated in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and the following observations viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, days to first harvest, pod yield plant -1 (g), pods plant-1, length of pod (cm), weight of pod (g), seeds pod-1, 100 seed weight (g), length of harvest period (days), crop duration (days) were recorded. Analysis of variance was calculated for all the characters under study. The highest mean yield of 485.03 g was recorded in case of Puthuppady local and lowest mean yield of 176.97 g was observed in case of IC 39945. Highest mean pod weight was recorded for Githika and minimum for Wayand local. Pod yield plant-1 exhibited the highest PCV (34.58%) and GCV (29.9%). High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for pod yield plant-1, pods plant-1, length of pod and weight of pod. Significant positive correlation with yield was observed for all characters except days to 50 per cent flowering. Path coefficient analysis revealed that yield was directly and positively correlated with seeds pod-1, crop duration, number of pods plant-1 and 100 seed weight. The genetic divergence was studied using Mahanalobis D2 statistics and the genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Cluster V showed the highest cluster mean for the characters viz., pod yield plant-1, length of pod, weight of pods and seeds pod-1. It also showed the lowest cluster mean for days to 50 per cent flowering and days to first harvest. The inter cluster distance was maximum between cluster I and cluster II and least between cluster I and cluster IV. Intracluster distance was highest for cluster III followed by cluster II. Cluster IV and cluster V were the solitary ones. Selection index was also calculated to discriminate the desirable genotypes and it was observed that Puthuppady local, Githika and IC 39947 recorded high values of selection index. The results from the study revealed that the genotypes Puthuppady local, Githika a released variety from KAU and IC 39947 were superior for yield and resistance to legume pod borer. Hence Puthuppady local and IC 39947 can be considered for further crop improvement programmes for developing high yielding legume pod borer resistant varieties.ThesisItem Open Access Pedigree breeding in early segregating generations of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp)(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Sunil, R; Jiji, JosephPulses represent an essential component of agricultural food crops and considered as an important crop to meet food and nutritional security. They complement cereal crops in terms of dietary requirement as a source of protein and minerals. In several countries of the tropics and sub-tropics, cowpea serves as an important food legume. It plays an essential role in enrichment of daily diet, mainly as a grain and green pods. In general, cowpea seeds contain 23.4 per cent protein, 60.3 per cent carbohydrates and 1.8 per cent fat. It also provides considerable amount of vitamins and phosphorus. The protein availability in cowpea seeds and green pods is almost double/ triple the amount of available cereal protein. The average grain yield of cowpea is still low and no single variety is adaptable for all growing conditions. Exploiting genetic variability is an essential method, to overcome the complex nature of cowpea breeding and to identify an elite high yielding genotype. Selection of best lines with high yield and other associated characters, in segregating generations paves a way to develop new varieties. The present study aimed to evaluate the F2 and F3 generations for high yield and protein content in two crosses (H 10 and H 11), involving Anaswara, PKB 3 and PKB 4 as parents. In general, the F2 families of both the crosses showed high mean performance and variance over the parents. Grain yield showed very low phenotypic coefficient variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient variation (GCV). All other characters showed a moderate PCV and GCV values in segregating generation expect for days to first flowering, days to first harvest and days to last harvest. Most of the characters showed high heritability (h2) in F2 generation. In F2, the lowest value for h2 was observed for single pod weight in H 10 family and for grain yield in H 11 family. Similarly, High genetic advance over mean (GAM) was exhibited by 100-seed weight in H 10 family and number of pods per plant in H 11 family. Selection based on characters with high h2 and high GAM will be highly effective. In F2 generation of H 10 family, single pod weight showed significant and positive correlation with hundred seed weight and grain yield per plant. Days to first harvest and days to last harvest had a significant negative correlation with grain yield per plant. Days to first flowering, days to last harvest and single pod weight had significant negative correlation with protein content. In F2 generation of H 11 family, days to last harvest and number of pods per plant showed significant and positive correlation with grain yield per plant. Number of pods per plant showed a significant positive correlation with protein content. Days to first harvest showed significant negative correlation with grain yield per plant and days to first flowering with protein content. On path analysis, plant height, days to first harvest, pod length and hundred seed weight showed a positive direct effect on grain yield. Negative direct effect was exerted by protein content towards grain yield. A selection criteria was fixed based on number of pods per plant, grain yield per plant and protein content for selecting best lines to be forwarded to F3 generations. Eight lines from F2’s of H 10 family and fifteen lines from F2’s of H 11 family were identified to be the best and forwarded to next generation. F3 family of both H 10 and H 11 followed a general trend for mean, variance, GCV, PCV, h2 and GAM. Mean and variance were high for most of the characters and GCV and PCV values were moderate except for days to first flowering, days to first harvest, days to last harvest, 100-seed weight and grain yield, where it was low. F3 families showed high heritability and moderate GAM, for most of the characters. In F3 generation of cross H 10, days to last harvest had significant positive correlation with grain yield per plant. There was no significant positive correlation with the characters towards grain yield, in the F3 generation of cross H 11. Significant and negative correlation, showed by days to first harvest with grain yield per plant and days to first flowering with protein content in family H 10. Whereas, in family H 11 hundred seed weight showed significant negative correlation with protein content. On path analysis, days to first flowering showed very high positive direct effect followed by single pod weight, plant height and 111 number of pods per plant. Very high negative direct effect showed by days to first harvest through days to first flowering towards grain yield. Nine lines each from F3’s of H 10 and H 11 with high yield and protein content was selected and shall be forwarded for next generation evaluation.
