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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 Pathology × Author: Gifty, K J × Start date: 2011 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    Prevalence of sesamum phyllody in Onattukara tract and evaluation of fungal root endophyte Piriformospora indica for its management
    (Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2022) Gifty, K J; KAU; KAU; Radhika N S
    The research work entitled ‘Prevalence of sesamum phyllody in Onattukara tract and evaluation of fungal root endophyte Piriformospora indica for its management’ was conducted during 2019-21 at Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani and Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station with the objectives to study the symptomatology, molecular detection and characterization of phytoplasma inciting sesamum phyllody disease in AEU 3 (Onattukara tract); and evaluation of fungal root endophyte P. indica for its management. Phytoplasma infected sesamum samples were collected from D and F blocks of Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station and Karthikapally. Karthikapally recorded highest disease incidence (39.44 per cent) and vulnerability index (23.75). Chocolate weed, Melochia corchorifolia, was found to be exhibiting symptoms of shoot proliferation. Hoppers collected from the infected fields were identified as Orosius albicintus, Hishimonas phycitis and Nephotettix sp. Disease symptoms were observed at the stage of flowering of sesamum plants in all the sampled locations. The associated symptoms were reduction in internodal length of stem, axillary bud proliferation, thickening of the floral veins, phyllody and floral proliferation. Microtome sections of infected and healthy leaf, stem of sesamum stained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stain, and observed under fluorescence microscope emitted diffuse fluorescence from the infected tissues, which was brighter than the one from the parenchymal cells indicating the presence of phytoplasma in the infected tissues. Studies on variations in the level of gibberellic acid (GA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in phyllody infected and healthy sesamum was undertaken. GA content was increased by 2.25 times and 10.46 times, and IAA content was decreased by 1.25 times and 1.97 times in leaves and flowers of infected samples compared to the healthy samples. Molecular characterization of sesamum phyllody was performed with leaf samples collected from ORARS lowland, ORARS upland, Vellayani and Karthikapally. Amplicons of 1.4kb was obtained by amplifying with universal primers P1/P6 for detection of phytoplasma. The sequences obtained were subjected to BLAST analysis and the 16S rDNA gene sequence showed that all the isolates shared more than 99 per cent similarity with that of the ‘Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia’ strains in GenBank data base. In the phylogenetic tree constructed, the sesamum phyllody phytoplasma under study clustered with the 16SrII group (Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia) phytoplasmas causing sesamum phyllody in various regions. The virtual RFLP pattern generated by iPhyClassifier, derived from 16S rDNA fragment was found to be identical to the reference pattern of 16Sr group II, subgroup D (GenBank accession: Y10097). Based on the results obtained from sequence analysis and virtual RFLP pattern, the phytoplasma associated with sesamum phyllody was identified as ‘'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia”-related strain belonging to subgroup 16SrII-D. P. indica obtained from Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani was mass multiplied in sterilized coir pith: FYM mixture (1:1) amended with 2 per cent gram flour and sesamum seeds were sown. Colonization was observed seven days after germination. Wedge grafting was standardized in sesamum at 30 days after germination. Pot culture experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of P. indica against phytoplasma causing sesamum phyllody, by grafting the colonized and non-colonized plants with infected scion. P. indica colonization could significantly reduce the incidence and severity of infection. After 30 and 45 days of grafting, an incidence of 20 and 60 per cent, and severity of 5 and 50 were recorded in the colonized plants grafted with infected scion, whereas an incidence of 60 and 80 per cent and severity of 45 and 75 were recorded in non-colonized plants grafted with infected scion. In colonized plants, enhanced shoot and root length at 30 and 55 days after germination were recorded and also earliness in flowering compared to noncolonized plants. Hence the associated symptoms of phytoplasma infection in sesamum are virescence, thickening of floral veins, phyllody and floral proliferation. The study revealed the association of Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia group with sesamum phyllody prevalent in Onattukara tract. The evaluation of beneficial fungal root endophyte P. indica against phytoplasma revealed delayed expression of symptoms in the colonized plants.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Prevalence of sesamum phyllody in Onattukara tract and evaluation of fungal root endophyte Piriformospora indica for its management
    (Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2022) Gifty, K J; KAU; Radhika, N S
    The research work entitled ‘Prevalence of sesamum phyllody in Onattukara tract and evaluation of fungal root endophyte Piriformospora indica for its management’ was conducted during 2019-21 at Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani and Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station with the objectives to study the symptomatology, molecular detection and characterization of phytoplasma inciting sesamum phyllody disease in AEU 3 (Onattukara tract); and evaluation of fungal root endophyte P. indica for its management. Phytoplasma infected sesamum samples were collected from D and F blocks of Onattukara Regional Agricultural Research Station and Karthikapally. Karthikapally recorded highest disease incidence (39.44 per cent) and vulnerability index (23.75). Chocolate weed, Melochia corchorifolia, was found to be exhibiting symptoms of shoot proliferation. Hoppers collected from the infected fields were identified as Orosius albicintus, Hishimonas phycitis and Nephotettix sp. Disease symptoms were observed at the stage of flowering of sesamum plants in all the sampled locations. The associated symptoms were reduction in internodal length of stem, axillary bud proliferation, thickening of the floral veins, phyllody and floral proliferation. Microtome sections of infected and healthy leaf, stem of sesamum stained with 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stain, and observed under fluorescence microscope emitted diffuse fluorescence from the infected tissues, which was brighter than the one from the parenchymal cells indicating the presence of phytoplasma in the infected tissues. Studies on variations in the level of gibberellic acid (GA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in phyllody infected and healthy sesamum was undertaken. GA content was increased by 2.25 times and 10.46 times, and IAA content was decreased by 1.25 times and 1.97 times in leaves and flowers of infected samples compared to the healthy samples. Molecular characterization of sesamum phyllody was performed with leaf samples collected from ORARS lowland, ORARS upland, Vellayani and Karthikapally. Amplicons of 1.4kb was obtained by amplifying with universal primers P1/P6 for detection of phytoplasma. The sequences obtained were subjected to BLAST analysis and the 16S rDNA gene sequence showed that all the isolates shared more than 99 per cent similarity with that of the ‘Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia’ strains in GenBank data base. In the phylogenetic tree constructed, the sesamum phyllody phytoplasma under study clustered with the 16SrII group (Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia) phytoplasmas causing sesamum phyllody in various regions. The virtual RFLP pattern generated by iPhyClassifier, derived from 16S rDNA fragment was found to be identical to the reference pattern of 16Sr group II, subgroup D (GenBank accession: Y10097). Based on the results obtained from sequence analysis and virtual RFLP pattern, the phytoplasma associated with sesamum phyllody was identified as ‘'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia”-related strain belonging to subgroup 16SrII-D. P. indica obtained from Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani was mass multiplied in sterilized coir pith: FYM mixture (1:1) amended with 2 per cent gram flour and sesamum seeds were sown. Colonization was observed seven days after germination. Wedge grafting was standardized in sesamum at 30 days after germination. Pot culture experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of P. indica against phytoplasma causing sesamum phyllody, by grafting the colonized and non-colonized plants with infected scion. P. indica colonization could significantly reduce the incidence and severity of infection. After 30 and 45 days of grafting, an incidence of 20 and 60 per cent, and severity of 5 and 50 were recorded in the colonized plants grafted with infected scion, whereas an incidence of 60 and 80 per cent and severity of 45 and 75 were recorded in non-colonized plants grafted with infected scion. In colonized plants, enhanced shoot and root length at 30 and 55 days after germination were recorded and also earliness in flowering compared to noncolonized plants. Hence the associated symptoms of phytoplasma infection in sesamum are virescence, thickening of floral veins, phyllody and floral proliferation. The study revealed the association of Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia group with sesamum phyllody prevalent in Onattukara tract. The evaluation of beneficial fungal root endophyte P. indica against phytoplasma revealed delayed expression of symptoms in the colonized plants.