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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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20111
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Subject: Post Harvest Technology × Author: Aneesh, Mohan × Author: KAU × End date: 2020 × Start date: 2010 × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development and evaluation of a seed extractor for ash gourd and cucumber
    (Department of Post harvest technology and agricultural processing,Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2011) Aneesh, Mohan; KAU; Santhi, Mary Mathew
    A seed extractor was developed for ash gourd and cucumber. The important part of the machine is the extraction tool whose diameter can be varied (52 -160 mm) according to the placental diameter of the fruit and it can be maintained at that diameter for the required time. The principle of operation is to penetrate the rotating tool with handle, into the placental region after adjusting its diameter which helps in scraping out the seeds along with the pulp from the centre and surrounding mesocarp portion. The experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with three factors. Two blade shapes (round edged and pointed edged), three blade thicknesses (1, 2 and 3 mm) and four rotational speeds (50, 80, 120 and 160 rpm) were chosen. For each experiment, the number of replications were three. Before loading the vegetables to the holder for seed extraction the top and bottom ends which do not contain the seeds were cut and removed for easy penetration of the tool. By adjusting the blade diameter to required size, the rotating tool is lowered through the central portion of the vegetable and it scraps out the seeds from the surrounding mesocarp. The seeds are discharged into the chute. The seed extraction of ash gourd was achieved by a mean time of 10.6 s/kg and that of cucumber with 16.6 s/kg. The seed extraction efficiencies of both these vegetables were in the range of 99 to 100%. The germination rates were 95% for ash gourd seeds and 96% for cucumber seeds. The capacity of the extractor for ash gourd is 350 kg/h and that of cucumber is 219 kg/h. The average energy consumption at loaded condition for seed extraction of ash gourd is 0.105 kWh and for cucumber is 0.102 kWh. The cost of seed extraction per kilogram for ash gourd is ` 0.15/- and for cucumber is ` 0.24/-. The cost of seed production per kilogram for ash gourd is ` 10.3 /- and for cucumber is ` 3.0/-.