Loading...
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.
Browse
37 results
Search Results
ThesisItem Open Access Site specific nutrient management for chilli (Capsicum annum.L) in kalliyoor panchayath of kerala(Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2011) Priya, U K; KAU; Sudharmai Devi C RSite Specific Nutrient management is a technology in precision fanning that offers chance for farmers to achieve the targeted yield taking into consideration the potential yield of the crop by application of apt amount of fertilizers. The technology is farmers' friendly, eco-friendly and also consumer friendly. In Indian scenario wherein farmers are suffering from yield losses up to 40% due to micronutrient deficiency of soils mainly zinc and boron deficiencies are the yield limiting factors of production. Kerala the soils are low in basic ions that are posing serious threat to crop production. The Judicious application of chemical fertilizers along with micronutrients is necessary for sustainable crop production. The present study "Site Specific Nutrient Management in" Chilli (Capsicum annuum.L.) in Kalliyoor Panchayath Of .Kerala" was carried out to satisfy the objectives viz. study the spatial variability of area, to find outtheindigenous nutrient supply via omission trials, fix a target yield based on the potential yield of the crop and formulate a site specific nutrient recommendation to obtain the targeted yield. In order to understand the spatial variability survey was conducted at 25 sites of Kalliyoor panchayath. The results of survey showed that the soils showed wide variation in terms of soil physical and chemical properties. Soil phosphorus status , was high in all cases other nutrient concentration ranged from low to high. The spatial variability necessitated carrying out the omission trials at four different sites that were ranked according to the nutrient status into high, medium first level, medium second level and low fertility soils. From the omission trials the recovery fraction and, indigenous nutrient supply were calculated. Utilising all these parameters in QUEFT model SSNJ\:1.--tre tments were fixed. /' / / - :l.33- The high yield target was fixed at 16 t ha that was 50% of the potential yield. The nutrient recommendation generated for HYT was 104.8: 13.6: 201 kg N, P205 and K20 ha-I. Medium yield target was fixed at 168:51: 230 kg N, P205 and K20 ha- I. Taking into account micronutrient and secondary nutrient deficiencies in the soil. In high yield target soil application of micro nutrients and secondary nutrients along with application of 1 % foliar spray of boron was recommended. Micronutrients for soil application were boron @ 5 kg ha-I in form of borax, zinc @ 20 kg ha-I in form of zinc sulphate. Secondary nutrients applied were calcium @ 30 kg ha-I in form of CaS04, magnesium @ 7.5 kg ha-I in form of MgS04. The requirement of sulphur was met from soil applied zinc sulphate, calcium sulphate and magnesium sulphate. In medium yield target only soil application of micro and secondary nutrients along with the application of QUEFT generated recommendations for the crop; POP + micronutrient recommendations were evaluated. Simultaneously an absolute control was also carried out. Soil analysis was carried out for all the physical and chemical properties of the soil initially before the crop was raised, and after each harvest. So that change in soil properties as a result of application of treatments could be evaluated, since the application of fertilizer coincided with each harvest. The results derived from the experiment proved the superiority of SSNM over other treatments with respect to the yield major nutrient and micronutrient uptake. , Where high yield target registered a cumulative yield of 17. 32 tons, medium yield target registered a cumulative yield of 11.75 tons this was _much superior to POP+SNMN that registered an yield of 9.83 tons, or the package of practice recommendation that registered an yield of only 8.3 tons . Farmers practice registered inferior yield data of only 5.2 tons. The study revealed that the site specific nutrient management is an efficient technology to increase the yield of crops and hence provide additional income to the farmers; this technique also provides a -134 - scope of increasing the yield without over application of fertilizers that would result in deterioration of the soil physical and chemical properties in long run.ThesisItem Open Access Nitrogen and sulphur interaction on their release pattern and use efficiency in ferralitic soils.(Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2011) Mariya Dainy, M S; KAU; Usha, P BAn experiment was carried out at College of Agriculture, Vellayani to investigate the interactive effect of nitrogen and sulphur on their release pattern and use efficiency in ferralitic soils with bhindi as the test crop. The experiment consisted of an incubation study and a field experiment. The incubation study was carried out to understand the release pattern of N and S from their sources viz. urea and gypsum in the soil at different sampling stages (30 and 100 days of incubation) using ferralitic soil kept at field capacity. The treatments consisted of M1N1S1, MINIS2 , M1N1S3 , M1N2S1 , M1N2S2 ,M1N2S3 ,M1N3S1 , M1N3S2 , M1N3S3 , M2N1S1 , M2N1S2 , M2N1S3 , M2N2S1 , M2N2S2 , M2N2S3 , M2N3S1 , M2N3S2 and M2N3S3 and M0N0S0 . Levels of N include N1 (50 kg ha-1), N2 (80 kg ha-1) and N3 (110 kg ha-1). M1 include P2O5 @ 8 kg ha-1+ K2O @ 25kg ha-1 (current POP) and M2 include P2O5 @ 35 kgha-1 + K2O @ 70 kg ha-1(modified POP). Different levels of S are S1 (10 kg ha-1), S2 (15 kg ha-1) and S3 (20 kg ha-1). Soil samples were collected and analyzed for pH, available N and available S content. There was increase in pH value to the neutral range at fifty per cent flowering stage (30 Days of Incubation) and all the treatments showed a decreasing trend in the pH value at 100 Days of Incubation. Available N and available S content increased to some extent at fifty per cent flowering and decreased at the final harvest stage. Application of N up to 110 kg ha-1 significantly increased the available N status of soil and S application up to 20 kg ha-1 increased the soil S status during incubation. The field experiment was laid out in 2×3×3+1 factorial RBD having three replications using bhindi variety Varsha Uphar as the test crop. The treatments were similar to that of the incubation study. S application @15 kg ha-1 significantly reduced the internodal length. N and S interaction N @ 80 kg ha-1 and S @ 15 kg ha-1 showed significant influence on fruit length. The maximum number of fruits and highest yield was obtained when the nutrients were applied @ 80 kg N ha-1 + 8 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 25 kg K2O ha-1 + 15 kg S ha-1. Considering the N and S interaction effects, combined application of N @ 80 kg ha-1 and S @ 20 kg ha-1 increased the number of fruits and yield. Application of N up to 80 kg ha-1 increased the crop yield and above this level, there was reduction in yield. The increase in number of fruits per plant by the application of N and S may be due to the highest uptake and efficient utilization of nutrients. N @ 110 kg ha-1 and S @ 20 kg ha-1 recorded the highest dry matter content. S application @ 15 kg ha-1 showed significant influence on N Use Efficiency (NUE) in bhindi. Application of 80 kg N ha-1 + 8 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 25 kg K2O ha-1 + 15 kg S ha-1 resulted in highest NUE. By the application of urea and gypsum, there was slight increase in the soil pH. After N and S application, there was increase in organic carbon content of the soil. At fifty per cent flowering all the nutrients showed an increase in availability and there was a decrease at the final harvest stage because of crop uptake and various losses. N application @ 110 kg ha-1 significantly increased the available N status in the soil. S application up to 20 kg ha-1 significantly increased the available P K and S content in soil. As the levels S increased, there was increase in the exchangeable calcium in soil. Higher levels of application of N recorded higher N content in both plant and fruit. Application of P and K at M2 (35 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 70 kg K2O ha-1) level significantly increased the content of P, K and Ca in plant and fruit. Increased S application increased the Ca content in plant since gypsum was used as the source of S. S application up to 20 kg ha-1 had significant influence on the fruit Ca and Mg concentration. The interactive effect of N and S was not significant in the case of S content in plant. But, N2S3 (N @ 80 kg ha-1 and S @ 20 kg ha-1) recorded the superior value. N application had got positive influence on the content of P, K, Ca, Mg and S in plant and fruit. By progressive increase in S application up to 20 kg ha-1and N application up to 80 kg ha-1, there was significant reduction in N: S ratio. N and S fertilization had significant influence on leaf chlorophyll content and application of 80 kg N ha-1, 35 kg P2O5 ha-1, 70 kg K2O ha-1 and 15 kg S ha-1 showed the superior value for chlorophyll content. An increasing trend was noticed with higher levels of N up to 80 kg ha-1 and S up to 20 kg ha-1. N and S application significantly enhanced the uptake of nutrients. Uptake of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and S were highest when N, P, K and S were applied @ 80 kg N ha-1+ 35 kg P2O5 ha-1+ 70 kg K2O ha-1+ 20 kg S ha-1. N application @ 80 kg ha-1 significantly influenced the B: C ratio. Among the treatments M1N2S2 (80 kg N ha-1 + 8 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 25 kg K2O ha-1 + 15 kg S ha-1) which gave the highest yield showed the highest B: C ratio. Maximum B: C ratio was obtained when N and S were applied @ 80 kg ha-1 and 15 kg ha-1 respectively. As the levels of S increased, B: C ratio also increased. Fertilization of N, P, K and S @ 80 kg ha-1, 35 kg ha-1, 70 kg ha-1 and 15 kg ha-1 respectively recorded the minimum Percentage Disease Incidence (yellow vein mosaic). Among the treatments, yield, number of fruits per plant, N Use Efficiency and B: C ratio were highest for M1N2S2 (80 kg N ha-1 + 8 kg P2O5 ha-1 + 25 kg K2O ha-1 + 15 kg S ha-1) and it can be considered as the best treatment combination. Application of N significantly increased the yield and the yield was highest at N2 level (80 kg N ha-1). There was reduction in yield if we apply N @ 110 kg ha-1. By the application of S along with N increased the NUE and we can reduce the dose of N to 80 kg ha-1 instead of 110 kg N ha-1 for bhindi.ThesisItem Open Access Physico-chemical properties of rain water harvested under different situations in lateritic(Department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, College of horticulture,Vellanikara, 2014) Ibrahim Hassen, Abdu; KAU; Betty BastinRain water harvesting is universally accepted as an important measure of water conservation throughout the world. The quality of irrigation water has become a more serious problem than quantity in different parts of the world. The characterization of quality of water is crucial for assessing the suitability for i rrigation. Hence a study was taken up on “Physico-chemical properties of rain water harvested under different situations in lateritic soil’’ in the main campus of Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara during September, 2012 to August 2013. The objective of the study was to compare the physico-chemical properties of rain water from different water sources in lateritic soil. Water was collected from five sources viz, rainfall (RF), rain water harvesting pond (RWH) , Kotteppadom pond (KP), well water (W) and surface runoff (SR). The experiment for surface runoff study was laid out in an area with a gentle slope between 5 – 10 per cent . Four rain pits were dug in this area with dimensions of 0.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m and lined by polyethene sheet. Water samples were taken from these water sources for one year at monthly intervals and they were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as colour, turbidity, pH, EC, TDS, COD, BOD, SAR, RSC, NO 3 - , Cl - and Fe. The amount and distribution of rainfall received as well as the inflow to the rain water harvesting pond were also studied. Soil samples were collected from around rain-pits before and after rains and analyzed for the content of nutrients. The total quantity of rainfall during the study period was 2872.0 mm. The maximum amount of rainfall was observed in June and the minimum in January, 2013. The amount of rain water harvested in pond during the study period was 625.48 m which comes to 63 per cent of its storage capacity. The quality of water from different sources was compared based on the results of physico-chemical analysis. It was found that pH was highest (6.69) for water from Kotteppadom pond during summer and lowest (5.54) for water from rainfall during post monsoon season. The EC and TDS values were maximum for well water during pre- monsoon season and there was significant difference among the different sources. There was no significant difference among the sources of water as regards the content of Cl and NO 3 - over the different seasons. The values for BOD and COD varied significantly over the different sources as also the seasons. Significant difference was observed for SAR and RSC values among the different sources and seasons. Loss of nutrients from soil via surface runoff from a sloppy area was studied. Soil samples were analyzed for various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, EC, OC, 3 available N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, BD, PD and WHC. The different parameters were estimated both before and after receipt of rainfall. The mean values of these parameters and percent changes along with t-value were found out. During summer, after the rains, there were significant changes for the parameters like pH, OC, as well as available nutrients like K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and the percentages of decrease were 1.67, 0.67, 37.94, 25.46, 5.62 and 8.85 respectively. The water holding capacity was also decreased by 4.80 per cent. During monsoon, available nutrients like N, P, K, and WHC decreased to the extent of 23.68, 26.24, 49.32 and 7.29 per cent respectively. In general, it was found that the rainfall and rain water harvested in the water harvesting pond were superior to well water, KP pond water and surface run off water. Salinity was low for water from all the sources. Surface run off in an area with moderate slope (5-10 %) resulted in loss of nutrients like K, P, Mg and Ca. -ThesisItem Open Access Long term effect of field management on soil quality in ultisol(Department of soil science and agricultural chemistry, College of Horticulture,Vellanikkara, 2013) Nithya, A M; KAU; Betty BastinSoil quality is directly related to agricultural sustainability. Assessment of soil quality is essential for determining the sustainability of land management systems. It is generally accepted that intensive agricultural production leads to a decline in soil quality. For this reason, it is highly essential to monitor soil quality to avoid soil degradation and in doing so, preserve the production capabilities of the land and protect environment. The response of soils to management and input depends on soil quality. It is therefore important to identify the soil characteristics responsible for changes in soil quality, which may eventually be considered as soil quality indicators for assessing agricultural sustainability. The present investigation has been undertaken to study the “Long term effect of field management on soil quality in Ultisol”. It was conducted in the main campus of Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara during December, 2012 to June, 2013. The objective of the study was to evaluate the soil quality under different long term field management conditions in an Ultisol (Vellanikkara series) based on physical, chemical and biological indicators. Here, an attempt has been made to evaluate the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil using available soil quality indicators. Five different fields were selected namely, natural forest, rubber plantation, cocoa garden, STCR experimental field and tapioca fields. Soil samples were collected from three depths namely 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-60 cm. The different sampling sites within each field were selected based on slope percentage. The samples were characterized for soil texture, aggregate size distribution, soil temperature, water holding capacity, single value constants, pH, EC CEC, AEC, SiO2/R2O3, organic carbon , lime requirement, available macronutrients, secondary nutrients, micronutrients, counts of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes and enzyme activity. The sampling areas were also surveyed and documented for the presence of earthworms and termites. The physical characteristics like water holding capacity, soil aggregate stability and soil temperature showed a decreasing trend with depth in the different fields. Forest ecosystem showed the most conducive physical characteristics followed by cocoa and rubber. The contents of available nutrients, secondary nutrients and micronutrients were found to be the highest in surface samples. The forest ecosystem showed relatively high values for organic carbon, and available nutrients like nitrogen, sulphur, boron, iron, manganese, zinc and copper. Microbial activity was found to be the highest in surface soils in almost all fields. The highest counts of bacteria and actinomycetes were reported in forest ecosystem and lowest in tapioca field. Fungal activity was found to be the highest in cocoa field followed by forest ecosystem. Enzyme activity was also found to be the highest in surface soils in the different fields. Soil quality was evaluated using available soil quality indicators. Based on scoring with the soil quality parameters, the highest scoring was observed for natural forest followed by cocoa field. Correlations between various soil quality parameters of different fields were also worked out. .ThesisItem Open Access Substrate impact on biogas production and manurial value of slurry(Department of Soli Science and Agricultural Chemistry, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Anooja, C Lonappan; KAU; Beena, V IThe growing population of the world increases energy demand and waste generation. Due to lack of proper recycling technology, large quantities of biodegradable wastes are being produced. Biogas production is a good technology for mitigating both the problems. The slurry produced after biomethanation is a good manure which provides balanced nutrition for crops and improves soil quality. There are large varieties of biodegradable wastes which can be used as feed stock for biogas production. The quality and quantity of biogas and slurry generated are based on the nature and composition of feed stock. In order to find out an efficient substrate from the available substrates in Kerala and to determine manurial value of different types of slurry, the present study was undertaken at College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara during 2012 – 2014. To elucidate the impact of different substrates on biogas production, an experiment was laid out with three replications and six treatments viz., cow dung alone and co digestion of cow dung with poultry manure, goat manure, biodegradable house hold waste, elephant dung, and pulse residue in 1:1 ratio with equal quantity of water. The biogas generated from different treatments were analysed for CH 4 and CO 2 . The highest CH 4 production was recorded for the treatment combination of pulse residue with cow dung which was on par with cow dung and elephant dung combination, while the highest CO 2 was recorded in the biogas produced from poultry manure and cow dung combination. The hydraulic retention time recorded was lowest for elephant dung and cow dung combination. The highest organic carbon content was recorded in the slurry generated from cow dung alone, which was on par with the combination of goat manure with cowdung. The highest ammoniacal nitrogen content was recorded for biodegradable house hold waste - cow dung combination followed by pulse residue - cow dung combination. The highest total nitrogen content was observed for cow dung - poultry manure combination and cow dung - goat manure combination.157 A pot culture experiment was conducted to find out the manurial value of the slurry obtained from the treatments for biogas production with three replications and six treatments. This experiment was done by irrigating the pots with the slurry obtained from the treatments along with absolute control, as per Package of Practices and Recommendations of KAU (both were irrigated with fresh water) and with fresh undigested cow dung slurry with cowpea (var. Bhagyalakshmy) as test crop. The highest number of pods per plant and the highest yield were obtained from the plants which were irrigated with biogas slurry produced from pulse residue and cow dung combination. After harvest, the highest organic carbon content was noted in soil which was irrigated with biogas slurry produced from elephant dung and cow dung combination. The highest available nitrogen and available phosphorus content was recorded for soil irrigated with slurry produced from cow dung alone and cow dung - pulse residue combination. Available potassium content in soil was highest for in the soil which was irrigated with slurry produced from poultry manure and cowdung combination which was on par with slurry produced from elephant dung- cow dung combination. The plants irrigated with the slurry produced from cow dung-pulse residue combination and cow dung-elephant dung combination had recorded highest uptake of total nitrogen. Plants raised from the seeds obtained from these treatments showed greater shoot length, seedling length and vigour index. However elaborate studies are necessary to monitor the hormones present in different types of slurry generated from different substrates.ThesisItem Open Access Silicon, boron and zinc nutrition of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) var. preethi(Department of plant soil science and agricultural chemistry, Padannakkad, 2015) Mohammed, Shahid Salam C H; KAU; Suresh, P RThe experiment entitled “Silicon, boron and zinc nutrition in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) var.Preethi” was carried out with the objective to standardize the dose and method of application of silicon, boron and zinc red loam soils. The investigation was carried out at College of Agriculture (COA), Padannakkad and RARS farm at Nileswar during April 2014 to August 2014. The whole study consisted of two parts- pot culture and field experiments. The pot culture study was conducted at COA, padanakkad. The experiment was carried out in RBD taking into consideration of varying light intensity at the site of pot culture area. The treatments applied with three levels each of zinc and boron (0.2, 0.4 and 0.6%) respectively and two levels of silicon (20 and 40 ppm) on soil basis. There were eighteen treatment combinations and one control with three replications. The soil taken from the field of RARS, Nileswar and uniformly filled in pots arranged in three blocks and then plants was raised in that. Five seed were sown in each pot then thinned to single plant. Silicon is applied as calcium silicate to soil at the time of planting. Boron and zinc are applied as foliar with borax and zinc sulphate respectively, biomtric yield data were collected. Significant differences among the treatments were observed in the biometrics characteristics of plants and for yield. T14 (B-0.6% foliar + Zn-0.2% foliar + Si-40 ppm in soil) recorded highest fruit length, breadth, weight and vitamin C content. Another experiment with same treatments was also carried in RARS farm, Nileswar in RBD with nineteen treatment and three replications. Three plants were maintained in each pit and each of the plot have four such pits. Majour nutrients viz, N, P, K application and other cultural practices were uniformly followed for all plants as Package of practices, KAU (2011). Method of application and level of application of silicon, boron and zinc were same as that of pot culture experiment. Foliar application are done at 30th , 40th , 60th days after planting. Soil application of silicon at two levels was done at the time of planting. The result of field experiment revealed that, yield and quality parameters differed significantly with the application of varied levels of Si, B and Zn. Highest vitamin C was found in T14 (B-0.6% foliar + Zn-0.2% foliar + Si-40 ppm in soil). It also showed highest fruit 107 length, breadth, weight and yield. While in the case of Fe content of fruits T9(B-0.4% foliar + Zn-0.4% foliar + Si- 20 ppm in soil) recorded highest concentration in fruits. After the harvest, the effect of these treatments on soil nutrient availability was studied. The results showed that available N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Si, B and Zn status in treated plot were improved significantly when compared to control. Similarly, leaf nutrient analysis at the time of harvest revealed that N, P, K, Si, B and Zn were showed significant differences among treatments. Both pot culture and field experiment indicated th effect of silicon and boron are more important than zinc in bitter gourd. T14 (B-0.6% foliar + Zn-0.2% foliar + Si-40 ppm in soil) found to be performing well under pot culture and field conditions respectively.ThesisItem Open Access Decomposition of leaf litter by oriculture(Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Nithya, Jose; KAU; Sushama, P KOriculture involves the use of macrophytophagous oribatid mites to bring about biodegradation of plant litter, converting the same into nutrient rich humus which can be utilized as a bio-fertilizer.In oriculture, the oribatid mite species with a proven role in bio processing of plant litter are mass cultured and released into the soil. Success of oriculture lies in the right choice of oribatid mite species based on the particular type of plant litter. Oriculture can thus be treated as the modern method of agriculture with minimum cost of production and maximum yield in a most suitable ecofriendly atmosphere. So the proposed study entitled “Decomposition of leaf litter by Oriculture” was conducted during the period 2014-2015 to envisage the standardization of the methodology for mass multiplication of selected oribatid mites, and to assess the degrading efficiency of soil dwelling oribatid mites on various types of leaf litter and also to evaluate the manurial value of bio processed litter. Standardization of the methodology for oriculture based on the procedure suggested by Xavier and Haq (2006) was conducted in Completely Randomised Design with six treatments and three replications. For that soil samples were collected from different tree growing areas like cashew, rubber, jack, cocoa, teak and mixed forest plantation. Isolation of mites from soil and litter samples was carried out. It was not possible to extract mites from soil samples but isolation and mass culturing of mites using jack litter was made possible by using Berlese tulgren apparatus. The potential of isolated mites to infest the crop plant okra was studied by releasing a known number of mites by adopting standard procedure. Since the mites being soil habituated, it could not survive on the plant. The isolation of symbiotic microflora associated with mites recorded fungal populations of 3×10-1 cfu/g of sample and bacterial population 11×10-1 cfu /g of sample. Among that most predominant microflora, four bacteria and three fungi were selected for further studies, of which one belonged to Aspergillus sp. and other one was Penicillium sp. Invitro screening of symbiotic microflora for lignin,tannin,and cellulose degrading ability revealed that lignin and tannin degrading microorganisms were present. Antagonistic activity of isolated microflora against the five major soil borne pathogen revealed that the isolate bacteria 8 and fungi 3 can control all the tested one. The experiment to assess the manurial value of decomposed litter was done by factorial CRD with different combinations of two factors, leaf litter of varying C:N ratio and different modes of biotic enrichment (Litter alone, litter+ cow dung , litter+ mites , litter+ cow dung+ mites ) as treatments and three replications. The percentage of litter decomposed was assessed and found that jack litter with the biotic enrichment litter+ mite + cow dung found to be the best combination showing the highest percentage irrespective of the litter type. Maximum percentage of litter decomposed was observed for jack litter with the biotic enrichment, litter+ cowdung+ mite and minimum decomposition rate was for cocoa with biotic enrichment litter alone. Effect of different modes of biotic enrichments on the contents of macro and micro nutrients observed to be highest in the treatment combination litter + cow dung+ mites.Influence of litter types on nutrient content of decomposed litter revealed that highest carbon content (51.26 %) was in cashew litte, N content was in jack litter (3.20 %), P content (0.31 %) was in teak litter and highest K content (0.24%) in cocoa litter. Influence of litter type and biotic enrichment on N, P,K content of the decomposed litter showed that jack litter +cow dung +mites was highest in N content (3.46 %) and teak litter + cow dung +mites was highest in P (0.47 %) and mixed litter + cow dung + mites had highest K(0.21%) content.ThesisItem Open Access Production and effective utilization of biogas from fruit waste(Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Aswathy, Gopinadhan; KAU; Sushama, P KFruits are highly perishable commodities and generate huge amount of waste.Besides loss of freshfruits,waste is also generated during the processing stage. Fruits and vegetable processing industries generate waste up to the extent of 25-40 per cent of raw materials used. Disposal and proper management of these fruit waste has become a serious problem to agro-entrepreneurs. Biological conversion of biomass to methane has received increased attention during recent years So the proposed study entitled “Production and effective utilization of biogas from fruit waste” was conducted at College of Horticulture to envisages the standardization of biogas production from fruit waste and the effect of biogas slurry on the germination of mango stones. The broad objective was to enable the agro-entrepreneurs to effectively utilize the fruit waste from processing factories. In order to determine the optimum ratio of cow dung and fruit waste for maximum biogas production, the floating drum biogas digesters of 0.5 m3 capacity were used. The experiment was conducted in completely randomized design and consists of six treatments and three replications (T1 : Cow dung alone, T2 : Fruit waste alone, T3 : Cow dung + Fruit waste (1:0.5), T4 : Cow dung + Fruit waste (1:1), T5 : Cow dung + Fruit waste (1:1.5), T6 : Cow dung + Fruit waste (1:2). The results indicated that mixing cow dung and fruit waste in a proportion of 1:1.resulted in the generation of biogas with 65.30 % methane and 32 % carbon dioxide which was closely followed by T5 (Cow dung: fruit waste,1:1 ratio) . Fruit waste alone was loaded to the biogas plants which were found to be comparatively inferior in methane generation. The treatment T5 (Cow dung: fruit waste, 1:1 ratio) also produced the highest volume of gas (0.44 m3/day) within 17 days Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT). The pH of the slurry varied from 6.4-8.0 and EC between 0.52-0.79 and total solids ranged between 2.10-6.55 per cent and organic carbon content to 19.83 to 26.09 %. The highest C/N ratio was in Fruit waste alone (27.19) and lowest in Fruit waste and cow dung 1:1 ratio (9.48). The best combination in view of maximum manurial value was cow dung and fruit waste in 1:2 ratio (2.58 % N, 0.81 % P and 2.23 % K) which was selected for the second experiment. The experiment to evaluate the effect of biogas slurry on germination of mango seed stones was done in CRD consisting of seven treatments and three replications. Two varieties (Moovandan and Bangalora) were made use of. The germination per cent and vigour index was found to be maximum for pre soaking with fruit waste slurry (T7 )which was closely followed by presoaking with cow dung slurry (T5) for both the varieties. After germination the reducing sugar content of mango stones of both the varieties were found to be was found to be increased compared to the initial content. The nutrient uptake for almost all the nutrients was higher with presoaking treatments with the slurry. There was significant decrease in available soil nutrient contents after the experiment as compared to the initial contents in potting mixture used for the study due to crop uptake.ThesisItem Open Access Quality assessment of pokkali soils under different land uses(Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2014) Chris, Joseph; KAU; Sreelatha, A KThe present study entitled ‘Quality assessment of Pokkali soils under different land uses’ was undertaken to evaluate the soil and water quality of acid saline Pokkali soils under different land uses and to develop geo-referenced database and maps on soil characterization. For this purpose, surface soil samples and water samples were collected from the selected panchayaths representing five land use pattern in the Pokkali tracts. Initial survey was conducted on Pokkali area and five panchayaths were selected from Ernakulam district namely, Kuzhippally, Nayarambalam, Elamkunnappuzha, Edavanakkadu and Kottuvally with all the selected land use patterns. The land use patterns under study were i) paddy alone ii) paddy – shrimp iii) shrimp alone iv) fallow and v) mangroves. The soil samples were analysed for their physical (texture, bulk density, soil moisture constants, aggregate stability), chemical (pH, EC, CEC, base saturation, available N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, S, B) and biological (organic carbon, dehydrogenase activity, microbial biomass carbon) attributes. Water samples were also characterized for parameters like pH, EC, TSS and heavy metals. Measured attributes were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance using statistical package MSTATC to examine the effect of land use type on soil properties. Soil quality evaluation was done by the method described by Andrews et al. (2002). Three main steps of this technique includes, i) selection of minimum data set (MDS), ii) scoring of the MDS indicators based on their performance of soil functions, and iii) integration of the indicator scores into a comparative index of soil quality. Analysis of variance revealed that land uses have significant effect on most of the measured attributes except fine sand percent, base saturation percent, content of Mg, Zn, organic carbon and dehydrogenase activity. The statistical analysis resulted in selection of minimum data set which highly influenced the quality of the soil. Indicators in the MDS included available water content, pH, fine sand percent, aggregate stability, silt percent, available Mg, bulk density, available S, microbial biomass carbon, available Mn, organic carbon, base saturation and EC. The highest soil quality index (4.92) was observed in paddy- shrimp land use system in Nayarambalam panchayath and least value (2.07) was observed in shrimp alone land use pattern in Kottuvally panchayath. The observed soil quality index value was in the order, paddy- shrimp> paddy alone> fallow> mangrove> shrimp alone. Based on the relative soil quality index value, all land uses were categorized into three groups, ie, poor, medium and good. Paddy- shrimp land use system in Nayarambalam panchayath was the only one land use system coming under the ‘good’ category. For all the panchayaths and RRS, Vyttila GIS based soil quality index maps were prepared.