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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: Spices, Plantation and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants × Author: Dharini Chittaragi × Author: KAU × Start date: 2015 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Priming seed rhizome to enhance growth and yield of transplanted ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.)
    (Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2018) Dharini Chittaragi; KAU; Jalaja, S Menon
    In Kerala, ginger is cultivated as a rainfed crop, usually planted during April - May and harvested during December - January with a subsequent storage of seed rhizome for a period of 3 to 4 months to raise the next crop. Raising a transplanted ginger crop can decrease seed rate to 500-700 kg per hectare from1500 kg per hectare, reducing the cost of cultivation. Yield from rhizome sprouts of 3-5 g used as transplants is reported to be on par with the conventional system of direct planting of 20 g rhizome seed. Bio-priming ginger rhizome before transplanting was also found to be beneficial in increasing the yield of off-season green ginger. Hence, the present study was conducted to analyze the performance of primed portray transplants of ginger at various planting times. The experiment was conducted in Department of Plantation crops and Spices, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara using seed rhizomes of variety Aswathy. The research work was grouped into three experiments viz., studies of seed rhizomes during storage, effect of priming on ginger transplants in the nursery and field performance of primed protray raised ginger transplants. Studies on seed rhizome revealed that, a weight loss of 28 per cent was recorded in the seed rhizomes stored in Zero Energy Cool Chambers for three months (February to May 2017). Seed rhizome buds varied in length from 0.847μm to 2.19μm and breadth from 1.19 μm to 0.703μm before storage and at three months after storage respectively. Histochemical comparison of the rhizomes showed that the size of starch grain decreased from 40μm to 20 μm and the size of oil globules increased from 20 to 40 μm on three months’ storage. The performance of primed protray raised ginger transplants in nursery was assessed with 13 treatments during four planting times viz., February, March, April and May to identify the optimum planting time and priming treatment for seed rhizomes. The study revealed that, priming had influence on survival rate. The mean survival per cent of seed rhizomes planted in May (3MAS) was found to be superior (58.89%) to all other planting times irrespective of the priming treatments. The survival per cent of seed rhizome planted immediately after harvest (February) was the least (11.6%). However, the survival of seed rhizomes was found to increase drastically to 50.3 per cent and 50.1per cent during March (1 MAS) and April (2 MAS) respectively. In pooled analysis, seed rhizome primed with Ethephon 200 ppm performed better to all other priming treatments with a survival rate of 68.66 per cent irrespective of planting season. In transplants raised in March and April, priming with Ethephon 200 ppm was found to be superior with high survival per cent (96.9 and 99.0 % respectively). However in May, seed rhizomes primed by soaking in water for one hour (88%) was on par with soaking in water for half an hour (84.03%). These transplants were field planted at 45 days after sowing in nursery to polybags under partial shade at four planting time’s viz., March, April, May and June. The fresh rhizome yield was superior in transplants planted in the month April (451.83g/p) irrespective of priming treatments. In pooled analysis, the fresh rhizome yield from seed rhizome primed with Ethephon 200ppm (372.33g/p) was superior irrespective of planting seasons. Other priming treatments viz., Humigration (340.21g/p), Trichoderma viridae (343.89g/p), Pseudomonas fluorscens (340.2g/p), Trichoderma viridae + Pseudomonas fluorscens combination (335.94 g/p) and soaking in water for 1 hour (355.62g/p) were also on par with that of Ethephon 200 ppm with respect to fresh rhizome yield. The quality parameter like oil, oleoresin and crude fibre varied according to the planting season. Irrespective of the priming treatments, the oil content was high in the crop raised during March (1.42%). Priming with a combination of Trichoderma viridae + Pseudomonas fluorscens (0.96%), Hydropriming (0.86%), Humigration (0.91%) and Pseudomonas fluorscens (0.87%) were also superior in rhizome oil content, irrespective of planting time. The result indicated that to obtain maximum fresh rhizome yield, the optimum time of raising nursery is March (1 MAS) using seed rhizomes primed with Ethephon 200ppm. Seed rhizomes primed with Pseudomonas fluorscens, Trichoderma viridae, Humigration and Soaking in water can also be recommended considering the higher fresh rhizome yield and survival per cent in the nursery with a low seed rate.