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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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1980 - 198921990 - 19961
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Subject: Vegetable Science × Author: KAU × End date: 2004 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.V.Sc. ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Susceptibility of ducks to newcastle disease virus (NDV) and their role in the transmission of the disease to chicken
    (Department of veterinary and Animal Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1981) Sudharma, D; KAU; Sulochana, S
    The susceptibility of ducks to Newcastle disease virus and their possible role in the epizootiology of this disease were investigated. Cloacal and throat swabs and sera were collected from clinically normal as well as diseased ducks from different parts of Kerala. The swabs were tested for virus excertion by inoculating into the allantoic cavity of 10 day embryonated chicken eggs and the sera were examined for the presence of haemagglutination inhibition antibodies. Eight and one week – old ducklings were infected experimentally by different routes or methods to find out their susceptibility to this virus. A virulent strain of the virus received from Veterinary Biological Institute, Palode was employed for all experimental infection studies. Two week – old chickens were used for determining contact transmission. Inoculation of processed cloacal and throat swabs into the allantoic cavity of 10 day embryonated eggs resulted in the isolation of eleven haemagglutinating viruses from a total of 151 samples. The agglutination produced by these viruses were inhibited by specific ND antiserum, thereby confirming their identity as Newcastle disease virus. Out of a total of 226 serum samples collected from ducks, 34 showed HI antibodies ranging from 1:20 to 1:160 in the titre. Eight week – old ducklings infected intranasally and intraocularly showed symptoms of ND by third day of infection but recovered by the seventh day. All of them excreted the virus either through trachea, cloaca or by both the routes. Haemagglutination inhibition antibodies were demonstrable within two weeks of infection. The chickens kept in contact with the infected ducklings died after showing specific symptoms of newcastle disease. Postmortem examination revealed specific lesions and virus could be isolated from pooled tissue samples. Week – old ducklings could successfully be infected by intranasal/intraocular, subcutaneous, intramuscular or by contact infection. All the ducklings exposed to infection died after showing symptoms of pneumoencephalitis and diarrhoea. Virus was isolated from seventeen out of twenty five cases. Chickens placed in contact with subcutaneously infected ducklings died showing specific symptoms and lesions in ND and virus could be isolated from all the cases. The eight week – old ducklings although showed a clinical infection they could eventually recover following the development of antibodies in the system. Hence ducklings of eight weeks and above could be considered as resistant to newcastle disease virus infection. On the contrary week – old ducklings readily succumbed to the infection indicating their grater susceptibility. Contact transmission to chickens was possible from both age group of ducklings. The isolation of virus from clinically normal and diseased ducks showed that ducks excrete the virus without showing any clinical symptoms. It is also possible that some ducklings may show symptoms of the disease, but the development of antibody in the system leads to complete elimination of the virus. The results and the observation of the present study indicate that ducks can play an important role in the epizootiology of Newcastle disease by contracting infection from infected chicken or from other susceptible species and transmitting it to the incontact susceptible chicken.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Bio-climatological studies on dry matter intake and water consumption of growing livestock
    (Department of Animal Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1980) Somanathan, V L; KAU; Rajagopalan, T G
    The present work was undertaken to study the distribution of climate at Mannuthy and to study the effect of the prevailing ambient temperature and relative humidity on the performance of growing crossbred cattle. The meterological data over a period of five years (1974 – 1978) were analysed to study the climatic picture of this locality. The rectal temperature, respiration rate, dry matter intake, water consumption and growth rate of eleven male and five female calves were observed for a period of twelve months. The climatic picture showed that there are two distinct seasons prevailing in this locality, namely, the dry and the rainy seasons, which are further sub divided into ‘Warm and dry’, ‘Hot and dry’, ‘Cold and wet’ and ‘Warm and wet’ seasons, respectively. The rectal temperature of the animals remained fairly constant throughout the year, inspite of wide variations in the ambient temperature. It showed negative correlation with ambient temperature (-0.357 in males and -0.207 in females) and positive correlation with relative humidity which was significantly only in males (0.416). The respiration rate varied from 30.973 per minute during July (lowest) to 49.230 per minute during April (highest). It showed positive correlation with ambient temperature (0.638 in males and 0.561 in females). Significant negative correlation between respiration rate and relative humidity was observed in males only (-0.253). The percentage dry matter intake was found to have a strong negative correlation with ambient temperature (-0.652 in males and -0.685 in females). Whereas with the relative humidity, the correlation was positive and was significant only in males (0.514). Highly significant positive correlation between ambient temperature and daily water consumption (0.763 in males and o.748 in females) and negative correlation between relative humidity and water consumption (-0.725 in males and -0.503 in females) were obtained in this study. There was negative correlation between ambient temperature and monthly weight gain and positive correlation between relative humidity and monthly weight gain, but was significant only in males. The negative correlation obtained in this case can be attributed to the poor quality of the roughage during the summer months rather than the direct effect of ambient temperature.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Management of anoestrum in crossbred cattle using synthetic gonadotrophin releasing hormone
    (Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 1996) Gunaseelan, R; KAU; Madhavan, E
    With the object of studying the efficacy of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) in the management of anoestrum in crossbred cattle, 40 crossbred heifers and cows which were declared anoestrus, selected from Kerala Agicultural University Livestock Farms, were allotted to three different treatment groups. Ten heifers and ten cows in group I and II were administered 5 ml of Receptal intramuscularly while ten heifers and ten cows in groups III were considered as untreated control. Among experimental animals eight heifers and seven cows responded to treatment. Analysis of data revealed significant variation in the oestrus response between experimental and control group. However, the response between cows and heifers in the experimental group was not significantly different. The time taken for induction of oestrus was 8.00 d in heifers, and 11.57 d in cows. This variation was found to be statistically significant. Parity of cows did not alter the time taken for induction of oestrus. Significant difference in the duration of oestrus was observed among heifers and cows of experimental group, the values being 18 to 72 h (mean 25.25 h) and 32 to 48 h (mean 43.42 h). Duration of oestrus was also slightly higher in the experimental than that of the control group. Majority (75%) of the heifers in the experimental group evinced high intensity of oestrus, while the majority (71.42%) of cows in the experimental group showed only medium intensity of oestrus. In the control group, however, all animals showed only medium intensity of oestrus. In the experimental group 87.5 per cent of the heifers and 85.71 per cent of the cows ovulated. The first insemination conception and overall conception rates were 25 and 75 per cent respectively in group I as against 57.14 and 71.42 per cent in group II. The corresponding values in group III (control) were zero and 50 per cent in heifers, while none of the cows in control group conceived. It could be seen that percentage of conception in the first insemination and overall conception rates in the experimental animals were higher than that in the control group. The number of inseminations required for conception in the experimental animals was slightly lower than that in control group. Overall conception rate was significantly higher in cows with II parity and above than those belonging to I parity. All the heifers which conceived had high intensity of oestrus. Similarly among cows, only 25 per cent which conceived had high intensity of oestrus, and 75 per cent showed medium intensity. The present investigation, therefore revealed that gonadotrophin releasing hormone is a potential drug, that might regulate ovarian and uterine functions and thus would improve post pubertal and postpartum reproductive efficiency. However, studies on endocrine profiles of the animals treated with gonadotrophin releasing hormone will enlighten more on the efficacy of drug in the management of anoestrum.