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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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  • ThesisItemOpen Access
    Development of a precocious strain of Eimeria tenella
    (Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2001) Sangeetha, R; KAU; Devada, K
    Studies on the prevalence of caecal coccidiosis in chicken, by referring to the postmortem registers maintained at the centre of Excellence in Pathology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences~ Mannuthy revealed that 48.4 per cent of 550 coccidia positive viscera was due to Eimeria tenella. A pure line of E. tenella was established in the laboratory by single oocyst isolation technique from a virulent field case of caecal coccidiosis in chicken. A stabilised strain of E. tenella was developed by administering a dose of 1.5x103 sporulated pure line E. tenella oocysts per bird orally to six three to five day old coccidia free White Leghorn chicks and harvesting the caecal contents at 168 hr pi for 15 cyclic~l passages. For the development of a precocious strain of E. tenella a dose of 1.5x103 sporulated E. tenella oocysts per bird was administered orally to six, three to five day old White Leghorn chicks. The caecal contents were harvested at 136 hr pi and the oocysts were allowed to sporulate and subsequently repassaged by applying selection pressure in increments of one hour reduction at each passage. At the end of 18 cyclical passages, oocysts obtained at 125 hr pi were designated E. tenella. as the precocious strain of. A comparative study between the precocious and stabilised strain of E. tenella revealed the following observations~ The prepatent period of the precocious strain was 125 hr while that of the stabilised strain was 135 hr. The oocyst morphology did not reveal any significant difference between the two strains. The precocious strain was less pathogenic and produced milder clinical signs than the stabilised strain. The gross lesions of caeca were less morbid in the precocious strain infected group. Weight gain was more in the precocious strain infected group than in the stabilised strain infected group. The precocious strain produced less mortality and showed a drop in oocyst production. Endogenous study revealed an accelerated growth in the early stages of the asexual life cycle in the precocious strain infected group.