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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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ThesisItem Open Access Invitro propagation in ashoka : saraca asoca (Roxb.) de wilde.(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Brindha Devi, I; KAU; Sreenivasan, EAsoka (Saraca asoca) is an important medicinal and ornamental tropical tree currently facing the threat of extinction due to overexploitation of trees occurring in forests and other natural habitats. Unscientific and destructive extraction of bark from trees has lead to acute shortage of raw bark by ayurvedic industries. Hence, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has listed this species under ‘globally vulnerable’ category. It is also enlisted among the 36 threatened and endangered medicinal plants of India. It is considered as the sacred tree of buddhists and Hindus. Literally the term ‘asoca’ means ‘sorrow-less’ and the tree is believed to remove the grief and unhappiness. The tree has immense medicinal properties. Its bark is considered as the primary medicinal part. Due to its acute short supply compared to its demand, various development and research activities are being prioritized to conserve, utilize and improve this species. It is mainly propagated by seeds. Due to heterozygous and cross pollinated nature of the species, it never gives a true to type progeny. Therefore the present study was undertaken to standardize the technique of in vitro propagation of Saraca asoca. Standardization of suitable explants, surface sterilization procedures and culture establishment protocol, Induction of multiple shoots and Elongation of root, hardening and planting out are the major objectives of the study. Nodal segment, Internodal segment and shoot tip were the three explants tried. Various surface sterilization procedures were tried using Chloramphenicol, ethyl alcohol, 0.1% mercuric chloride and combination of ethyl alcohol and mercuric chloride in various concentration and duration, using nodal segments as explant. Surface sterilization using 70% ethyl alcohol for 3 minutes followed by 0.1% mercuric chloride for minutes proved to be the best, which gave the maximum survival percentage of 80. The next part of the study was standardisation of suitable explants for culture establishment. Among the three explants, Nodal segments gave maximum response of 60 per cent in ½ MS medium with BAP 0.5mg/l. This was followed by shoot tips in the same medium, which gave 10 per cent response. Internodal segments did not respond in any of the media used. Standardisation of basal media for culture establishment was done using nodal segments as the explants. Three media supplemented with BA 0.5 mg.l-1 were tried viz. MS, Half strenght MS, Woody plant media. Among the three, ½ MS media was identified as the best basal medium followed by MS medium. No response was seen in WPM medium. Culture establishment as well as Shoot bud initiation was attempted in ½ MS and MS media with various growth regulator combinations. Maximum response of 60 per cent was obtained in ½ MS medium containing BAP 0.5 mg/l followed by 30 percent in the same medium containing BAP 1.5 mg/l. There were no response with 2,4-D. The response obtained was callusing in all cases. Induction of multiple shooting was tried in ½ MS medium supplemented with BAP, and Kn alone as well as combinations of BAP, IAA at various concentration. Here highest response of 30 per cent of single shoots was recorded in ½ MS media containing BAP 0.5 mg/l. Response was in the form of single shoot. The single shoots with a mean length of about 1.5mm after one week of growth was obtained. With BAP 2.0 mg/l, single shoots were produced in about 5% of cultures within 54 days. Effect of Kn in various concentration ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/l was found to be low in shoot induction. The maximum length of shoot of about 1.6 cm was recorded in combination of BAP 0.5 mg/l and IAA0.5 mg/l. Various combinations of IAA and IBA at different concentrations were tried for rooting of in vitro shoots. However there was no response in any of the combinations tried.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 Standardization of processing methods for production of quality white pepper.(Department of Processing Technology,College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2011) Shameena Beegum, P P; KAU; Vasanthakumar, KThe research entitled “Standardization of processing methods for production of quality white pepper”was conducted at the Department of Processing Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani . The study was undertaken with the objective of producing good quality white pepper using improved processing methods. The experiment was divided into three parts viz., chemical method of white pepper production, microbial fermentation method and organoleptic evaluation of the resultant products. The experiment was laid out in CRD with three replications. Seven promising bleaching agents were selected for the chemical experiment. Berries with calcium hypochlorite, calcium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, benzoyl peroxide and the conventional retting (control) constituted the eight treatments. Effects of these treatments on the physical and chemical properties of white pepper berries were analysed. All the physical properties except sizes of berries were significantly influenced by the treatments. Treatment with sodium perborate recorded maximum specific gravity followed by sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide. The highest value for 1000 berry weight was reported from berries treated with sodium hypochlorite. Treatment with calcium hypochlorite and sodium hypochlorite had registered a significantly higher value for 1000 berry volume. Calcium hypochlorite treated berries were having the highest yield. Berries produced by conventional retting process (control) found to be superior in volatile oil, oleoresin, piperine and non volatile ether extract and treatment with calcium hypochlorite was on par with control in all chemical parameters. Residual level of bleaching agents was found to be in a safe range for consumption. The microbial fermentation work was consisted of, isolation of organisms through enrichment culture technique, evaluation of available cultures and standardization of retting process for white pepper production. Seven isolates of bacteria IsB1 to IsB7 and eight fungal isolates IsF1 to IsF6 were obtained. Evaluation of isolates was done by assessing the pectinolytic and cellulolytic activities. The isolates IsF1 and IsF3 were also capable for degrading pectin. Degradation of cellulose was maximum in IsF3, Ay1 and Mycophyta. Bacterial isolates did not produce any zone for both asparagine and MP-5 media. Compared to bacterial isolates fungal isolates was faster in retting. Isolate IsF3, Ay1and Mycophyta were the most promising and recorded 100 percentage retting without any damage by third day itself. Amongst all the isolates, considering the retting process and quality of the product, the isolates IsF3 and Ay1 were found to be the most superior. Berries treated with sodium perborate recorded maximum over all acceptability for Organoleptic qualities eventhough it resulted poor chemical qualities. Amongst all the eight treatments, considering quality parameters and quality of developed product, treatment with calcium hypochlorite was found to be the most superior. The above study could be concluded with the findings that, prolonged retting period can be shortened to three to four days using microbial fermentation method with promising isolates IsF3 and Ay1. While opting for a better colour, bleaching with a promising chemical bleaching agent like calcium hypochlorite (0.2%) can be recommended.ThesisItem Open Access Biodiversity analysis of traditional mango types of Kerala and studies on the reproductive biology of selected popular types(Department of pomology and floriculture, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Mannambeth Renisha, Jayarajan; KAU; Parmeswaran, N KThe present investigations entitled “Biodiversity analysis of traditional mango types of Kerala and studies on the reproductive biology of selected popular types” were undertaken at the Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during 2009-2011. Major objectives of the study were to assess the biodiversity status of traditional mango types in selected villages of Thrissur and Palakkad districts of Kerala by applying participatory tools and studying the floral biology, pollen characters, pollination and self and cross compatibility factors in six mango varieties commonly grown in the homesteads of Kerala. These studies formed a part of the departmental project entitled “Hybridization of mango varieties of Kerala” and were taken up under two broad components during implementation. Component I: Primary assessment of indigenous mango types was initiated by surveying homesteads in Vallachira and Pazhayannur GP‟s of Thrissur district and Kollemgode and Muthalamada GP‟S of Palakkad district. Homesteads were selected by snowball sampling. Dominant local types in these homesteads were Muvandan in Pazhayannur and Chandrakkaran in Vallachira GP of Thrissur whereas Muvandan, Priyur, Chandrakaran and some unnamed landraces in Kollemgode and Muthalamada GPs of Palakkad district. Final village level biodiversity assessment was done in Maruthampadam in Pazhayannur GP (Thrissur Dt) and Erippadam in Muthalamada GP (Palakkad Dt.). Farmer participatory 4- cell analysis (FCA) and focus group discussions (FGD) were made by organizing farmers interface in these villages. Data recorded showed that Maruthampadam village was richer in crop diversity than Erippadam. Based on the FCA, Muvandan, Pulimanga and Gomanga could be grouped as the „common‟ types of the Maruthampadam village while the „rare‟ types included Karpuramanga, Ganapatimookan, Kilichundan, Chandrakaran, Kottamavu, Sindhuram, Marathakam and Mundappa . „Common‟ mango types in Erippadam village were Alphonso, Banganapalli, Kilichundan, Neelum, Sindhuram, Muvandan, Nadasala and the „rare‟ types being Chandrakaran, Kilimook, Mallika and Mundappa. The varietal richness of Erippadam was higher than Maruthampadam village. In Maruthampadam village, recorded evenness value was highest for Muvandan while it was zero for the „rare‟ and „vulnerable‟ types. In Eripaddam, „common‟ types registered higher evenness values than „rare‟ types. Varietal richness as related to size of gardens indicated positive relationship in Erippadam village. ITK documentation from the villages provided some useful information on the traditional processing and product diversification of mango fruits practiced by the villagers in Maruthampadam. Component II: The varieties involved in the study were Muvandan, Neelum, Priyur, Vellaikolumban, Banganapalli and Alphonso. Mango flowering in both the seasons during 2009-10 and 2010-11 were of much erratic, poor and belated nature. A definite influence of the shift in north east monsoon pattern experienced during these periods could be attributed as the major contributory factor to the above. Peak anthesis was noted between 7.30 and 11.00am in all varieties and anther dehiscence between 8.30 am and 12 noon. Highest stigma receptivity was on the day of anthesis. Panicles of Muvandan and Priyur were longer than the other varieties. The varieties Neelum, Priyur, Alphonso, Vellaikolumban, and Muvandan exhibited a mixed phase while opening out but in Banganapalli, flower opening started with a pure male phase and thereafter entered mixed phase. Inflorescence rachis of Muvandan was dark red in colour where as in Neelum and Alphonso it was light red. Light green coloured inflorescence rachis was observed in Banganapalli and Vellaikolumban while in Priyur it was light green with reddish tinge. Size of inflorescence was highest in Muvandan while it was lowest in Neelum. Intensity of flowering per unit area of tree canopy was highest in Alphonso where as it was lowest in Vellaikolumban. Highest percentage of hermaphrodite flowers was recorded in Vellaikolumban (46.38%) while it was lowest in Banganapalli (0.02 %). The varieties Neelum, Priyur, Alphonso and Vellaikolumban showed round shaped pollen whereas oval and oblong shaped pollen was noted in Banganapalli and Muvandan, respectively. The size of the pollen ranged in between 27.29μm and 33.34μm. Pollen production and viabiliy were related to climatic variations. Pollen storage in refrigerated conditions retained viability for 72 hours. Selfing did not result in fruit setting and apparently indicating the involvement of incompatibility factors. It has to be further confirmed by flourimetric methods. Crossing among the varieties affected fruit setting obviating the involvement of incompatibility factors. Four successful hybrid mango progeny seedlings are available finally for performance evaluation.ThesisItem Open Access Influence of host plant on the physiological attributes of field grown sandal (santalum album L.).(Department of Tree Physiology and Breeding,College of forestry, Vellanikkara, 2011) Delphy, Rocha; KAU; Ashokan, P KEffects of host plant, casuarina on the carbon assimilation, water and nutrient absorption in field grown sandalwood was studied at College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur during the year 2009-2011. Radioisotopic study to understand the trans-haustorial translocation from the host to field grown sandalwood tree and anatomical studies of sandalwood haustoria were also taken up during the investigation. The investigations were carried out in a six year old sandal-field, where sandalwood tree with and without host were established as a part of an earlier research project. The experiment was laid out with single tree plants, in RBD with three treatments viz, T1 - Sandalwood tree without host (Casuarina) (Host plant dead naturally within 2 years after establishment of sandal), T2 - Sandalwood tree with host (Casuarina), T3 - Sandalwood tree with host (Casuarina) and the host plant cut and removed at six year stage of growth. The host plant casuarina did not influence the height and diameter (dbh) of the sandalwood tree significantly during its six years growth. Sandalwood trees growing with host showed higher rate of photosynthesis (carbon assimilation) than sandalwood trees growing without host. Sandalwood tree growing without specific host can extend its root for finding a host in its vicinity, and forming haustorial connections, for meeting its water and nutrient requirements. Sandalwood trees grown with host showed higher plant water potential than sandalwood trees grown without host. Plant water potential has decreased significantly after the removal of host plant from the sandalwood pit. It also resulted in leaf wilting and leaf fall in sandalwood tree, indicating the contribution of the host in maintaining higher water potential in sandalwood trees. Sandalwood trees growing with host showed higher leaf N, P and K content. The N, P and K content of the sandalwood tree leaf decreased considerably after the removal of the host plant. The removal of host did not show any significant effect on leaf micronutrient content of sandalwood tree. Sandalwood growing without host also formed haustoria with roots of host plants growing in the adjacent pit. The sandalwood growing with host in the same pit showed higher number of haustoria. Total number of haustoria was higher on the primary root of the host followed by secondary and tertiary roots. Size of the haustorium, the depth of the penetration, the length of the penetration peg and area of coverage of endophyte was higher in the case of secondary root haustoria than in tertiary. Anatomical study of sandalwood haustoria showed that elongated parenchyma cells of the haustorium projected towards the host root xylem, making vascular connection between sandalwood tree root and the host plant root. Radioactive phosphorus (32P) labelling on host plant, casuarina and tracing in sandalwood tree and other hosts revealed that there is inter-translocation of nutrients between sandalwood and host plants, sandalwood and sandalwood, host and host. The data indicated that a network of roots of sandalwood tree and the hosts are formed through haustorial connection resulting in xylem-translocation. Peak count of 32P was obtained on the eighth day of its application. Radiotracer studies on different sandalwood tree-host associations showed that association of sandalwood and cocoa as host was efficient in haustorial translocation of 32P. Labelling of wild grasses growing around sandalwood tree with 32P revealed that, sandalwood also depends on wild grass for meeting its nutrient requirements.ThesisItem Open Access Decision support system on nutrient recommendations for rice - an end - user assessment(Department of Agricultural extension, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Swafah, C; KAU; Ahamed, PEffective transfer of technology is very crucial in agricultural development of any nation. This is a challenge particularly for countries like India where diverse farming, highly fragmented land holdings, large number of farmers, several official languages are involved in the process. As a result only a fraction of farming community is largely benefited by utilizing the new technological advancements. The information needs of agriculture at large are diverse and complicated. Reaching right information at right time is a major challenge through conventional extension methods. Thus introducing modern information and communication technology is a better option. It is an established fact that fertilisers contribute up to 50 percent to total production. However, the prevailing communication gap between scientific groups and farming communities is making the task highly difficult for practical implementation of official fertilization practices in the field. Farmers are not fully aware of nutrient doses Vs fertiliser quantities resulting in improper fertilization practices in the field. Such improper practices are leading to imbalance in nutrient use and finally leading to soil fertility degradation. The major requirement in this communication process is compilation, classified arrangement and proper management of diverse information on various fertilisers, nutrient doses for a wide range of crops and cropping systems. This has to be done in such a way that the specific information is quickly accessible and easily translated in to a practical recommendation. Realizing this, Kerala Agricultural University through a collaborative research programme with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has come up with a decision support system entitled ‘Nutrient Recommendation Syatem for Rice’ (NRSR). The NRSR is a generic decision support system for rice capturing the selected seven rice cropping systems of Kerala, expected as an user friendly software package for choosing appropriate or available manurial and fertilizer options aiming sustainable yields and reasonable farmer’s profit. The NRSR will aid as a decision making tool for calibrating the required dose of fertilizers for a particular area of land in a specific cropping system, specific to soil test data and arriving at the total cost of each manures and fertilizers. This package supported with touch screen option, will act as an efficient extension tool for the agricultural officers, rice scientists, and other extensionists in decision making and prescribing appropriate nutrient management options (Ganesan, 2006). Developing a DSS software is a time consuming and resource intensive project. So a systematic user-participatory assessment exercise, prior to its large scale recommendation is imperative. The study was conducted to identify the gaps and to assess the technical quality, information efficiency, and userfriendliness as perceived by end- users. The research was conducted among the agricultural officers of Thrissur and Palakkad districts of Kerala as they were two leading districts in rice cultivation in the state. The respondents from both the districts agreed that it could save the time of user in getting solutions for field problems, and also it is cheaper when compared to the process of seeking human expertise. An increase in knowledge level of respondents regarding nutrient management aspects of rice cultivation also happened after giving exposure to NRSR. The main suggestions obtained for the refinement of software were as follows: 1.The fertiliser calculator provided in NRSR is capable of performing straight fertiliser calculation only, and unable to calculate fertiliser dose for complex fertilisers like Factomphose which is commonly used and easily available nitrogen source. So it should also be included in the system. 2. The fertiliser calculator in the system was designed in such a way that it is according to lowmedium- high status of soil fertility, it should be sensitive to numerical data of soil test for getting more accurate results. 3. NRSR should be developed in local language so that maximum users could benefit. 4. NRSR should be linked and updated according to weather forecast and given in the web to access by all kinds of users at any time. 5. More clear photographs should be included to diagnose the symptom easily. 6.Demo videos for seed treatment, mat nursery preparation and other operations in rice should also included in the system. 7. The latest rice varieties with specific charecteristics and photographs should also be included in NRSR.ThesisItem Open Access DNA fingerprinting of selected black pepper (piper nigrum L.) varieties.(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Manjunath, Mogalayi; KAU; Nazeem, P ABlack pepper (Piper nigrum L.) famous as “Black Gold” and also known as “King of Spices” is one of the important agricultural commodities of commerce and trade in India since pre-historic period. The crop is the major source of income and employment for rural households in the predominantly pepper growing State of Kerala where more than 2.5 lakh farm families are involved in pepper cultivation. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are the other major pepper producing States in the country. Kerala accounts for 80-90% of the total pepper production in the country. Idukki and Wynadu are the two major pepper producing districts in Kerala. Different cultivars/varieties are popular among the farmers and there phenotypic identity is not very distinct. The study entitled “DNA fingerprinting of selected black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) varieties” was carried out at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture during the period 2009-2011. The objectives of the study were to characterize the released black pepper varieties of KAU using different molecular markers - RAPD, ISSR and SSR and to develop DNA fingerprint with which the variety could be identified and its fidelity detected. Seven black pepper varieties (Panniyur 1 to Panniyur 7) collected from Pepper Research Station, Panniyur and maintained at CPBMB, COH were used for the study. DNA extraction was done with CTAB (Rogers and Benedich, 1994) method with slight modification. The RNA contamination was completely removed through RNase treatment. Good quality DNA with UV absorbance ratio (A260/A280) 1.80 - 1.89 was used for further analysis. The PCR conditions were optimized for RAPD, ISSR and SSR assay. 30 RAPD, 34 ISSR and 29 SSR primers were screened with bulked DNA of black pepper varieties for amplification and those which gave reliable distinct banding pattern were selected for further amplification and fingerprinting. The PCR products obtained from RAPD, ISSR and SSR analysis were separated on 1.3 to 2 percent agarose gel and the amplification patterns recorded. The genomic DNA from each variety was amplified with 10 each of selected RAPD and ISSR primers and 8 SSR primer pairs. The amplification pattern was scored and depicted to develop fingerprint for each variety. The Resolving power (Rp) worked out for the different primers ranged between 7.42 to 9.42 in RAPD and 5.42 to 12.28 in ISSR analysis; indicating the capacity of the primers selected to distinguish the varieties. The Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) varied from 0.86 to 0.90 for RAPD analysis and it was between 0.80 and 0.89 in ISSR analysis indicating the variability among the genotypes. Distinct bands were used to develop DNA fingerprint of black pepper varieties Panniyur 1 to Panniyur 7 through RAPD, ISSR and SSR analysis. Sharing of amplicons developed for each primer with other varieties was also analyzed and demarcated with different colour codes in the fingerprints developed. Most of the amplicons were found shared among the varieties. However, the pattern of sharing was different and good enough to separate out the varieties. Combined DNA fingerprint of each variety with RAPD, ISSR and SSR data was also developed. The amplification pattern observed in RAPD, ISSR and SSR analysis was scored and analyzed for quantifying the variability among the varieties. The computer package NTSYS-Pc was used for cluster analysis. Maximum variability observed was 48 percent for the variety Panniyur 4. The varieties Panniyur 1 and Panniyur 3 having the same parentage indicated 76 percent similarity. The fingerprint developed was good enough to provide varietal identity and the analysis could reveal variability/relatedness among the seven varieties. Separate and combined fingerprints were developed for all the seven varieties through RAPD, ISSR and SSR analysis. The DNA fingerprints thus developed could be utilized for the variety registration and settling IPR issues.ThesisItem Open Access Price behaviour of natural rubber in India.(Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Reeja, Varghese; KAU; Satheesh Babu, KNatural rubber, a product of vital commercial importance is recovered from the latex of the rubber tree, Hevea braziliensis. The present study entitled “Price behaviour of natural rubber in India” was conducted during 2010-11 based on the secondary data. The changes in area, production and productivity status of natural rubber in the world, India and Kerala were studied using the index numbers and compound growth rates. The compound growth rates in area, production and productivity of natural rubber in India were below the global growth rates, while that of Kerala was above the national level. India is emerging as the second largest consumer of natural rubber in the world. Consumption status of natural rubber in India showed that there is a growing deficit between domestic production and consumption of natural rubber in India. India was not a regular exporter of natural rubber, and therefore considerable fluctuations were observed in the export status depending on the domestic production level. The deficit in demand was met by imports. The import of natural rubber by Indian automobile industries grew annually by 12.37 per cent during the study period. The secular, seasonal, cyclical and irregular variations in rubber prices were studied using the techniques of classical decomposition of time series analysis. The trend in rubber prices in the domestic market at Kottayam and international market at Bangkok were captured by the single exponential smoothing model satisfactorily. The analysis showed that the RSS-4 prices in the Bangkok as well as the Kottayam markets were stagnant from January 1995 to April 2001, after which the prices showed an upward trend. The rubber prices were subjected to considerable seasonal variations due to the seasonality in production. In the international market, the peak price was observed in June and the trough price during the month of July, whereas in Kottayam market, the peak price was observed during May and the lowest price in the month of February. The rubber prices in the international as well as domestic markets were not subjected to pronounced price cycles. There were considerable irregular variations in rubber prices in both the markets. The rubber prices exhibited considerable instability in both the markets. Out of the different price forecasting models used to develop a reliable price forecasting model, the artificial neural network (ANN) model was found to be more reliable for predicting the price of RSS-4 in Kottayam market. However, no model could capture the underlying dynamics of rubber prices in the international market at Bangkok satisfactorily. The export competitiveness of Indian natural rubber was measured using nominal protection coefficient (NPC) under exportable hypothesis. It was found that Indian natural rubber was not export competitive during the study period. The market integration studies showed that Kottayam and Bangkok markets were integrated and there was a unidirectional influence of Bangkok market on the prices of natural rubber in Kottayam market, while the influence of Kottayam market on Bangkok market could not be established. The policy interventions suggested based on the study include efforts to increase the area under natural rubber in the non traditional rubber growing areas like North Eastern states, evolving technologies for enhancing the productivity of natural rubber in India to increase the income of farmers per unit cultivated area, improved tapping techniques to extend the tapping days, and to develop a multivariate price forecasting model. A reliable, regional market intelligence system for the natural rubber growers in the country to provide timely and reliable market information and intelligence is also suggested.ThesisItem Open Access Epidemiology and management of black rot of cauliflower in plains of kerala(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2011) Lakshmi Prasanna, S; KAU; Ravi, SThe present study “Epidemiology and management of black rot of cauliflower in plains of Kerala” was taken up at Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara and Agriculture Research Station, Mannuthy during 2009-2011 with an aim to study the epidemic factors influencing the incidence, development and severity of black rot caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris in plains of Kerala and to conduct field studies on its management. The pathogen was isolated from the leaves and curds of cauliflower showing typical symptoms of the disease, on PSPA medium. The colonies of the isolate were yellow in colour, circular, slimy and smooth convex with entire margin. Studies on morphological, cultural and biochemical characters confirmed the bacteria as Xcc. Various types of viz., chlorotic lesion, V shaped lesions, vein blackening; necrosis and vascular discoloration were produced by the pathogen. The symptoms were initially localized and later became systemic and stunting of plants was noticed due to systemic infection. Progression and severity of the disease was studied by inoculating the plants at five days interval starting from 10 days after transplant (DAT) up to 60 DAT. Cauliflower plants of all age group were found to be susceptible to this disease. But, young plants were succumbing to death due to infection. As the age increased there was gradual decrease in the systemic infection. Plant mortality also decreased with the increase in age at which they got infected. Sixteen cauliflower varieties were screened for black rot disease under field conditions. The incidence, calculated as A- value (AUDPC), varied from 0.53 to 12.81. These varieties were grouped in to four categories based on the scale; 0-resistant, 0-3 moderately resistant, 3-5 moderately susceptible and >5 susceptible. Out of sixteen varieties, none was found to be resistant, eight were found to be moderately resistant, two were moderately susceptible and remaining six were susceptible. An attempt was made to formulate a score card for this disease for easy observation and which has a bearing on the yield. The actual area of infection in the leaf at 10, 25 and 40 days old plants were correlated with yield and a equation y=389.061+3.371(10 DAT)-0.986(25 DAT)-2.391(40 DAT) was obtained. Three system of score card were formulated and their relationships with the yield were re-correlated statistically and three additional equations were arrived. The equation two was comparable with the original equation and that score card can be better adopted as it showed 95 per cent similarity to the original, where scale 1 and 3 showed 77.5 and 90.1 per cent similarity respectively. An attempt was made to determine the role of weather parameters on incidence of this disease. The weather factors such as maximum temperature and sunshine hours were positively correlated prevailing to the observation on 9th day and average of 7, 8 and 9 days. Similarly average of 4, 5, 6; 5, 6, 7 and 6, 7, 8 days were positively correlated with only sunshine hours. A partial multiple regression equation is also derived for predicting the disease incidence. Such correlation studies have to be conducted for at least five years consecutively to arrive at a better prediction model. Initial in vitro evaluations were done to identify the chemicals, botanicals and bioagents to be carried to the field. Field trail showed that garlic extract 10 per cent, tetracycline 250 ppm and Pseudomonas fluorescens were best treatments against Xcc.
