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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 Fungal diseases of selected medicinal plants of Kerala(Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 1991) Sukumara, Varma A; KAU; ; Abi, CheeranThesisItem Open Access Qualitative changes of yoghurt prepared from milk preserved by different methods(Department of Dairy Science, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,Mannuthy, 1990) Prasad, V; KAU; Sukumaran, M VAn experiment was conducted to study the qualitative changes of yoghurt prepared from milk preserved by different methods. An attempt was also made to study the efficiency of LP system in controlling psychrotrops in refrigerated milk thereby extending the keeping quality of such stored milk. The efficacy of the system was compared with pasteurized milk and raw milk stored under similar conditions. An exhaustive review of literature has been presented on the use of various preservation methods employed in milk, quality of yoghurt and other related aspects. The methods of analyses of some important components of milk and yoghurt has been detailed. The milk after collection were divided into three portions and used for various treatments A (raw milk as such), B (laboratory pasteurized) and C )LP activated). Samples in each treatment were again divided into four parts and stored under refrigeration for 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours for further analysis and yoghurt preparation. When raw milk was stored under refrigeration, acidity developed to a significantly high level (P < 0.05) at the end of 72 hours of storage whereas no significant increase in activity was noticed in treatments B and C. This result was corroborated by a decrease in both psychrotrophic and total bacterial counts in milk under treatments B and C. So it was concluded that the development of acidity in treatment A could be due to bultiplication of microbes particularly psychrotrophs. In B and C its growth was arrested by the treatments. Hydrogen peroxide and thiocyanate were detected in all raw milk samples at a level of 3.78 and 7.33 ppm respectively. The level of H2 O2 and SCN – used for the activation of LP system for the study were found to be adequate, since the psychrotrophic count in milk at the end of 72 hours in treatment C was less than that found in treatment B. The residual H2 O2 and SCN – contents at the end of 72 hours were found to be within the normal level found in milk thus having no health hazards, by this method of preservation. When yoghurt samples were prepared from stored milk no significant differences between treatments were noticed in the values of fermentation period, acidity, pH, total proteins and total solids. A significant increase in NPN and tyrosine values were noticed in yoghurt prepared from milk under treatment A indicating extensive proteolysis in milk during storage under this treatment. However, no difference was noticed between treatments B and C. Diacetyl and acetaldehyde were produced at a desirable level in yoghurt samples under all the three treatments. A proper ratio of Str. Thermophiles – 6 and L. bulgaricus – 4 was found to be maintained in all yoghurt samples. On organoleptic evaluation the yoghurt prepared from milk under treatment C could not be distinguished from other two treatments. In fact, yoghurt under C got a higher total score on organoleptic evaluation than A and B. Low score for body and texture, and falvour was observed under treatment A. This may be attributed to the effect of growth of psychrotrophs in raw milk during refrigeration. From the results, it was concluded that good quality yoghurt can be prepared from milk stored under refrigeration following pasteurization or LP activation. Yoghurt samples prepared from milk stored under treatment A was found to be of inferior quality when compared to B and C. The result also confirmed that LP system can be recommended as a safe preservative for extending storage life of refrigerated milk. When such stored milk was used for yoghurt production, no significant difference in the quality was noticed when compared to yoghurt under treatment B. Suggesting that LP activated milk can be conveniently and economically used for the production of fermented milk products like yoghurt without any apparent harmful effect.ThesisItem Open Access Nutritional status of women engaged in fishvending in Thivandurm district(Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Karuna, M S; KAU; Prema, LThe study on the “Nutritional status of women engaged in fishvending in Trivandrum District” comprises of the socio-economic and food consumption pattern of the fisherwomen families with special reference to their actual food intake, energy expenditure and nutritional status. Families surveyed were nuclear type belonging to under privileged communities. Main occupation of the families was fishing and fishvending. Most of the families belonged to the income groups of Rs.1000 to 2000. In these families as the income increased the percentage of income spent on food items decreased. Expenditure on education and health was very low. Male members spent much money for their faulty habits like alcoholism and playing cards. Most of the families were in debts and only women were responsible for the economic management of the families. Index developed from various socio-economic variables revealed that all the families lived below the poverty line. All the families were non-vegetarians and fish was the main nonvegetarian food in their diet. However, consumption of vegetables, pulses, eggs and green leafy vegetables was less due to lack of knowledge about nutritious food. Preparation of food is not upto the standard and this results in the poor quality of the food. Unbalanced, monotonous meal pattern was observed in the community. Compared to other stages of life, special attention was given only during infancy and pre-school period. Besides fishvending women were responsible for household tasks and child care practices. The women got employment for 7 months in a year. Most of the women sold the fish either in the markets in the city or by home to home delivery. Income getting from fishvending was not in proportion to the distance covered. Time spent for fishvending activity was more than the time they spent for other activities. Most of the household activities were combined with fishvending activities. It was found that total time spent for fishvending and household activities was more than 10 hours in a day. Time spent for fishvending activities was positively associated with family income, age of the fisherwomen and income of the fisherwomen. Compared to recommended daily allowance, higher energy expenditure was noticed in all the fisherwomen studied. Majority of the women were below the normal weight. Body Mass Index of the women showed that 33.33 percent suffered from energy deficiency. Nutritional status index was developed from height, weight and body mass index. The index developed ranged from 14.04 to 18.58. A highly significant positive association was observed in between nutritional status index of the women and their height, weight, BMI, Index developed from socio-economic factors and their energy expenditure. Clinical examination of the fisherwomen revealed that 95.33 percent of the women were suffering from any one of the nutritional deficiency disorders. Consumption of food quantity and availability of nutrients from the food were not satisfactory. The nutrients like energy, calcium, iron , retinol, thiamine , niacin and riboflavin and Vitamin C were deficient in their diets. As a result nutritional deficiency symptoms were more prevalent among them. Energy expenditure was more than the intake of energy. Blood constituents like haemoglobin, total protein albumin and Vitamin A were deficient in many of the women studied. From the above findings it was concluded that the nutritional status of the fisherwomen was found to be affected by geographic, environmental and disease factors.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic divergence, prepotency and inbreeding depression in para rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.)(Department of Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1992) Kavitha Mydin, K; KAU; Gopinathan Nair, VA study on genetic divergence, prepotency and inbreeding depression in rubber was undertaken in an effort to identify clones for use as components of polyclonal seed gardens. Forty clones of Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Sri Lankan origin were evaluated in a replicated trial at the Rubber Research Institute of India. Genetic variability, correlations and the cause and effect relationships of dry rubber yield and its components were worked out. Genetic divergence was estimated employing the Mahalanobis' D2 techinique. The factors of divergence were identified through principal factor analysis. Twenty promising clones from genetically divergent clusters were subjected to seedling progeny analyses for the estimation of propotency based on performance of their open pollinated seedling progenies and inbreeding depression in the first generation of selfing. Significant clonal variation was revealed in respect of all the physiological, morphological and structural attributes studied as mean values for the fourth year of tapping for the stress period and for the peak yield period. High genetic variability for volume of latex under stress, plugging index under stress, annual mean dry rubber yield and dry rubber yield during the stress and peak periods was indicated by the high estimates of genotypic coefficient of variation. Additive gene effects offering scope for improvement through selection was indicated for dry rubber yield, latex flow rate and volume of latex during the three periods, girth increment rate, annual mean plugging index and plugging index under stress, by the moderate to high heritability estimates along with high genetic advance for these traits. Non- additive gene action was indicated by the high heritability and low genetic advance for dry rubber content during the three periods, girth and bark thickness. At both genotypic and phenotypic levels, annual mean dry rubber yield showed moderate to high positive correlations with dry rubber content and latex flow rate during the three periods, girth, girth increment rate, length of the tapping panel and bark thickness and negative correlations with yield depression under stress and plugging index during the three periods. Dry rubber yield under stress emerged as a more important component than peak dry rubber yield by its higher magnitude of positive direct effect on annual mean dry rubber yield. Latex flow rate during the stress and peak periods and annual mean volume of latex exhibited high positive direct effects on annual mean dry rubber yield while plugging index during the peak yield period, volume of latex under stress and girth increment rate had negative direct effects on annual mean dry rubber yield. The magnitude and direction of the effects of the components on dry rubber yield during the three periods varied indicating these relationships to be under different genetic control. Selection for a high dry rubber yield under stress, annual mean volume of latex and latex flow rate during the stress and peak periods and against a high plugging index during the peak period, volume of latex under stress and girth increment rate would help achieve improvement in annual mean dry rubber yield. Considerable genetic diversity was revealed by the wide range of D2 values and intra and inter cluster distances. The forty clones were grouped into eight genetically divergent clusters irrespective of their country of origin indicating the absence of any relationship between geographical diversity and genetic divergence. Volume of latex, plugging index, latex flow rate, dry rubber content and dry rubber yield contributed more towards divergence than the morphological and structural attributes. Supporting evidence was obtained from principal factor analysis which revealed the yield factor to be the main factor of divergence with respect to the clusters studied. Junveile rubber yield on test tapping, number of latex vessel rows and number of leaf flushes in seedling progenies exhibited high heritability and genetic advance indicating scope for their use as early selection parameters, while girth exhibited high heritability and low genetic advance. These three traits showed significant positive correlations with juvenile rubber yield, of which girth exhibited the strongest association. Juvenile rubber yield, number of latex vessel rows, girth and number of leaf flushes were identified as important traits for being accorded simultaneous emphasis in the computation of performance index and index scores for the determination of recovery of superior seedlings as estimates of prepotency. Nine clones were identified as likely preopotents on the basis of seedling progeny analysis at the age of two years. Selfing resulted in a lower fruit set than open pollination in the clones in general. No significant inbreeding depression was recorded for juvenile vegetative traits and rubber yield in seedlings. Clones PB 28/83, PB 215, RRII 105, AVT 73, PB 217, PB 252, Ch 26, PB 242 and PB 5/51 were identified as likely prepotents from three genetically divergent clusters. They recorded superiority for yield and various yield components. These clones exhibited synchrony in flowering and are suggested as components of a nine parent polyclonal seed garden. For a seven parent seed garden the clones suggested to be excluded are PB 5/51 and PB 242. A polyclonal seed garden comprising these nine or seven clones as components could generate good quality polycross seed material. Appropriate seed garden layouts have been suggested.ThesisItem Open Access Development and application of a scale to measure the efficiency of adult education centres(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1990) Padmanabhan, V B; KAU; Thampi, A MThis study on the development and application of a scale to measure the efficiency of Adult Education Centres (AECs) was designed to develop and standardize a scale to measure the efficiency of AECs, to evaluate the selected AECs by using the scale developed and to suggest a model for the efficient functioning of AECs. The study was conducted in the Rural Functional Literacy Programme (RFLP) centres of the Rural Development Blocks of Ollukkara and Kodakara in Thrissur district during 1989. A three stage sampling design was adopted for the study. Instructors and learners of the AECs were the two types of respondents included in the study. Efficiency of AEC (dependent variable) and selected 41 factors (independent variables) were the variables for the study. The data were collected from the instructors by using questionnaires and from the learners by using interview schedules. The collected data were analysed using appropriate statistical techniques including percentage analysis, simple, linear correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis, step-wise regression analysis and path coefficient analysis. The salient findings oDepartment of Agricultural Extension College of Agriculturef the study are as follows : 1. Thirty seven independent variables out of the 41 were found to have significant positive relationship with the efficiency of AEC. Job commitment of instructor had the highest value of correlation coefficient. 2. The selected 24 independent variables taken together accounted for 98.35 per cent variation in the efficiency of AEC. The nine variables which were found to exert significant influence on the efficiency of AEC when taken together accounted for 96.27 per cent variation in the efficiency of AEC. 3. The best prediction equation was with eight variables which accounted for 93.97 per cent variation in the efficiency of AEC. These variables were instructor-learner communication, information processing behaviour of instructor, job commitment of instructor, job satisfaction of instructor, human resources, supply of inputs, monitoring and empathy of learner. 4. Job commitment of instructor alone explained 89.03 per cent variation in the efficiency of AEC. 5. Job commitment of instructor had the largest direct effect on the efficiency of AEC and its three components, namely, achievements of learners in literacy, awareness and functionality. The high positive correlations of all the other factors with the efficiency of AEC and its components were due to their positive inter-relationship with job commitment of instructor. 6. The scale developed to measure the efficiency of AECs was found to have high validity (content, criterion – related and concurrent) and reliability (test-rest and split-half). 7. The distribution of scores obtained on evaluating the selected AECs by using the scale was found to be normal. 8. A model was suggested for the efficient functioning of AECs based on the results of this study.ThesisItem Open Access Managerial efficiency of cassava farmers(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1991) Asnantharaman, M; KAU; Thyagarajan Nair, GThe study aimed at analyzing the managerial efficiency of cassava farmers. It was conducted in four districts namely, Thiruvananthapuram (low productivity), and Pathanamthitta (high productivity) in Kerala State and Kanyakumari (low productivity) and Selem (high productivity) in Tamil Nadu state. The first three districts were considered as non- industrial district and Selem district was considered as industrial district also. A total of 240 cassava farmers were selected, 60 from each district following stratified random sampling. The managerial efficiency was measured with the help of a scale consisting of 30 items developed for the study. The data on the managerial efficiency of farmers and on the fifteen socio- psychological and situational factors of the farmers were collected using an interview schedule. The components of managerial efficiency identified empirically were ‘planning’, ‘labour management’, ‘information management’, ‘financial management’ ‘production management (variety)’, ‘production management (practices)’ and ‘marketing management’. The managerial efficiency of cassava farmers as the whole was somewhat better as little more than half of the farmers had high managerial efficiency. While the farmers exhibited high efficiency in the managerial components namely, ‘planning’, ‘labour management’, ‘financial management’ and marketing management’, they were not efficient in the components of ‘Information management’, ‘production management (variety)’ and ‘production management (practices)’. The farmers of industrial district were found to have significantly higher efficiency in the overall managerial efficiency as well as in the managerial components viz., ‘planning’, ‘information management’, ‘financial management’, ‘production management (variety)’, and ‘production management (practices)’ when compared to farmers of non- industrial district. The component- wise performance of farmers on the whole was in the order of ‘labour management’, ‘marketing management’, ‘planning’, ‘financial management’, ‘production management (practices)’, ‘information management’, and ‘production management (variety)’. While farmers of industrial district relatively performed well in ‘production management (variety)’, ‘production management (practices)’ and ‘planning’ when compared to other components, non-industrial district farmers performance was good at ‘labour management’, ‘marketing management’ and ‘financial management’. The managerial components namely, ‘planning’, ‘information management’ and ‘financial management’ were found to be relatively more important than other components with regard to their contribution towards the profit from cassava cultivation. The socio-psychological and situational factors namely, closeness with agricultural support system, market perception, achievement motivation, economic motivation, attitude towards scientific management in crop enterprise, knowledge on scientific management in crop enterprise, cultivated holding, cassava area and irrigation potential were found to be significantly contributing to the managerial efficiency. The major managerial constraints faced by the farmers were lack of awareness, knowledge, conviction, timely information and planting materials; limited resources, uncertainty and shortage of labourers.ThesisItem Open Access Inter-relationship of applied nutrients on growth, productivity and latex flow characteristics of havea brasiliensis muell. arg.(Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Punnoose, K I; KAU; Sreedharan, CThree field experiments were conducted in three locations representing the major rubber growing regions in South India to study the response to nutrient applications on growth characters, yield and latex flow characteristics and to study the inter-relationship between soil and plant nutrients on yield. It was also envisaged to assess the relative response in the different locations and to make economic analysis of the benefit of manuring. Three levels of 0, 40 and 80 N ha-1, 0, 30 and 60 kg P2O5 ha-1 and 0, 40 and 80 kg k2O ha-1 and two levels of 0 and 10 kg MgO ha-1 were used. A 33 x 2 partially confounded factorial split plot experiment in randomised block design with two replications was followed. The 80 kg level of N and 30 and 40 kg levels respectively of P and K were optimum for girth increment in all the locations. Application of Mg was also beneficial. For virgin bark thickness the 40, 30 and 40 kg levels of N, P and K respectively were sufficient in all the locations and application of Mg was not beneficial. For bark renewal 80 kg N was optimum at Thodupuzha whereas the 40 kg level was sufficient in the other locations. The 60 kg level of P was useful at Kulasekharam and Thodupuzha while 30 kg was sufficient at Balussery. The 40 kg level of K was optimum in all the locations and application of Mg was not beneficial. The 80 kg level of N gave the maximum weight of leaf litter in all places while for P and K the 30 and 40 kg levels respectively were sufficient. Magnesium was beneficial only at Balussery in one year. The 40, 30 and 40 kg levels respectively of N, P and K gave the highest total volume of latex in all the locations except at Balussery where 80 kg K was superior to 40 kg. Application of Mg was beneficial at Balussery while it had a reducing effect at Kulasekharam and no effect at Thodupuzha. Application of N and K reduced the plugging index and that of P and Mg increased it in all the locations. For dry rubber content, the 80 kg level of N was optimum at Kulasekharam while the 40 kg level was sufficient in the other locations. With regard to P and K the 30 and 40 kg levels respectively were sufficient. Application of Mg was beneficial only at Thodupuzha. In the case of yield of rubber 40 kg N and 30 kg P2O5 were found to be optimum in all locations. The 40 kg level of K2O was sufficient at Kulasekharam and Thodupuzha while the 80 kg gave the highest yield at Balussery. At Thodupuzha and Balussery application of Mg was beneficial while at kulasekharam it reduced the yield. Application of N increased the organic carbon content of soil. The available P, K and Mg contents of soil were increased by the application of the respective nutrients. The N, P, K and Mg contents of leaf and latex were increased by application of the respective nutrients. Application of P as rock phosphorus also increased the available Ca content of soil and Ca contents of leaf and latex. The yield of rubber was positively correlated with girth increment, rate of bark renewal, initial flow rate, total volume and dry rubber content of latex and negatively with plugging index. Yield was also positively correlated with the available N, P, K and Ca contents of soil N, K and Ca contents of leaf and P and K contents of latex and negatively correlated with Mg contents of soil and leaf. The strongest correlations with yield were given by soil N, latex P and K and leaf Ca. Total volume of latex was positively correlated with the available N, P, K and Ca contents of soil, N, K and Ca contents of leaf and P and K contents of latex. The dry rubber content of latex was positively correlated with the available N, P and Ca contents of soil, N, K and Ca contents of leaf and N, P, K and Ca contents of latex. The plugging index was positively correlated with the P and Ca contents and negatively with the N and K contents of soil, leaf and latex. Positive correlations, were obtained between soil and leaf nutrients, soil and latex nutrients and leaf and latex nutrients in the case of N, P, K and Ca. In the case of yield of rubber 40 kg N and 30 kg P were found to be optimum in all the locations. The 40 kg level of K was sufficient at Kulasekharam and Thodupuzha while the 80 kg level gave the highest yield at Balussery. Application of Mg was beneficial at Thodupuzha and Balussery while at Kulasekharam it reduced the yield. An overall evaluation of the economic analysis indicated that 40 kg N, 30 kg P2O5 and 40 kg K2O were the optimum doses in all the three locations. Application of Mg was profitable only at Thodupuzha.ThesisItem Open Access Rice based cropping system analysis in kerala(Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Chidananda Pillai, M R; KAU; Sreedharan, CWith the objectives of identifying the most economic crop combination for the double crop wet rice fields of Kerala and to assess soil fertility changes due to rice based cropping systems and also to find out the residual effects of the summer crops on the succeeding rice crops an investigation was conducted at the R.A.R.S. Pattambi in a split – split plot design, for a period of two years. The salient findings of the investigation are as follows. In the Cassava-rice-rice system 25 per cent saving was recorded for P and K for maximum grain yield of kharif rice than the recommended doses. A saving of 50 per cent each of P and K was recorded for the maximum straw yield than the recommended doses. In cowpea–rice-rice system for maximum grain yield of kharif rice there was a saving of 25 per cent of P and K than recommended doses. The same trend followed for the maximum yield of strew also. In groundnut –rice-rice system, for maximum grain yield of kharif rice there was a saving of 25 per cent of P and K than recommended doses. For the production of maximum straw yield full dose of recommended nutrients were required. In bhindi– rice-rice system for maximum grain yield of kharif rice there was a saving of 50 per cent of P and K than recommended doses. For the production of maximum straw yield full dose of recommended nutrients were essential. In rice-rice-rice system for maximum grain yield a saving of 25 per cent of P and K was recorded than recommended doses. For the production of maximum straw yield full dose of recommended nutrients were required. In fallow-rice-rice system for maximum grain yield full dose of recommended nutrients were essential, whereas for the production of maximum straw yield a saving of 25 per cent of P and K than the full dose was recorded. In cassava, rice and fallow systems for the manifestation of residual effect to the rabi rice, balanced nutrients at high doses are to be applied to the preceding kharif crop where as in the cowpea, groundnut and bhindi systems, residual effects of nutrients are seen manifested to the rabi rice crop even when the kharif rice crop is applied with medium doses of nutrients. There was a trend of slight decrease in the organic carbon content of the soil under all the cropping systems. The status of available nitrogen and potash after one and two year crop sequences also followed the above trend. Regarding the status of phosphorus in the soil, there was a slight increase after one and two year crop sequences. Cassava system produced maximum yield in terms of energy value followed by groundnut. From the economic point of view bhindi system gave the maximum net return. Maximum dry matter production (biomass production potential) was recorded in the cassava system followed by groundnut system. A vegetable crop like bhindi or a tuber crop like cassava seem to be more profitable than growing rice in summer season in the double crop wet rice fields of Kerala, rice being least economic. Among the cropping systems rice-rice-rice system generates maximum employment opportunities for the farm labourers with maximum job opportunities for women labourers as well.ThesisItem Open Access Job efficiency of panchayat level agricultural officers of department of agriculture in Kerala(Department Of Agricultural Extension, College Of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1993) Mothilal Nehru, S; Thyagarajan Nair, GThe study aimed to examine the job efficiency of Agricultural Officers of State Department of Agriculture. The study was conducted in three Agro climatic zones of Kerala State covering six districts, two each from the zones. The selected districts were Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur. From each district, one agricultural sub – division was randomly selected. Finally 154 Agricultural Officers were selected for the main study and analysis and interpretation were carried out with the responses obtained from 115 respondents. The job efficiency was measured with the help of a scale developed for the study and rated by the Assistant Directors of the selected Agricultural Officers. BARS technique was used to develop the job efficiency scale. A pilot study was conducted to screen independent variables and finally ten personal and situational related variables were selected. Data were collected through structured interview schedule and mailed questionnaire. The job dimension identified empirically were ‘planning’, ‘coordination’, ‘human relation’, office management’, ‘professional competency’ and ‘farmer development’. In general, more than half of the Agricultural officers had high job efficiency. Similarly, in the case of job dimensions majority of them fall under the category of high group except ‘office management’ dimension. There was no significant difference between overall job efficiency of the Agricultural officers among the three zones. At the same time, there was significant difference among the Agricultural Officers of the zone in the job dimensions namely, ‘coordination’, ‘office management’ and ‘professional competency’. The personal and situational related variables namely, attitude towards profession, self confidence, intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction, job involvement, technical competency, communication behaviour, organizational climate, guidance and supervision and facilities and resources put together contributed significantly to the efficiency of Agricultural Officers and explained 77 per cent of the variation in job efficiency. The best sub - set of variables for predicting the variation in job efficiency were communication behaviour, technical competency and self confidence. The ‘communication behaviour’ and ‘technical competency’ were the two variables influencing all the job efficiency dimensions to a substantial extent. Next to these two variables, ‘self confidence’ was found to be influencing all the dimensions except ‘human relation,. The variables like ‘organisational climate’, attitude towards profession’, ‘intrinsic motivation’ were also found to be important in this respect. The major constraints perceived by the Agricultural Officers were ‘more number of programmes’, ‘lack of sufficient knowledge about programmes of sister departments’, ‘lack of sufficient knowledge on personnel management’, ‘inadequate office facilities’, ‘lack of skill oriented trainings on viable technology’ and ‘administrative delay in disbursing subsidies and other benefits to farmers’.
