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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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End date: 2009 × Start date: 2000 × Type: Thesis × Thesis Type: M.Sc ×
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Management of foot rot of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) with mycoinoculant enriched vermicompost
    (Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2002) Divya, S; Sasikumar Nair
    The study, "Management of foot rot of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) with mycoinoculant enriched vermicompost" was done at the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Veliayani to explore the possibility of using vermicornpost as a carrier material for mass production of biocontrol agents and to test its efficacy in controlling the disease. The talc based inoculum of Trichoderma harzianum and soil based granular inoculum of Glomus Jasciculatum were mass produced in vermicompost either alone or in combination with farmyard manure or neem cake in the ratio 1 : 1 and 5 : 1 respectively and the efficacy was compared with the standard carrier material of FYM + neem cake (10 : 1). The population of T. harzianum 15 DAI was maximum in the treatment combination of VC + NC (5 : 1). However, the influence of these carrier materials on percentage of mycorrhizal infection 50 DAI was not statistically significant. Vermicompost as a carrier material for biocontrol agents was further tested in pepper var. Karimunda inoculated with P. capsici. Carrier materials as such had no significant influence on disease control. Reduction in foliar infection, disease index, stem infection and percentage mortality was observed in treatments with biocontrol agents. Disease control was maximum with the treatments involving T. harzianum while plant growth promotion was maximum with G. Jasciculatum. The physiological changes in pepper plants after inoculation with P. capsici and biocontrol agents were studied. The phenol and OD phenol content was more in pathogen inoculated plants. The defence related enzymes peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase and phenylalanine ammonia lyase were enhanced with pathogen inoculation as well as with the application of biocontrol agents. SDS-PAGE analysis of proteins with samples extracted from plants one day after inoculation of pathogen showed the presence of two novel proteins with molecular . weights of 78 kDa and 28 kDa in diseased samples which were absent in treatments without pathogen and also in plants treated with COC.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Management of banana pseudostem weevil odoiporus longicollis oliv.using entomopathogenic fungi
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2005) Sahi Beegum, M K; KAU; Anitha, N
    Investigation on “Management of banana pseudostem weevil, Odoiporus longicollis Oliv. using entomopathogenic fungi” was carried out in the Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The study was conducted to screen four entomopathogenic fungi, to evaluate their biocontrol potential and to standardize the effective dose and method of application for the management of the banana pseudostem weevil. Four entomopathogenic fungi viz., Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana, Paecilomyces lilacinus and Nomuraea rileyi were tested against O. longicollis. Among them M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were found to infect O. longicollis grubs. Susceptibility of different stages of grubs to fungal infection was tested by using first, second, third, fourth and fifth instar grubs of O. longicollis and the results revealed that first and second instar grubs were more susceptible to fungal infection. Determination of effective dose of fungi against second instar grubs of O. longicollis was carried out by spraying the grubs with different concentrations of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana. The LC50 values of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were 3.9 x 106 spores ml-1 and 1.6 x 105 spores ml-1 respectively. Evaluation of six naturally available solid media viz., rice bran, wheat bran, guinea grass, gingelly oil cake, coir pith, and neem cake were carried out for mass multiplication of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana. The results revealed that both rice bran and wheat bran were suitable for the mass multiplication of these fungi. The spore production was 9.26 x 106 spores ml-1 and 8.71 x 106 spores ml-1 respectively for M. anisopliae on first week after inoculation. For B. bassiana, the spore count was 503.42 x 106 spores ml-1 and 320.32 x 106 spores ml-1 respectively on first week after inoculation. Among the liquid media tried, coconut water and rice bran extract produced maximum mycelial growth and sporulation of fungi. For M. anisopliae the spore count was 7.77 x 107 spores ml-1 and 0.49 x 107 spores ml-1 respectively. B. bassiana recorded 440.03 x 106 spores ml-1 and 232.26 x 106 spores ml-1 respectively. M. anisopliae and B. bassiana grown in rice bran and wheat bran recorded maximum virulence on two weeks after storage and decreased thereafter. However, coconut water and rice bran extract showed maximum virulence on first week after storage and then found decreasing. Studies conducted to evaluate the compatibility of fungi with NeemAzal 0.4 per cent, chlorpyriphos 0.03 per cent, copper oxychloride 0.4 per cent and mancozeb 0.3 per cent revealed that all the pesticides tested inhibited the growth of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana. But the per cent inhibition was least in the case of NeemAzal 0.4 per cent. Field experiments were conducted with M. anisopliae and B. bassiana with chlorpyriphos (0.03 per cent) and NeemAzal (0.4 per cent) as checks. The plants were artificially infested with known number of grubs. Two experiments were conducted, one with prophylactic treatments and the other with curative treatments. Three application methods viz., leaf axil filling of spore suspension of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana, leaf axil filling of fungi in rice bran and stem injection of spore suspension were tested. Among these treatments leaf axil filling of B. bassiana spore suspension at 1.8 x 107 ml-1 as prophylactic treatment was most effective which gave 52.42 per cent mortality of grubs.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Information education and communication (iec) for iodine defficiency disorders (idd) control
    (Department of Home Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2000) Vishma, C A; Rajani, M
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Etiology and ecofriendly management of fungal diseases of thippali ( piper longum L)
    (Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2007) Poornima, R; KAU; Santha Kumari, P
    A survey was carried out at the medicinal garden of College of Agriculture, Vellayani and medicinal garden of Ayurveda Research Institute, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram to study the diseases associated with Piper longum L. (Indian long pepper or thippali). The major disease observed was anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (Penz.) Penz and Sacc. Pathogenicity test proved that C. gloeosporioides was the pathogen associated with the disease. Cross inoculation studies conducted using C. gloeosporioides isolate of thippali, black pepper and betel vine - the sister plants – showed that the thippali isolate was highly host specific. The colony and conidial morphology of the three isolates also showed considerable difference. C. gloeosporioides of thippali had very small conidia and the culture was also found to be shy sporulating. Studies on the survival of C. gloeosporioides showed that the pathogen survived for 105 days in the infected leaves, under laboratory conditions. In the soil, it survived for 150 days. Of the eleven fungal and four bacterial isolates tested against C. gloeosporioides, T. viride and A.terreus were found to be most effective under in vitro condition. Among the different resistance inducers tested in vitro, SA (1 g/l) was selected for field evaluation, as it had no direct action on the pathogen. Of the two plant based chemicals tested, Ovis reported the highest suppression of the pathogen. These four eco friendly materials selected from the in vitro studies and neem cake were tested in the field to determine their effectiveness in controlling the disease. Their combinations were also studied. Among the different eco friendly materials tested in the field, treatment T12 (T2T5 - A. terreus + neem cake) was found to be best in disease suppression at 45 DAT. Estimation of DRE showed that PO and PPO activity was highest in T3 (Ovis) where as PAL activity was maximum in T1 (T. viride). Combination of treatments revealed that maximum PO activity was in treatment T14 (T3T5 - Ovis + neem cake).The PPO and PAL activity was maximum in T7 (T1T3 - T. viride + Ovis).
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Nonlinear models for major crops of Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Statistics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Joshy, C G; KAU; Krishnan, S
    Nonlinear modelling techniques are the most suited tools for describing any time series phenomenon. Among the various nonlinear models in vogue monomolecular, logistic, gompertz and mixed-influence models find a prominent place. With this idea the agricultural scenario of Kerala was measured through the three important descriptors namely area, production and productivity of the major crops viz; coconut, rubber, paddy, pepper, tapioca, cashew and banana for all the districts and the state as such. Monomolecular model was the most apt model in most of the cases. The data sets were further explored based on the carrying capacity achieved by 2002-03 coupled with intrinsic growth rate. When none of the nonlinear models were found satisfactory either simple linear regression model or quadratic model was tried to explore the nature of trend. Coconut production was found to have reached its near maximum in all the districts where it was a major crop but the productivity figures gave a warning note for increasing the productivity. Rubber was found to be one of the most gifted crops, which was not devoid of proper attention. Even with this stature, production of rubber can be improved through uniform management practices. Usually nonlinear and quadratic models aptly describe a time series data on crop production. It is astonishing that simple linear regression model aptly described the paddy production in the state. The regressive value of the regression coefficients indicated that paddy production in the state is facing extinction.Paddy production in the state has at least to be protected. The lack of fit of most of the nonlinear models and even quadratic models to the data of pepper production indicate the various devastating hazards that the crop faced with. These contrasting features bring out the fact that pepper cultivation be not allowed to be toyed with. The area specific crops like cashew, cardamom, coffee and banana be made nonspecific through innovative technologies. A concerted effort with valid stresses specific to each crop will make the agricultural scenario bright.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Group marketing system for fruits and vegetables in Kerala
    (Department of Rural Marketing Management, College of Co operation and Banking Management, Vellanikkara, 2007) Bibin, Mohan; KAU; Philip, Sabu
    The study entitled “Group marketing system for Fruits and vegetables in Kerala” was undertaken with the following objectives: To analyse the marketing behaviour of commercial fruits and vegetables farmers and to evaluate the structure, conduct and performance of Swasraya Karshaka Samithies (SKSs) promoted by Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council, Keralam (VFPCK). The study was conducted in Thrissur and Palakkad districts which accounted for the largest volume of business through SKSs. Commercial farmers and traders of fruits and vegetables constituted the population of the study. For the study, five SKSs were selected from each district randomly. From the area of operation of each SKS, ten member farmers who marketed their produce through SKS and five farmers who marketed their produce otherwise were selected randomly to constitute the sample of farmers. Similarly five traders selected from each SKS constituted the sample of traders. Data were collected from the sources through personal interview method by administering separate pre-tested structured schedules to farmers and traders. The data thus obtained were analysed by using bivariate tables, percentages, satisfaction indices, and ranking. Analysis of the socio-economic profile of the farmers revealed that older generation are more interested in farming than younger generation. The analysis also brought out the predominance of men in agriculture, and they possessed vast experience in farming. The results indicate that marginal and small holdings dominate the agricultural sector in the study area. Analysis of the annual income of the farmers showed that the number of farmers with an annual income of Rs.1,00,000 and above was higher among SKS farmers than Non-SKS farmers. The share of income from fruits and vegetables in the total agricultural income was higher for SKS farmers. ‘Better price for the produce’ followed by regular market for the produce, ‘better measurement and grading practices in the market’, ‘feeling of farmers own organisation’ were the most important reasons for farmers to take membership in SKS. Regarding the ownership pattern of cropped land of the farmers, the share of farmers cultivating on leased land was more among the SKS farmers than Non-SKS farmers. The SKS also attracted farmers with larger area under fruits and vegetables cultivation to its fold. The selected farmers depended more on man made sources of water than natural sources for irrigation and the majority of the farmers used either electric pump or diesel pump for irrigation. Majority of the SKS farmers preferred VFPCK as the main source of seeds for cowpea, bittergourd and amaranthus. In the case of nendran the most preferred source of suckers was traders. When the Non-SKS farmers preferred own sources and fellow farmers for the purpose. The main source of suckers of nendran was traders. Analysis of the different varieties of crops preferred by farmers revealed that in the case of nendran farmers in general preferred Mettupalayam, Kottayam and Manjeri varieties. In the case of cowpea Lola was the most preferred of SKS farmers and Non-SKS farmers preferred Lola, Local and Vyjayanthi varieties. Regarding bittergourd when SKS farmers showed a strong preference towards Preethi, Non-SKS farmers mostly preferred Local variety. Arun was the most preferred variety of amaranthus SKS farmers and Kannara Local by Non-SKS farmers. In the case of ivy gourd majority of SKS farmers preferred Sulabha variety while Non-SKS farmers preferred Local variety. The main sources of planting material for farmers were VFPCK, KAU, traders and fellow farmers. KAU was the only institutional agency which supplied all types of planting materials. Out of the four sources of planting materials, KAU was the dearest and VFPCK the cheapest. Majority of the SKS farmers availed credit from commercial banks linked to SKS when majority of the Non-SKS farmers preferred money lenders and traders for their credit needs. The SKS farmers harvested nendran coinciding with the SKS market days. Cowpea, bittergourd and ivy gourd were harvested thrice a week by majority of the SKS farmers. Vast majority of Non-SKS farmers harvested nendran weekly. Majority of the Non-SKS farmers harvested cowpea and amaranthus thrice in a week. In the case of bitter gourd and ivy gourd majority harvested two days in a week. SKS was the prime source of market information to SKS farmers while traders constituted the main source of information to Non-SKS farmers. The SKS farmers were better placed with regard to scientific marketing practices. All the produces except amaranthus and cowpea were graded and sold in SKS. Only nendran and bitter gourd were graded in Non-SKS market. Majority of the SKS farmers used plantation leaves for packing nendran. Plastic bags were used for packing other crops. Majority of the farmers in Non-SKS markets marketed nendran without packing. The main reason for selling the produce outside the SKS market was farm gate collection by the traders. The important means of transportation for SKS farmers was tailed autorikshaw and head load for majority of Non-SKS farmers. Price fluctuation was the only one risk perceived by SKS farmers, while the Non-SKS farmers perceived the risk of unsold produce, physical damage, and default in payment besides price fluctuation. In order to manage the price risk a majority of the SKS farmers sold the produce to the same trader even at a lower price when Non-SKS market sold to other traders. Regarding the realization of credit sales, 90 per cent of the SKS farmers received payment within a week while majority of the Non-SKS farmers received payment within two weeks. Lack of adequate processing and storage facilities were reported as the most serious problems faced by the commercial fruits and vegetables farmers. The SKS farmers were found better trained than Non-SKS farmers. While analyzing the structure of SKS market, it was found that majority of the sample traders were wholesalers. Majority of them had more than five years experience in fruits and vegetables trade. Majority of them had more than five years experience with the SKS. Regarding the admission in SKS, vast majority of the traders found the rules simple. Seasonality analysis of the market for the selected crops disclosed that the farmers especially nendran farmers realized the best price during Onam season as demand outstripped the supply during the season. The SKS market exhibited conditions of ‘slightly concentrated oligopsony’. Market power concentration analysis showed that in Elevenchery, Pariyaram and Thottipal the market power was highly concentrated in top four traders compared to other SKSs.. However the market power was less concentrated in top four traders in markets like Kottayi, Kanjirapuzha, Viyyakurishi and Pazhayannur. Conduct of the SKS market revealed that majority of the traders waited till the close of the market to buy the produce at a lower price as the price used to cool down towards the end of the market. The purchased produce were fed by the traders to the end markets situated far and wide from the SKS. Majority of the traders operated in more than one market. Regarding the management of price risk the traders signed forward contracts with their retailers and regulated their purchase from SKS according to the price and quantity contracted with their customers. The Marketing Efficiency Index for all the selected crops except bittergourd was the highest in SKS market compared to other markets as the marketing cost was the lowest in the SKS market. The farmers were ‘highly satisfied’ and the traders were ‘highly satisfied’ with the working of the SKS market. The VFPCK, through its group based production and marketing approach has been able to give a fillip to the vegetable and fruit cultivation in Kerala. The Swasraya Karshaka Samithies (SKSs) promoted VFPCK have enabled the farmers to enhance their production and productivity through scientific cultivation practices. The SKS market owned and operated by the farmers have enabled the farmers to realise better price for their produce by setting up best trade practices and price discovering mechanism.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Interaction effect under ammi model
    (Department of Agricultural Statistics, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2006) Eldho, Varghese; KAU; Krishnan, S
    The study of interaction is one of the major objectives of most of agricultural experiments. Conceptually this is done based on regression technique. Among the interactions studied, two factor interaction derives its importance as it is the simplest of the interactions. The joint regression technique is employed to study the G x E interaction. The regression techniques are having the assumption of additivity of effects. When there is departure from these assumption the joint regression technique fails. Additive Main effects and Multiplicative Interaction studies have helped a lot at this juncture. Raju (2002) derived a more comprehensive measure of interaction based on AMMI model. This was achieved using the spectral decomposition of the relevant interaction matrix which enabled the study of interaction with the same precision as that of studying the main effects. Biplots formulations of interaction effects based on the PCA vector scores are the most simplest and explicit representation of interaction. The study of interaction based on spectral decomposition has been illustrated using the secondary data on the biometric, chemical and qualitative characters from the projects “Development of a bimodal phasic management system to improve both quantity and quality in Kacholam (Kaempferia galanga)” and “Development of a bimodal phasic management system to improve both quantity and quality in Njavara (Oriza Sativa)”. The DMRT tests for each level of the factors viz., calcium and source were carried out for the parameters viz., percentage content of phosphorus in rhizome, percentage content of potassium in rhizome and North – South foliage spread. In all these characters no specific interaction effect could be sorted out. These interactions when studied based on the factor analytical technique revealed that source II and second level of calcium had the highest positive interaction as regards the percentage content of phosphorus; source III and third level of calcium for percentage content of potassium and source II and third level of calcium for North – South foliage spread. When the order of the interaction matrix was high as in the case of the second experiment, DMRT tests failed to highlight the appropriate interactive effect in the characters viz., grain yield, percentage content of nitrogen in grain, percentage content of phosphorus in grain, percentage content of phosphorus in straw and percentage content of potassium in straw. The study based on the factor analytical technique revealed that the treatments T15, T8, T3, T1 and T4 respectively had the highest interactive effect with Payyanur for the above said characters where as for Badagara they were T3, T14, T4, T5 and T8 .
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Financing of fruit and vegetable processing industry in Thrissur district
    (Department of Rural Banking and Financial Management, College of Co-operation, Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, 2004) Bindumol, R; KAU; Padmini, E V K
    The study entitled “Financing of Fruit and Vegetable Processing Industry in Thrissur District” was conducted with the following objectives: 1) to examine the extent and pattern of institutional finance to the fruit and vegetable processing units and 2) to identify the factors influencing the repayment behaviour of the selected units. The study was conducted among ten fruit and vegetable processing units out of the 32 units in Thrissur District for a period of five years from 1998 to 2002 using mainly primary data collected with a pre-tested structured schedule. Secondary data were also used from the books and accounts of the units and banks. The study revealed that a substantial percent of the sample units are tiny or small which are organized in the form of sole proprietorship. Majority of the sample firms were established after 1960 because of the increased demand for processed products that too by Christian entrepreneurs. Even though all the units are registered as per the norms of Food Products Order, 1955, majority of the units in fruits and vegetable processing industry in Kerala are outside the purview of Factories Act, 1948. The study also revealed that most of the small-scale units were started with a low fixed capital investment. The share of owned funds in the total capital at the time of establishment was high compared to borrowings, as the units were small and started by the entrepreneurs with sound financial status. The units mainly depend on Public Sector Commercial Banks for their working capital. Study also revealed that the major problem faced by the units is the inadequacy of working capital during the season. More than 50 percent of the working capital requirement of the units is financed by the public sector commercial banks and the rest are met with their own funds. The share of fixed capital in the total capital is higher when compared with working capital. The large-scale units are capital intensive as the share of fixed capital is more. The analysis of the financing pattern revealed that the highest share of finance was from borrowed funds. Building, plant and machinery contribute major share of the fixed capital while the stock of raw materials occupy highest share in working capital. The lower share of sundry debtors of the units denotes that credit sale is less in the industry. The analysis of the cost structure revealed that all the major cost items like cost of fresh fruits, fruit juice concentrates, chemicals and cost of other inputs have increased during the study period. The share of vegetable cost is high in units producing only pickles. The percentage increase in sales is less compared to cost, which adversely affected the profit of the units. The value added of the industry has increased by 27 percent during the study period. The industry depends heavily on local market for the sales of their product, as their promotional activities and marketing are not adequate. To supplement the analysis with the absolute values, ratios are worked out classified into three categories namely structural ratios, activity ratios and financial ratios. Structural ratios reassured the earlier arguments. Activity ratios and profitability ratios established that the dependence on debt is minimum and institutional finance has nothing to do only little. The potential for institutional finance depends on to what extent the industry can diversify and also to what extent the banking agencies can come forward to provide financial assistance for venture financing.
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    ThesisItemOpen Access
    Major spiders in vegetable ecosystem and their predatory potential
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2005) Manu Mani, P; KAU; Hebsi Bai
    Spider faunistic survey conducted in okra, brinjal, cowpea, bittergourd and amaranthus fields in Kalliyoor panchayat of Thiruvananthapuram district during the summer of 2004, revealed the prevalence of high density and diversity of spiders in the vegetable ecosystem. Hunting spiders were dominant in all the vegetable plots. Thirty species of spiders distributed in nine families were recorded with the number of species in each vegetable field ranging from 10 to17. Among the thirty species, 16 species were commonly seen in the different vegetable fields while 14 species were seen exclusively associated with a particular vegetable. Araneidae with ten species was the most represented family in the vegetable fields followed by Oxyopidae and Salticidae. The other families observed were Miturgidae, Thomisidae, Tetragnathidae, Corinnidae, Lycosidae and Clubionidae. Most of the spiders appeared during the vegetative and flowering stages of the crop. Few spiders were recorded in the early stage of the crops. Four spiders viz., O. javanus, C. danieli, N. mukerjei and T. mandibulata were dominant in all the vegetable plots among which O. javanus and C. danieli predominated. Studies on the seasonal influence showed no significant difference in the abundance of the spiders during summer and rainy seasons. Rather, the growth stages of the crops significantly influenced the build up of the spider population with higher population being observed during the reproductive phase. In general, the spiders preferred soft bodied insects like the hemipterans, lepidopterans, dipterans and coleopterans (eggs and grubs) for predation. While the spiders did not show any significant preference for the different hemipteran prey in a mixed diet, significant difference was shown for the different lepidopteran pests. O. javanus had the maximum preference for the lepidopteran pests Chemical insecticides were more toxic to the spiders than botanicals when tested at their recommended doses. Among the chemical insecticides, dimethoate 0.05 per cent, carbaryl 0.2 per cent and malathion 0.1 per cent were highly toxic. Even at different doses the insecticides were toxic to the spiders. Quinalphos 0.05 per cent and imidacloprid were less toxic. Between the two methods of application, topical application of insecticides was more detrimental to the spiders than release on treated plants. Among the spiders, T. mandibulata was more susceptible to the insecticides followed by C. danieli. O. javanus and N. mukerjei were less sensitive. While the fungal pathogens, M. anisopliae, P. lilacinus and Bt were safe to the spiders. F. pallidoroseum, Fusarium sp. and B. bassiana were pathogenic. Based on the results of the study, conservation of the spiders characteristic of the vegetable ecosystem would be a practical and ecologically and economically viable approach for pest suppression in vegetables. When there is a spurt in pest ravage, the protection afforded by the predator could be supplemented with judicious use of “spider friendly” insecticides.