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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 Study on marketing management of Sitaram ayurveda pharmacy Ltd. for Narasimham oil(College of Co-operation Banking and Management, Vellanikkara, 2017) Bhagyasree, K G; KAU; Smitha, BabyMarketing management is the organizational discipline which focuses on the practical application of marketing orientation, techniques and methods inside enterprises and organizations and on the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities. Marketing management employs tools from economics and competitive strategy to analyze the industry context in which the firm operates. The scope of a business' marketing management depends on the size of the business and the industry in which the business operates. Effective marketing management will use a company's resources to increase its customer base, improve customer opinions of the company's products and services, and increase the company's perceived value. The project entitled “A study on marketing management of Sitaram Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd. for Narasimham oil” were undertaken with the objectives vii. To understand the marketing management practices followed by Sitaram Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd for the promotion of Sitaram Narasimham oil. viii. To evaluate consumers, retailers and dealers perception towards the maketing of Sitaram Narasimham oil. ix. To suggest improved marketing strategies for Sitaram Narasimham oil. The sample size of the study was 60 consumers, 8 distributors and 15 retailres of Sitaram Narasimham oil , in Thrissur Corporation. Consumers were selected by using convenience sampling method. The study was based on primary data and secondary data, the primary data were collected from the sample respondents through personal interview. The collected data were analyzed using percentage and ranking index method. In order to keep the company vibrant and responsive to the needs of the customers, it is vital to regularly monitor the level of consumer satisfaction and marketing management practices.ThesisItem Open Access Morphological variations of root knot nematode in vegetables and banana(Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Chinchu, P Babu; KAU; Narayana, RThe study entitled “Morphological variations of root knot nematode in vegetables and banana” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2015-17 with the objective to study the morphological and morphometric variations of root-knot nematode in brinjal, okra, tomato and banana in Kerala. Morphological and morphometrical studies of females, perineal pattern, second stage juveniles and males of root knot nematodes collected from Dhanuvachapuram, Kattakada and Vellayani of Thiruvananthapuram district; Balagram, Pampadumpara and Thovalappady of Idukki district; Chazhoor, Thalikulam and Thaniyam of Thrissur district infecting brinjal, okra, tomato and banana were done and the data was analysed to identify the species. M.incognita (Kofoid & White, 1919) Chitwood, 1949, M. javanica (Treub, 1885) Chitwood, 1949, M. arenaria (Neal, 1889) Chitwood, 1949 and M. chitwoodi Golden, O'Bannon, Santo & Finley 1980 were identified from brinjal, okra, tomato and banana in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Thrissur districts of Kerala. The study indicated M. incognita as the major species of root knot nematode in Thiruvananthapuram district (91.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence in brinjal and tomato (27.77). In Idukki district, the major species of root knot nematode was M. javanica (66.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence from brinjal and banana (33.33). In Thrissur district, M. arenaria was found to be the major species (66.66%) with highest percentage of occurrence in okra (37.5). M. incognita was found to be the major species in brinjal (55.55%), okra (44.44%), tomato (55.55%) and banana (44.44%) in Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Thrissur districts. The extent of parthenogenesis of root knot nematode was found to be very high (97.22%) in these populations. Intraspecific morphological variations were observed within M. incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria with respect to shape of females, length and position of neck, perineal pattern morphology, tail characters including rectum dilation. Interpopulation comparison of mature females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles of M. incognita showed that the characters length, width, neck length, stylet length, LMB, WMB and ratio a of females, LVS, AVS, ATT and IPD of perineal pattern and body length, stylet length, H-MB, ABW, tail length, ratio c and c’ were recorded as stable characters. Interpopulation comparison of mature females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles of M. javanica showed that all the characters of females, perineal pattern and second stage juveniles were stable characters and in M. arenaria, the characters like body length, width, neck length, stylet length, LMB and WMB of females, LVS, AVS, ATT and IPD of perineal pattern and length, stylet length, H-MB, ABW and tail length were recorded as stable characters and found useful in characterizing species. Intraspecific morphological and morphometric variations of M. incognita, M. javanica, M. arenaria were recorded from four host plants in three districts in Kerala. M. arenaria and M. javanica showed high variability between the populations compared to M. incognita in Kerala. The study indicated that M. incognita, M. javanica and M. arenaria were the major species infesting vegetables and banana in Kerala. Among the sampled populations, M. hapla was not identified which shows that M. hapla is not common in Kerala conditions. The study recorded the first report of species having morphological and morphometrical characters similar to M. chitwoodi from okra in Thiruvananthapuram which opens way to molecular studies in future.ThesisItem Open Access QTL mapping for yield traits in vegetable cowpea(Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2017) Ashwin Varghese, V; KAU; Deepu, MathewCowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is one of the most cultivated pulse crops in the semi-arid tropics of Asia, Africa, Southern Europe, and other parts of the world. It is used for both vegetable and fodder purpose. In India, kharif crop of vegetable cowpea is cultivated in an estimated area of 0.5 million hectares in states like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Studies aimed at increased yield among crops were always challenged by the quantitative nature of traits. These quantitative traits are generally governed by multiple genes present in regions of the genome called quantitative trait loci (QTL). With the advent of molecular markers it is possible to localize the QTL with the help of linked markers, a process now widely known as QTL mapping. QTL mapping depicts the relative positioning of different markers on the chromosomes and their linkage to a specific trait. In cowpea, even though there has been few mapping efforts for traits such as resistance to Thrips tabaci and Frankliniella schultzei, flowering time, pod length and seed weight, an elaborate QTL map for yield and related traits is missing. Hence, the study “QTL mapping for yield traits in vegetable cowpea” was undertaken with the objective of mapping the SSR markers and identifying the quantitative trait loci for yield components in the genome of vegetable cowpea at the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (CPBMB), College of Horticulture, during February 2016 to June 2017. F3 plants maintained at CPBMB, derived from the cross of Sharika which is a pole type, long poded, high yielding but anthracnose and cowpea mosaic virus susceptible cultivar with Kanakamony which is a semi-trailing, medium-long poded, low yielding, anthracnose immune and cow pea mosaic virus resistant cultivar, were used to raise the F4 mapping population. Morphological observation for traits pod length, individual pod weight (IPW), pod number, days taken for first flowering (DTFF), total dry pod yield (TDPY), grains per pod, branch number, root length, plant height, plant weight, and response to anthracnose and cowpea mosaic virus diseases were recorded. High quality DNA was isolated from the parents and mapping population using the protocol standardized in this study. One hundred SSR primer pairs reported in cowpea were screened among the parental DNA for polymorphism. Thirty polymorphic primer sets were carried forward to genotype the F4 mapping population. The morphological and genotypic data were used to construct a linkage map using software ICIMapping. Two linkage groups, one having eight SSR markers distributed across 637 cM and another one having five SSR markers distributed across 271 cM were obtained. Two approaches, Single Marker Analysis (SMA) and Inclusive Composite Interval Mapping (ICIM) otherwise called Additive Linkage Mapping were followed for QTL mapping. LOD value threshold of 3.0 was used to determine the significance of QTL and linked markers. Multiple QTL hotspots were observed for different traits under study. An anchored marker, CLM0083 has been identified which was significantly linked to traits individual pod weight and total dry pod yield. The region between 25 cM to 125 cM on linkage group 1 had QTL hotspots harboring genes governing traits DTFF, TDPY, root length, plant length and plant height. This entire region was bracketed by two markers, CLM0244 at 24.25 cM and CLM0177 at 126.86 cM with an anchored marker CLM0008. This marker combination could be potentially used in marker assisted selection for the traits DTFF, TDPY, root length, plant length and plant height. Fine mapping of the QTL for these traits with large number of markers would provide more insights into the genes and hot spots involved in the yield contributing traits in cowpea.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluation of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle [Callosobruchus spp.](Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Thouseem, N; KAU; Beena, ThomasThe present study entitled “Evaluation of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle [Callosobruchus spp.]” was carried out at farmer’s field, Kayamkulam during 2015-2017, with an objective to evaluate cowpea genotypes for yield and resistance to pulse beetle. The study was conducted in two experiments. In experiment-I, yield and resistance to pulse beetle was evaluated in a Randomised Block Design (RBD) with three replications using 30 genotypes collected from different places. Experiment-II was to study the seed morphological and biochemical factors associated with resistance to pulse beetle in five relatively resistant genotypes and five relatively susceptible ones which were identified through experiment-I. The field experiment revealed that the genotype T1 (Ambalappuzha local) showed the highest mean values for days to 50 per cent flowering, length of main stem, pod weight, pod length, number of seeds pod-1, 100 seed weight and crop duration. The maximum yield plant-1 (32.91g) was obtained for the genotype T29 (Sreya) followed byT14 (Alathur local) and T7 (Dhavengarae local), whereas the minimum yield plant-1 (11.07g) was for the genotype T13 (Hridya). Thirteen genotypes were found to be infested under field condition and only very low seed damage via carry over population was noticed. The characters studied were found to be significant for all the genotypes evaluated. The pod weight exhibited the highest GCV (47.73%) and PCV (52.12%). Heritability was high for all the characters except number of primary branches plant-1, number of pods plant-1 and seed yield plant-1 which possessed moderate heritability. GA (% mean) was high for all the characters except crop duration. The association analysis revealed highly significant positive correlation for 100 seed weight, days to 50 per cent flowering, crop duration, number of seeds pod-1, pod girth, and pod length with seed yield both at genotypic and phenotypic levels. The path analysis revealed that 100 seed weight, number of pods plant-1 and number of seeds pod-1 had the maximum positive direct effect on seed yield plant-1. In no choice confinement test under experiment-I, there were significant differences among the genotypes in terms of oviposition, percentage seed damage and percentage seed weight loss. T2 (Kayamkulam local-1) had the least egg load while more eggs were laid on seeds of T29 (Sreya) and T1 (Ambalappuzha local). The highest percentage seed damage and the highest percentage weight loss were recorded for T13 (Hridya) and T27 (Bijapur local) respectively. The lowest percentage seed damage and percentage seed weight loss were observed for the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local). In the study of seed morphological and biochemical factors associated with resistance under experiment-II, it was found that seed coat texture, seed coat colour and protein content of seeds were found to have no influence on resistance to pulse beetle. However, total phenol content of seed was having significant negative correlation with percentage seed weight loss. An index score was worked out to find out genotypes with good yield and relative resistance to pulse beetle. It was observed that the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local) had the highest index score followed by T14 (Alathur local). The present study revealed that the genotype T7 (Dhavengarae local) was found to be a good yielder with relative resistance to pulse beetle followed by the genotype T14 (Alathur local). Hence these genotypes can be recommended for future breeding programmes.ThesisItem Open Access Genetic divergence in kiriyat (andrographis paniculata nees)(Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Prathibha, S S; KAU; Arya, KThe study entitled “Genetic divergence in kiriyat (Andrographis paniculata Nees)." was under taken at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2015-17 with the objective to assess the genetic variability present in the natural ecotypes of kiriyat from different regions and identifying the superior ecotypes in terms of herbage yield and quality. Thirty accessions of kiriyat were collected from different parts of India and were evaluated for genetic variability with respect to herbage yield (fresh weight) and quality in terms of total extractives (%). Accession A10 from Aruvipuram showed highest mean values for seedling height (15 DAT), number of primary branches, herbage yield (137.25 g), yield plant-1 (dry herbage yield plant-1) (37.79 g) and total extractives (13.6 %) followed by the A14 (Kottakkal) and A7( Kottakkunnu). The accessions A14 (Kottakkal) and A15 (Nilambur) showed highest mean values for number of secondary branches and number of leaves seedlings-1 (15 DAT) respectively. Mean value for days to 50 percent flowering was least for accession A10. The lowest yield was exhibited by A3 (Coimbatore) accession. Average duration of the plants exhibited ranged between 182.67 and 213 days. The earliest accession was A10 (Aruvipuram) with an average duration of 182.67 days. Seedling height, number of leaves seedling-1, number of secondary branches, leaf length and width, stem girth, leaf/stem ratio, plant height, herbage yield, yield plant-1 and total extractives exhibited high coefficient of variations. Heritability was high for all the characters except number of leaves seedling-1 (15 DAT), herbage yield and yield plant-1 which possessed moderate heritability. GA (% mean) was high for all the characters except plant duration. The association analysis revealed a significant correlation among almost all characters and also with yield. Path coefficient analysis revealed that plant height, herbage yield, number of primary and secondary branches had high positive direct effect on yield. The genetic divergence was studied using Mahanalobis D2 statistics and accessions were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster VII accommodated maximum number of accessions (13) followed by cluster VI (5), cluster V (4), cluster IV (3), clusters III and II (2) and cluster I (1). Highest inter cluster distance was between clusters VI and VII while intra cluster distance was highest for cluster IV. The study revealed that variability existed among the different ecotypes of kiriyat and the ecotype collected from Aruvipuram (A10) was found to be superior in terms of herbage yield and quality followed by ecotypes from Kottakkal (A14) and Kottakkunnu (AThesisItem Open Access Development and quality evaluation of granular fruit bars(Department of Community Science, College of Agriculture,Vellayani, 2017) Meghna, K; KAU; Nirmala, CA study entitled “Development and quality evaluation of granular fruit bars” was conducted at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani during the period 2015-17, with the objective to develop granular fruit bars using fruit pulp, grains, nuts and pulses and to ascertain sensorial quality, chemical and nutritional composition, shelf life and consumer acceptability. Papaya, pineapple and other ingredients such as puffed rice, oats, bengal gram dal, ground nuts, dried fruits and Jaggery were purchased from the market. Outer coat of granular fruit bars were developed using pineapple pulp (T1), papaya pulp (T2) and blended fruit pulp (T3). Food adjuncts such as sugar and pectin were added to obtain good texture. Fruit bars were dried in tray drier at 55-60°C. After the development of three fruit bars, TSS was recorded. Drying characteristics like moisture loss, drying time and yield ratio was ascertained. Moisture loss was higher in T1 (Pineapple bar) and low in T2 (Papaya bar). Drying time of T1 (Pineapple bar) was on par with T2 (Papaya bar). Drying time required for T3 (blended bar) was 10.84 hours. High yield ratio (0.81) was observed for T2. The filling for granular fruit bars were standardised using energy sources such as puffed rice, flaked rice and oats. Puffed bengal gram dhal and roasted groundnuts were serve as protein sources. Jaggery was used as the sweetening agent for the product. To standardise granular bar, different combinations of different ingredients were formulated. Sensory quality, nutritive value, chemical score and NDP Cal% of each proportion was computed to identify the best combination. Six treatments were formulated with varying amounts of ingredients ( Rice flakes, puffed rice, oats, Bengal gram dhal, ground nuts, jaggery and osmotically dehydrated jackfruits). Three treatments with appreciable nutrient content, chemical score and NDP Cal% were selected for further study. T1 obtained the highest chemical score of 109.97 followed by T3 (98.65) and T2 (93.72). T1 was observed to have the highest value of NDP Cal% (12.38%) and T2 had the lowest NDP Cal% (9.96%). Based on above parameters T1, T2 and T3 selected for further study. T1 was identified as best formulation with the highest score of 35.30 in sensory evaluation using hedonic rating scale. The formulated outer fruit bar coat was cut into pieces and filled with T1 (30:25:10:5:5:20:5) and pressed into bars and designated as A1 (pineapple coated granular fruit bar) A2 (papaya coated granular fruit bar) and A3 (blended bar coated granular fruit bar.), thus the final products were A1, A2 and A3 GFB (granular fruit bars). The products (A1, A2 and A3) were packed in laminated pouches and stored at ambient condition. Quality parameters such as sensory acceptability, chemical and shelf life of final products were ascertained initially and monthly intervals. Sensory evaluation of final products revealed highest mean rank score for A2. Polyphenol (4.21mg) was higher in A2 and all the other chemical components were higher in A1. TSS recorded for A1 was 78.2°B, reducing sugar (43.02%) and acidity (1.32%). A1 has highest fibre content of 0.46g per 100g. The other nutrients, moisture, protein, carbohydrate, energy and fat content were higher in A3 and was 20.02%, 40.16 g, 115.06 g, 461.0 KCal and 7.71g respectively. A3 had high total minerals (4.5 g) calcium, iron, sodium and potassium and the values were 2.36 mg, 2.52 mg, 635.52 mg and 45.03 mg respectively. High vitamin C content was observed for A 3 (23.38 mg) and high β carotene content was noted for A2 (269.798 μg). Changes in moisture, acidity, sensory appeal and microbial growth if any was recorded monthly. It was observed that there was a gradual increase in moisture and acidity in stored granular fruit bars. A3 showed highest moisture content and A1 showed highest per cent of acidity throughout the storage period. Stored GFB showed gradual decrease in all sensory parameters. Microbial evaluation of GFB, revealed that, no bacterial colonies were seen in (cfu 1×10-7) in dilution initially. Few colonies of bacteria and fungus were seen in first month and number of colonies exceeded the safe limit in second month. Consumer acceptance and preference study among 50 adolescents was rated high for A2. The product cost was computed and it was found to be Rs. 36.63/- for A1, Rs. 18.75/- for A2 and Rs. 31.53/- for A3. GFB were nutrient dense, ready to eat product with fruits, grains and pulses with shelf life of one month.ThesisItem Open Access Impact of projected climate change on cropping pattern of different agro ecological units of southern Kerala(Acadamy of Climate Change Education and Research Vellanikkara, 2017) Sukanya, K S; KAU; Sunil, K MClimate change poses an emerging threat to sustainability of social and economic development, livelihoods, and environmental management across the globe. Characterization of the ecosystems using the AEZ concept is a good decision making approach for variety of farming activities performed by the farmers and is a useful tool for the studying the impact of climate change. The objectives of this study are (1) to study rainfall variability and to determine water availability periods of Agro ecological units of southern Kerala under different climate change scenarios. (2) To study the impact of projected climate change on cropping pattern, crop calendar and the possible changes in the water requirements of major cropping systems prevailed in the various Agro ecological Units of southern Kerala. Daily rainfall data for the period 1991-2014 were collected from the India Meteorological Department, Thiruvananthapurm. Weather cock v.1.5 was used for converting the daily weather data into standard week, month and seasonal formats. It is also used to compute PET and Thornthwaite water balances. CROPWAT model was used for the calculations of crop evapotranspiration, crop water requirements and irrigation requirements for the development of irrigation schedules under various management conditions and scheme water supply. The annual rainfall availability in most of the AEUs of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts show a decreasing trend in the projected climate and an increasing trend in Idukki, Kottayam and Alappuzha. The number of annual rainy days generally shows a decreasing trend. The seasonal rainfall of southwest and summer monsoon will show an increase from the current situation where as northeast monsoon and winter will have a decreasing trend. In projected climate of both RCP 4.5 and 8.5 there will be high probability of having reduction in the number of months having the surplus and an increase in the number of deficit. The crop evapotranspiration values of rice based cropping system will show a tendency to increase. In perennial cropping systems of coconut based and rubber the projected crop evapotranspiration will have a reduction from the present situation whereas in coffee based cropping system the ETc will have an increasing trend. The irrigation requirement of all the major cropping systems will increase from the present situation except in the case of rice-fallow-fallow. The length of growing period of the cropping season in the major rice growing areas of different AEUs are getting shorter with slight differences among various agro-ecological units, implying a higher risk of operating under projected climate as per RCP 4.5. The sowing date will be delayed up to three to five weeks. It can be also observed that the crops will have to suffer water stress during the grain filling stage and will be under heavy rains at time of harvest in almost all the considered cases.ThesisItem Open Access Identification of duplicates in the germplasm of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) using morphological and molecular markers(Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2017) Babitha Babu; KAU; Shirly Raichal, AnilThe study entitled “Identification of duplicates in the germplasm of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) using morphological and molecular markers” was carried out at the Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram during 2016-2017. The objective of the study was to identify duplicates in the sweet potato germplasm based on morphological and molecular markers. Identification and elimination of these common redundant materials will enhance the germplasm viability. Fifty accessions were selected for the study. The study was divided into two phases - morphological and molecular analysis. Morphological analysis was performed by using twenty descriptors as provided by IPGRI (CIP et. al., 1991). The recorded data were analyzed statistically by various tools such as PCA and cluster dendrogram. Cluster dendrogram identified three sets of morphological duplicates and the accessions were separated into six principal clusters and two outliers at a Euclidean distance of 1. The PCA analysis revealed predominant vine colour and secondary vine colour, abaxial vein pigmentation and petiole pigmentation as the major factors that contributed to the clustering of the sweet potato accessions. After morphological analysis, molecular analysis was performed. The genomic DNA was isolated using CTAB method which gave good quality DNA. 11 ISSR primers were used for screening of fifty accessions. After the final PCR using selected primers, the product was resolved in 2% agarose and polymorphic bands were obtained. All the primers showed 100% polymorphism and the number of bands ranged from 9 to 18 with a mean value of 14.7 bands per primer. Using the molecular scoring data, UPGMA clustering was done and the whole fifty accessions were divided mainly into two principal clusters and one outlier. The first principal cluster comprised of 40 accessions which were grouped into many subclusters and there was lot of intraclusteral variation. The second principal cluster consisted of 9 accessions and this principal cluster comprised of two true duplicates which were also found similar in morphological characterization. The outlier was different from all the other accessions and may be due to the peculiar leaf shape which is not seen in other accessions selected in the study. SD-29 was different from all the remaining accessions by a similarity coefficient of 0.61.The similarity between the different accessions ranged between 52-100%. The duplicates S-236 and S-256 were 100% similar. The least similar accessions were SD-39 and S-298 (52%). Thus it can be inferred that a 48% variability or diversity existed within the selected accessions which can be considered as a moderate diversity. The hexaploid nature of the crop, self incompatibility, along with the out crossing nature together might have contributed to the high variation observed among the accessions. Only two duplicates were identified. In future more specific markers may be used for core collection development and to eliminate duplicates.ThesisItem Open Access Development and performance evaluation of a solar dryer for copra(Department of Food and Agricultural Process Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2017) Sai Krishna, V; KAU; George MathewCopra is one of the major traditional products dried from fresh coconut kernels. It contains about 65% oil. It is produced from various methods such as direct sun drying, solar drying, and traditional smoke drying, indirect drying, etc. The objective of making copra is to reduce the moisture content of coconut kernel to a safe storage level and thereby prevent microbiological attack and spoilage. It is also used to extract coconut oil. There are many solar drying methods introduced and developed to meet the requirements of drying. The quality of copra and its cake is influenced by the method of drying the coconut kernel. Improperly dried copra gives rise to certain moulds, the most harmful of which is the yellow green mould called Aspergillus flavus and other aflatoxin related moulds. Aflatoxin is harmful both for man and animals. Improper processing results in low oil yield. Proper post-harvest practices, as well as proper drying and storage can increase the oil yield. Proper drying of coconut results in copra with lower moisture content and lower incidence of aflatoxins. Since Kerala is the region with high humidity and comparatively low solar radiation, there are chances of uneven and uncontrolled drying of copra. Hence, an attempt was made to develop an advanced forced convection solar dryer. Evacuated tube collector was used to generate hot air and it was used to dry coconuts. In the drying chamber, the basic function of solar dryer is to heat air to a constant temperature which facilitates extraction of moisture from copra kept inside an insulated drying chamber. The coconut meat is not directly exposed to the sunlight which will retain the nutritive values. The performance evaluation of the developed solar dryer was tested at KCAET, Tavanur. The average energy produced by the solar evacuated tube collector in dry day was 63668.80 kJ. Evacuated tube collector consisted of 30 borosilicate glass tubes of 1500 mm length and the outer and inner diameters were 47 and 37 mm. The length of manifold is 2.5 m and its inner and outer diameters of cylinder are 12.5 cm and 40 cm, respectively. A 24 gauge galvanized steel sheet was used to fabricate the chamber of 75 x 75 x 50 cm. The thickness of the galvanized iron sheets was 2 mm and it was completely insulated using glass wool of thickness 12.5 mm. The height of the exhaust duct with 11 cm diameter was 120 cm. The drying chamber and the solar evacuated tube collector were connected by metal duct of 60 x 15 x 10 cm. The evacuated tube collector setup was placed on a supporting stand fabricated out of 2 x 2 cm square tube having 2 mm thickness. The solar drying was performed at full load condition using heated air at 50-60 ℃, 61-70 ℃ and 71-80 ℃ and by using different blower velocities of 0.2 m.s-1, 0.5 m.s-1 and 0.8 m.s-1 with and without glass wool insulation. The temperature was controlled by providing required shade to the evacuated tubes and theblower was controlled by using a regulator for getting various air velocities (V1, V2, and V3). Drying time, moisture content, relative humidity inside chamber and temperature inside the chamber were considered as the dependent variables. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was performed using Design Expert software (Trail version 7.0.0). The optimized operating conditions of temperature, blower velocity and insulation were found to be of 71-80 ℃, 0.8 m.s-1 and insulation with critical thickness of 12.5 mm. Hence, the developed solar dryer operated at the optimized condition yielded good quality copra. Microbiological analysis was conducted for dried copra and it was found that the tested samples were microbiologically safe for human consumption.
