Loading...
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.
Browse
1925 results
Search Results
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 Standardisation of spacing and nutrient levels for fodder rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)].(Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2018) Ajmal Fayique, C; KAU; Usha C, ThomasThe study entitled “Standardization of spacing and nutrient levels for fodder rice bean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.)]” was conducted at College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala during Kharif 2017 to standardize the spacing and nutrient requirement of fodder rice bean and to study its impact on growth, yield and quality of the crop. The experiment was laid out in Randomised Block Design (33 confounded factorial) with three replications.The treatments consisted of three spacings (s1 - 30 cm x 10 cm, s2 - 30 cm x 20 cm and s3 - 30 cm x 30 cm), three levels of nitrogen (n0 - 0 kg ha-1, n1 - 20 kg ha-1 and n2 - 30 kg ha-1) and three levels of phosphorous (p0 - 0 kg P2O5 ha-1, p1 - 20 kg P2O5 ha-1 and p2 - 40 kg P2O5 ha-1) . FYM @ 5 t ha-1 and K2O @ 30 kg ha-1 were applied uniformly to all treatments as basal. The treatment s1 resulted in the highest plant height at 30 DAS and leaf: stem ratio at harvest. Application of N @ 20 kg ha-1 registered the highest plant height and was on par with 30 kg N (n2) while leaf stem ratio was the highest at n2. Levels of P had no significant impact on growth characters. The treatment combination s2n2p1 produced the tallest plants (173.17 cm) at harvest and treatments s1n0p1 and s1n2p2 recorded the highest leaf: stem ratio (0.82) but were on par with s1n0p0, s2n0p0, s n0p2, s1n1p0, s2n0p2 and s3n0p1. At 30 DAS, s1 produced the highest LAI (2.27) while at harvest, s2 was found superior. The highest NAR was observed at s1 and was on par with s3. Closer spacing (s1) enhanced the CGR at 30 DAS and harvest. Application of 30 kg N ha-1 (n2) enhanced LAI at both stages. At 30 DAS and at harvest, higher NAR were observed at n1 and n2. At 30 DAS, n2 and p1 registered the highest chlorophyll contents. The treatment s1 n2 p1 (30 cm x 10 cm spacing + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1) resulted in the highest LAI, CGR and chlorophyll content at 30 DAS. Spacing and N levels had significant impact on green fodder yield (GFY) and dry fodder yield (DFY). The highest GFY (12.95 t ha-1) and DFY (2.59 t ha-1) were produced at s1 (30 cm x 10 cm) and was on par with s2. The highest GFY (13.66 t ha-1) and DFY (2.73 t ha-1) were produced at n2 (30 kg N ha-1) and was on par with n1. The S x N x P interaction s1 n2 p1 (30 cm x 10 cm + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1) recorded highest GFY (17.29 t ha-1) and DFY (3.46 t ha-1). The different spacing had no impact on crude protein (CP) but the lowest crude fibre (CF) was observed at s1. Application of 30 kg N ha-1 (n2) resulted in the highest CP content and the lowest CF content was estimated at 0 kg N ha-1. Among P levels, p2 recorded the highest CP (17.69%) and was on par with p1. The lowest CF (16.43 %) was observed at s2n0p1 (30 cm x 20 cm spacing + 20 kg P205 ha-1) and was on par with s1n0p0, s1n0p1, s1n2p0, s2n0p0, s2n0p2, s3n0p0 and s3n0p1. No variation in N uptake was observed due to treatments. Uptake of P varied with N levels only and n1 and n2 recorded the highest P uptake. Spacing and P levels influenced K uptake by the crop and the highest uptake was observed at s1 and p2 but p2 was on par with p1. The three factor interaction s1n2p1 registered the highest P and K uptake. However, it was on par with s1n1p2, s1n1p0, s2n1p1 and s3n0p2 in P uptake and with s1n2p2 in K uptake. Increasing N levels increased pH and EC of soil after the experiment. Soil available N after the experiment was the highest at s3 (on par with s2) and n2 (on par with n1). At wider spacing, application of N enhanced the availability of N in the soil after the experiment. Available P in the soil varied with S x P interaction but all treatment combinations were on par except s2p0 and s3p2. The highest soil available K was observed at n0 among N levels and at p1 among P levels. The interactions S x N, S x P and N x P significantly influenced available K in the soil. Economic analysis revealed the highest net income (₹ 35762) and BC ratio (3.22) at s1n2p1 (30 cm x 10 cm spacing + 30 kg N ha-1 + 20 kg P2O5 ha-1). From the study, it can be concluded that fodder rice bean can be profitably cultivated at a spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm with application of 30 kg N ha -1 in two splits at 15 and 30 DAS and basal application of 20 kg P2O5 ha-1, 5 t ha-1 of FYM and 30 kg K2O ha-1.ThesisItem Open Access Biotic agents for the management of American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii(Burgess) (Diptera:Agromyzidae)(Department of agricultural entomology, College of horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2014) Jyothi Sara, Jacob; KAU; Maicykutty P, MathewA study on “Biotic agents for the management of American serpentine leaf miner, Liriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)” was carried out at the Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Horticulture, K.A.U., Vellanikkara during 2011-2013 with the objectives of collection and identification of indigenous natural enemies and to assess the pathogenicity of the entomopathogens to explore the feasibility of utilizing them for its management. Surveys were conducted in the vegetable fields for the collection and identification of natural enemies associated with L. trifolii in three districts, namely, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Kottayam from January to March, 2011. The surveys revealed the occurrence of nine species of hymenopteran parasitoids. The per cent parasitism varied from 10.96 to 58.99 per cent among the crops surveyed. Three species of eulophids, namely, Cirrospilus acadius Narendran, C. brevicorpus Shafee & Rizvi and Aprostocetus sp. as well as the braconid, Toxares sp. are new reports for India. Among the parasitoids, Closterocerus spp. were the dominant group followed by Chrysonotomyia sp. All parasitoids were solitary, larval endoparasitoids except Toxares sp. which was larval-pupal in nature. One species each of small ants (Formicidae) and a dipteran fly (Dolichopodidae) were observed as predators on L. trifolii. In the study, no entomopathogens were observed from L. trifolii. Considering the level of pesticide consumption in vegetable crops that undermine the potential of insect parasitoids and also that no entomopathogens could be observed during the survey, it was decided to evaluate entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) as biocontrol agents against L. trifolii. Isolation of EPNs from 72 soil samples from Thrissur, Ernakulam and Kottayam districts yielded four isolates of Steinernema carpocapsae. Bioefficacy studies carried out on these four isolates along with Steinernema bicornutum and Heterorhabditis indica showed that S. carpocapsae Isolate - 1 had the lowest LC 50 , LC 90 and LT values indicating their higher effectiveness against the maggots of the pest. 50 Pot culture study conducted to compare the potential of S. carpocapsae Isolate - 1 with other treatments showed that azadirachtin 1 EC at 0.005% was the most effective causing 84.51 per cent mortality to the maggots of L. trifolii. This was followed by the foliar application of H. indica at 32 infective juveniles (IJs)/ maggot which caused 18.98 per cent mortality. Application of Beauveria bassiana at 1×10 7 spores/ ml was not effective. In the field evaluation, fipronil 5 SC at 0.002% was found to be the most effective treatment for controlling L. trifolii followed by azadirachtin 1 EC at 0.005%. Compatibility of the IJs of the S. carpocapsae Isolate - 1, S. bicornutum and H. indica was studied with ten commonly used insecticides in the laboratory by direct exposure method. Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC at 0.005% was found to be the most compatible insecticide with S. carpocapsae isolate - 1 causing only 0.17 per cent mortality to IJs at 72 hours after treatment (HAT). Quinalphos 25 EC at 0.05% and chlorpyriphos20 EC at 0.05% were highly incompatible, causing 96.17 and 92.87 per cent mortality of the nematodes. Dimethoate 30 EC at 0.04% was the most compatible insecticide with S. bicornutum and caused only 0.60 per cent mortality at 72 HAT and was followed by azadirachtin 1 EC at 0.005% with 0.78 per cent mortality to the IJs. Quinalphos 25 EC at 0.05% caused 99.93 per cent mortality at 72 HAT. Heterorhabditis indica was compatible with all insecticides except quinalphos 25 EC at 0.05% which was moderately toxic resulting in 39.6 per cent mortality. The virulence, pathogenicity and multiplication of the survived IJs were not affected by the insecticide treatments. Parasitoids and EPNs were observed as potential candidates for the management of L. trifolii. Hence future studies on the bio-ecology and mass production of dominant parasitoids and standardization of methods to improve the efficacy of EPNs are suggested for the successful control of L. trifolii in polyhouses as well as in the field.ThesisItem Open Access Cryopreservation of chethikoduveli (Plumbago rosea L.) and assessment of genetic fidelity of regenerated plantlets using molecular markers(Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2014) Anand, Vishnu Prakash; KAUInvestigations on “Cryopreservation of Chethikoduveli (Plumbago rosea L.) and assessment of genetic fidelity of regenerated plantlets using molecular markers” were carried out at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2011-2013. Plumbago rosea var. Agni plants were collected from AMPRS, Odakkali, Ernakulam and maintained at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani as source of explant during the course of the study. The objectives of the present study was to standardise cryopreservation protocol by encapsulation dehydration technique for long term conservation of P. rosea and genetic fidelity assessment of plantlets recovered and regenerated from cryostorage using molecular markers. The project was carried out in two phases viz., in vitro regeneration and in vitro conservation by cryopreservation of P. rosea. In vitro regeneration protocol was optimised for P. rosea var. Agni. Various steps of in vitro regeneration viz., surface sterilization, axillary shoot proliferation, in vitro rooting and acclimatization and planting out has been standardised. For surface sterilizing, single nodal explants (3-4 cm long) were subjected to fungicide treatment with 0.1 per cent carbendazim 50 per cent W. P. (for 30 min) followed by aseptic sterilisation dip with absolute alcohol. Further, the explants were surface sterilised with 0.2 per cent mercuric chloride (for 5 min) which gave 100 per cent survival without any contamination. Enhanced release of axillary buds from single nodal explants, with maximum shoot proliferation (5.28 shoots/culture) was obtained in the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The best response (10.67 roots/culture) of in vitro rooting of plantlets was obtained in the medium, MS + NAA 1.0 mg l-1. In vitro rooted plants gave a maximum survival rate of 76 per cent and 72 per cent, when planted out in potting media consisting of red soil and coir pith (3:1) and red soil and coir pith (2:1) supplemented with VAM respectively at 25 per cent shade. In cryopreservation studies, preconditioning treatment (sucrose 0.5 M for 7 days) recorded maximum shoot proliferation (2.67 shoots/culture) when nodal segments with single axillary bud were cultured on MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1 medium. Among different encapsulation treatments, maximum shoot proliferation of (2.31 shoots/culture) was obtained in beads formed with sodium alginate 2.5 per cent and calcium chloride 100 mM, when cultured on the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. Pre-culture medium supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 3days gave maximum shoot proliferation (3.44 shoots/culture) when cultured on the medium, MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. A desiccation duration of 5 h at 18.13 per cent moisture level was found to be most effective giving 66.67 per cent survival and 62.50 per cent regeneration on thawing and culturing on the recovery medium MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The beads when stored in liquid nitrogen for different duration and cultured on recovery medium did not show any significant variation with respect to survival per cent. RAPD markers were tried to study the genetic fidelity of the regenerated plantlets from encapsulated and cryopreserved axillary buds. Six primers were screened and RAPD banding patterns of the cryoregenerated plantlets and control plants were compared. Polymorphism was not found with any of the primers tested. RAPD profiles of cryoregenerated plantlets were identical to those of the control. The in vitro regeneration protocol optimized included surface sterilization of single node cuttings with 0.2 per cent HgCl2 for 5 min, axillary shoot proliferation in MS medium supplemented with BA 1.5 mg l-1 and IAA 1.0 mg l-1, in vitro rooting in MS medium supplemented with NAA 1.0 mg l-1 and planting out in potting medium, red soil and coir pith (3:1). The protocol for encapsulation dehydration technique of cryopreservation was standardised for the axillary buds of P. rosea with preconditioning in semi solid MS medium supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 7 days, encapsulation using sodium alginate 2.5 per cent and calcium chloride 100 mM followed by pre-culture in liquid MS supplemented with sucrose 0.5 M for 3 days and 5 h dehydration (MC 18.13 %), rapid freezing in LN for at least 2 h and recovery in the medium MS + BA 1.5 mg l-1 + IAA 1.0 mg l-1. The cryopreservation protocol using encapsulation-dehydration technique standardised could be utilised for long-term conservation of P. rosea.ThesisItem Open Access Management of bitter gourd mosaic by enhancing host resistance(Department of Plant Pathology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2015) Ashwini, K N; KAU; Vimi, LouisBitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) is one of the important vegetable crops that occupy a pivotal position among fruit vegetables, particularly in south India. The fruits of this crop which have high commercial value and are being used for culinary preparations and various medicinal preparations. In spite of the economic importance of this vegetable, the research work carried out on protection of crop from viral disease is quite scanty. In many case, cent per cent mosaic incidence was recorded in the crop resulting in substantial economic loss. So the present study was focused on screening of bitter gourd accessions and management of bitter gourd mosaic by enhancing host resistance using defense inducers. The three different viruses causing mosaic in bitter gourd are cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), potyvirus and bitter gourd distortion mosaic virus (BDMV). As these viruses causes mixed infection in field, the separation of individual viruses was carried out using systemic indicator host plants. For separation of CMV and potyvirus, systemic indicator host plants used were cosmos and papaya respectively. BDMV was separated by white fly transmission. The pure cultures of viruses were maintained on the susceptible bitter gourd variety Preethi. The symptoms developed by different viruses were recorded under natural and artificial conditions were recorded CMV produced mosaic specks, yellow-green mosaic patches, leathery leaves and downward rolling of leaf margin. Symptoms of potyvirus infection were vein clearing, puckering, malformed leaf with reduced leaf size and rugosity. BDMV infection produced mosaic, puckering, leaf distortion, hairy growth on leaves and vines with reduction in leaf size and internodal length. For the screening of bitter gourd accessions against CMV and potyvirus, potassium phosphate buffer pH 7.0 was found to be the most suitable buffer. Among 22 accessions screened, three accessions viz., TCR 285, TCR 39 and TCR 53 were highly resistant to CMV; one accession Biliagala was highly resistant to potyvirus and 11 accessions viz.,TCR 285, TCR 39, TCR 493 ,TCR 416, TCR 492, TCR 494,TCR 380, TCR 202 and TCR 149, Green long and Biliagala were highly resistant to BDMV. The field experiment was undertaken with the objective of management of bitter gourd mosaic by using defense inducers. The three different defense inducers viz., salicylic acid 25 ppm, barium chloride 0.1% and Pseudomonas fluorescens 2 % were evaluated on the moderately resistant cultivar white long and susceptible variety Preethi. The mosaic symptom was recorded after 51 days of sowing in salicylic acid treated plants and after 40 days of sowing in control. A time gap of 5-10 days after spray of defense inducer was required for development of resistance in plants. The lowest disease severity was observed in cultivar White long treated with salicylic acid. The highest yield was recorded in Preethi treated with Pseudomonas fluorescens.ThesisItem Open Access Bioactivity of carotenoids from shrimp shell waste(Department of Processing Technology,College of Fisheries,Panangad, 2010) Sindhu, S; KAU; Sherief, P MShrimp processing waste is the single largest industrial waste in the country causing diverse environmental problems. A study was carried out to assess the extractability of astaxanthin from shrimp waste in different organic solvents and vegetable oils. Extraction was tried using wet and dried waste, with and without deproteinisation. Waste was subjected to deproteinisation using alkali and enzyme (pancreatin). The different solvent systems tried were ether:acetone:water (15:75:10 v/v/v), acetone, hexane:isopropanol (3:2 v/v) and 90% acetone v/v. Astaxanthin in the extract was quantified by measuring the OD at 470 nm in hexane. Extraction was also done using vegetable oils viz. coconut oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil. Quantification of astaxanthin in pigmented oil was done by measuring the absorbance at 485 nm using 2155 as extinction coefficient. Astaxanthin yields from deproteinised samples were significantly lower than those from non deproteinised samples. The highest astaxanthin yield of 87.14 ± 4.55μg/g was obtained with non deproteinised wet waste extracted using acetone. The astaxanthin yield was significantly lower when oil was used as the extraction medium. Of the three oils coconut oil gave the highest yield. The results showed that acetone is the best solvent for extracting astaxanthin from shrimp shell waste in wet condition. The astaxanthin content in Aristeus alcocki shell waste is double that of Pandalus borealis shell waste, which is currently used as the commercial source of astaxanthin. The deep sea species Aristeus alcocki can thus be considered as a better source of astaxanthin for commercial exploitation than Pandalus borealis. TLC analysis of the shell waste extract showed that it contains free astaxanthin, astaxanthin monoester and astaxanthin diester in the ratio 1:1:2. GLC identification of the fatty acids esterified with astaxanthin revealed that saturated fatty acids, MUFA and PUFA are in the ratio 5:3:2 in monoester, whereas in diester they are in the ratio 4:3:3. The main fatty acids in monoester and diesters are palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid and PUFAs: DHA and EPA. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the astaxanthin extract showed significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The IC50 values obtained were 56.43 ± 1.06 ng/ml, 27.91 ± 0.54 ng/ml and 26.54 ± 0.42 ng/ml, respectively. The antioxidant activity of astaxanthin from Aristeus alcocki was obtained at nanogram levels. This powerful antioxidant function may be due to the unique molecular structure of astaxanthin and synergistic effect of astaxanthin and PUFAs present in the astaxanthin monoester and diester fractions. The astaxanthin extract from shrimp shell waste significantly reduced carageenan induced paw edema in mice, percentage inhibition being 47.83 and 67.11 percent at astaxanthin concentrations of 0.5 mg/kg body weight and 1.0 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The inhibition of inflammation at 1.0mg/kg body weight was greater than that produced by the standard reference drug diclofenac. Cardioprotective effect of astaxanthin was examined in isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. Levels of diagnostic marker enzymes, LDH, CPK, GOT, GPT, CK, CK-MB in plasma, lipid peroxides, ascorbic acid, reduced glutathione and the activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes GPx, GR, GST and antiperoxidate enzymes CAT, SOD and the membrane bound enzyme Na+ - K+ ATPase in the heart tissues of experimental groups of rats were determined. The prior administration of astaxanthin @ 10mg/kg feed for 45 days significantly prevented the isoproterenol-induced elevation in the levels of diagnostic marker enzymes in plasma, induction of lipid peroxidation and alterations in the level of reduced glutathione and in the activities of glutathione dependent antioxidant enzymes and antiperoxidative enzymes of experimental rats. Feeding astaxanthin caused a decrease in the inhibition of Na+ - K+ ATPase activity against isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction. The powerful cardioprotective effect of astaxanthin can be attributed to the multiple independent mechanisms viz. antioxidant effects, singlet oxygen quenching ability and inhibition of lipid peroxidation of membranes, increased functional gap junctional intercellular communication, anti-inflammatory effects etc. Immunostimulatory action of astaxanthin extract was evaluated in experimental mice. Astaxanthin administration was found to enhance the proliferation of spleen cells and bone marrow cells. Esterase activity was found to be enhanced in bone marrow cells indicating increased maturation of cells of lymophoid linkage. Astaxanthin also enhanced number of antibody forming cells and circulating antibody titre. Thus astaxanthin exhibits strong immunomodulating properties. A significant reduction in the viability of ascites tumour cells DLA in vitro was noted in the current study. The % viability was reduced to 4.34 % at a concentration of 15μg astaxanthin/ml. The cytotoxic action of astaxanthin against DLA may be through induction of apoptosis or through a different pathway. Antitumour activity of astaxanthin was studied by ascite and solid tumour models in mice. An increase in life span of about 67 % was noted in DLA bearing mice administered with astaxanthin at 5 mg/kg body weight. The tumour volume and tumour weight were significantly lower in mice injected with 5 mg/kg body weight astaxanthin. In vitro studies revealed that astaxanthin from shrimp shell waste of Aristeus alcocki inhibited the proliferation of cervical cancer cells HeLa in a dose dependent manner.ThesisItem Open Access Formulation of low fat beef burger with fat replacers(Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,Mannuthy, 2010) Govande Premanand, Laxmanrao; KAU; George Oommen, THealth conscious meat consumers prefer low fat meat products due to increasing incidents of high fat induced diseases. Manufacturing meat products with fat replacers (FR) enable to reduce fat and to alleviate the problems with the reduction of fat in products. Therefore, the present study was undertaken with the objectives of developing a palatable and economic formulary for low fat beef burger (LFBB) with carrageenan (CG), tapioca starch (TS), pregelatinised pork skin collagen (PSC) and their blends as FR and to assess its pH, cooking characteristics, proximate composition, nutritional value, textural and organoleptic qualities and shelf life under aerobic (AP) and vacuum packaging (VP) at 0-4oC and -20oC and its cost of production. Beef burgers (BB) are formulated at two different fat levels, viz., full fat (FF) 20 per cent and low fat (LF) 5 per cent as controls. Seven formulations of LFBB with 5 per cent fat are prepared with 0.5 per cent CG, 1.5 per cent TS, 2 per cent PSC and their blends, viz., CG-TS - 0.5% CG & 1.5% TS; CG-PSC - 0.5% CG & 2.0% PSC; TS-PSC - 1.5% TS & 2.0% PSC; CG-TS-PSC - 0.5% CG, 1.5% TS & 2.0% PSC as FR. BB are prepared as per the formularies with minced lean beef trimmings, tallow, salt, spices and condiments, rusk, ice flakes and FR. They are packaged aerobically in HDPE and in vacuum in polyethylene-polyamide (PEPA) pouches. pH, cook yield (CY), cook loss (CL), fat retention percentage (FRP), moisture retention percentage (MRP), dimensional shrinkage (DS), water holding capacity (WHC), Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), Hunter L*, a*, b* colour values, proximate and mineral composition and nutritional value, purge loss (PL), Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) value and sensory qualities are assessed on d 0, 10, 20 and 30 of storage at 0-4oC and -20oC or till spoilage, whichever is earlier. Six trials of the experiment were conducted. Cooking reduced the acidity of all the burgers. By the addition of FR a significantly (P< 0.05) very low acid cooked LFBB could be prepared. CY of burgers with CG-TS-PSC was significantly (P< 0.05) the highest with 85.84 per cent. LFBB with blends of FR significantly (P< 0.05) increased CY and correspondingly reduced CL. The DS in LFBB with CG-TS-PSC was significantly (P< 0.05) the lowest with 13.21 per cent. Addition of blends of FR holds water and fat in LFBB and reduces DS during cooking. FRP and MRP in CG-TS-PSC formulation was significantly (P< 0.05) the highest with 97.66 and 74.36 per cent, respectively due to blends of CG, TS and PSC. The WHC of LFBB with CG-TS-PSC was 95.36 per cent and WBSF value 5.30 N comparable to FF and the burgers were significantly (P< 0.05) most succulent, juicy and tender with the addition of blends of FR compared to tougher BB without FR. According to Hunter L*, a*, b* values, LFBB with blends of FR, especially CG-TS-PSC was lighter, less reddish (more bluish) and less yellowish (more greenish) and comparable to FF burger. Fat content in the beef trimmings and PSC were < 1.76 per cent. Cooking significantly (P< 0.05) reduced moisture content with a corresponding increase in the protein, fat, carbohydrate and ash. The percentage total calorific value of LFBB ranged from 6.36 to 7.18 of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). The contribution of fat to RDA of calorific value was from 2.22 to 2.42 per cent only, which was below the recommended 30 per cent. More than one third of the daily requirement of protein is obtained from 100g of LFBB. LFBB with FR are good sources of Na, K and P but not of Ca. Blends of FR in LFBB, especially CG-TS-PSC, were more efficient in significantly (P< 0.05) reducing PL and TBARS value on storage at 0-4oC for 10 days and at -20oC for 30 days in AP and VP. TBARS values were lower than the acceptable range of 1mg malonaldehyde/kg for oxidative rancidity. The low fat content and the presence of onion containing antioxidants in the formulary would have synergistically acted with CG in reducing the TBARS. On sensory evaluation on zero day, the LFBB with CG-TS-PSC scored significantly higher (P< 0.05) values of 7.00 and above for very good appearance and colour, very intense flavour, very desirable texture, juiciness, practically nil mouth coating and very acceptable overall acceptability similar to FF burger. But saltiness was very desirable than in FF. The LFBB with CG-TS-PSC in AP and VP retained all the sensory attributes and proximate composition even on storage. The very acceptable nature of CG-TS-PSC formulation might be due to the synergistic effect of fat replacers. The LFBB with 5 per cent fat and CG (0.5%), TS (1.5%), PSC (2%) and their blends as FR are developed economically with very acceptable overall acceptability, CY, nutritional quality, reduced PL and oxidative rancidity and shelf life up to 10 days at 0-4oC and 30 days at -20oC under AP and VP. The best LFBB with overall acceptability was CG-TS-PSC followed by CG-TS, CG-PSC, TS-PSC, PSC, CG and TS. Blends of FR are better than single FR, particularly CG-TS-PSC, as they increased CY, FRP, MRP, WHC, sensory attributes and decreased pH, CL, DS, WBSF, PL and TBARS. Further investigations with production of large quantities are required for calculation of cost of production at commercial scale.ThesisItem Open Access Evaluvation of China aster [Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees.] for cultivation in tropical plains(Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2019) Alfin, Santhosh; KAU; Anupama, T VChina aster [Callistephus chinenesis (L.) Nees.] is one of the most important annual flower crops grown in India for cut flower as well as loose flower purposes. It ranks third next to chrysanthemum and marigold among the annual flowers and has gained popularity due to ease of cultivation, diversity of colours and good vase life. It is also used for bedding purpose in landscapes and as pot plants. In Kerala, the demand for annual flower crops is on the rise, however the cultivation is limited. China aster due to its hardy nature can be grown as a pure crop as well as intercrop in coconut gardens. The investigation entitled ‘Evaluation of China aster [Callistephus chinenesis (L.) Nees.] for cultivation in tropical plains’ was conducted at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping during 2018-2019 with an objective to evaluate the performance of China aster for cultivation in tropical plains. Ten varieties of China aster viz. Arka Kamini, Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Violet, Phule Ganesh Pink, Phule Ganesh Purple, AAC-1, Local Pink and Mat White were evaluated for vegetative, floral and post harvest characters. The varieties showed significant variation for vegetative characters. In all the varieties, leaf dentation was present and leaf shape was ovate for all varieties except Arka Shashank which had linear leaf shape. Stem colouration and leaf mid rib colouration were absent in varieties such as Arka Shashank, Arka Archana, Phule Ganesh White and Mat White and the rest of the six varieties showed the presence of purplish stem and mid rib colouration. The variety Phule Ganesh Pink was superior in plant height (68.86 cm) at 3 months after planting. The characters like plant spread (50.08 cm), number of leaves (56.48), number of primary branches (14.25) and stem girth (11.09 cm) were also highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink. Leaf area was the highest in variety Phule Ganesh White (34.31 cm2). The variety Mat White was significantly inferior for all the vegetative characters observed. Floral characters showed significant variation among the varieties. Powderpuff flower type was observed in Arka Shashank and all the other varieties had semi-double type flower. Days to bud initiation was minimum in variety Arka Shashank (44.40 days) and maximum in Phule Ganesh White (73.67 days). The same trend was observed for days to complete flower opening and days to 50 per cent flowering. The variety Local Pink had the highest duration of flowering (62.40 days) and variety Mat White (45.20 days) had the lowest duration of flowering. The variety Arka Shashank produced highest number of flowers per plant (20.20). The flower stalk length (21.13 cm), flower weight (6.94 g) and flower diameter (7.07 cm) were the highest in the variety Phule Ganesh Pink. The variety Phule Ganesh White was superior in terms of number of disc florets per head (251.00) whereas Phule Ganesh Pink had the highest number of ray florets per head (201.20). The flower yield per plant was highest in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (55.99 g). The variety Phule Ganesh White recorded the highest seed yield per flower (1.27 g) and seed germination (65.27 %). Longest shelf life was observed in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (3.67 days) which was on par with Phule Ganesh White (3.33 days) and physiological loss of weight was recorded highest in Phule Ganesh White (35.70 %). The variety Phule Ganesh Pink had the longest vase life (13.93 days) and total water uptake was also maximum in variety Phule Ganesh Pink (20.27 ml). Anthocyanin content of flowers was recorded highest in the variety Phule Ganesh Violet (51.87 mg/g) followed by Arka Kamini (48.62 mg/g). Dendrogram based on D2 statistics considering qualitative and quantitative characters indicated that high amount of variability is present among the varieties. Correlation and path analysis revealed that the characters such as number of primary branches (0.978), plant spread (0.894), leaf area (0.796) and flower weight (0.933) were having significant positive correlation with flower yield per plant with a direct effect of 0.150, 0.199, 0.281 and 0.498 respectively. Ranking of varieties was done individually for loose flower and cut flower types. In ranking for loose flower types, variety Phule Ganesh Pink scored first position which was followed by Phule Ganesh White and Local Pink. When varieties were ranked for cut flower types, first position was scored by Phule Ganesh Pink while second position was shared by Phule Ganesh White, Phule Ganesh Purple and Local Pink. In overall ranking the variety Phule Ganesh Pink occupied first position followed by Phule Ganesh White and Local Pink and these can be recommended for commercial cultivation in tropical plains of Kerala during winter season.
