PG Thesis

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://localhost:4000/handle/123456789/2

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Banana

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 197
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Comparative evaluation of biotization for hardening of tissue culture (TC) Banana cv. Nendran
    (Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, 2025-06-02) Sandra, T
    The study entitled “Comparative evaluation of biotization for hardening of tissue culture (TC) banana cv. Nendran” was carried out at RARS, Pilicode and College of Agriculture Padannakkad during 2023 to 2024 to study identification of ideal stage of biotization and comparative evaluation of biotization agents in hardening of TC banana cv. Nendran.The study comprised four experiments: in vitro culture, primary hardening, secondary hardening, and combined evaluation of biotization agents during hardening. The in vitro rooting stage experiment carried out in completely randomised design with four treatments and five replications. The treatments were T1 (Piriformospora indica along with rooting medium), T2 (Phosphate Solubilizing Bacteria (PSB) along with rooting medium), T3 (Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) along with rooting medium), and T4 (Control: rooting medium). Among these, T1 significantly enhanced early root initiation, shoot proliferation, and overall rooting efficiency. Plantlets treated with P. indica (T1) during in vitro rooting showed superior performance during primary hardening, achieving the highest survival rate (93.33%) and enhanced growth traits: plant height (10.33 cm), pseudostem girth (2.47 cm), leaf length (5.23 cm), leaf width (1.93 cm), leaf area (15.39 cm2 ), number of primary roots (2.67), root length (2.80 cm), number of secondary roots (18.33), shoot dry weight (0.02 g), chlorophyll content (0.56 mg g-1) and relative growth rate (0.044 mg g-1 d-1). Lower proline content (1.04 µmol g⁻¹ FW) indicated reduced stress, and improved uptake of N, P, and K and micronutrients confirmed its role in nutrient acquisition. During secondary hardening, both T1 (P. indica) and T3 (Pseudomonas fluorescens) showed 100% survival, but T1 outperformed T3 in all growth parameters, including plant height (13.17 cm), pseudostem girth (2.33 cm), leaf length (8.80 cm), leaf width (2.67 cm), number of leaves (5.33), leaf area (59.93 cm2), number of primary roots (3.67), root length (10.47 cm), number of secondary roots (75), root fresh weight (0.44 g), shoot fresh weight (1.52 g), shoot dry weight (0.10 g) and relative growth rate (0.037 mg g-1 d-1). T1 also exhibited the lowest proline content (0.71 µmol g⁻¹ FW), suggesting better stress tolerance. The primary hardening experiment carried out in completely randomised design with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments were T1 (P. indica), T2 (PSB), T3 (PF), T4 (PF + PSB), T5 (PF + P. indica), T6 (PSB + P. indica), T7 (PF + PSB + P. indica) and T8 (control). Biotization with P. indica (T1) produced the highest survival rate (100%) and demonstrated superior plant growth, including significant increases in plant height (5.70 cm), leaf length (6.97 cm), leaf width (2.33 cm), leaf area (12.48 cm2), root length (5.97 cm) root fresh weight (0.62 g), chlorophyll content (0.47 mg g-1), relative growth rate (0.047 mg g-1 d-1), macronutrient and micronutrient uptake (N, P, K, Fe and Cu). Proline accumulation (1.25 µ mol. g-1 FW) was lower in T1, suggesting improved stress tolerance. The secondary hardening experiment carried out in completely randomised design with eight treatments and three replications. The treatments were T1 (P. indica), T2 (PSB), T3 (PF), T4 (PF + PSB), T5 (PF + P. indica), T6 (PSB + P. indica), T7 (PF + PSB + P. indica) and T8 (control). During this experiment, T7 showed excellent results, with improved growth metrics such as plant height (15.20 cm), leaf length (8.90 cm), number of leaves (5.67), leaf area (45.88 cm2), root length (12.07 cm), number of secondary roots (111.67 ), root fresh weight (0.65 g), chlorophyll content (0.46 mg g 1), shoot fresh weight (1.20 g), shoot dry weight (0.08 g), macronutrient and micronutrient uptake (N, Fe, Cu, Zn). Combined evaluation study was laid out in completely randomised design with 11 treatments and two replications. The treatments were T1 (P. indica during in vitro and primary hardening), T2 (P. indica during in vitro and primary and secondary hardening), T3 (PSB during in vitro and primary hardening ), T4 (PSB during in vitro and primary and secondary hardening), T5 (PF during in vitro and primary hardening), T6 (PF during in vitro and primary and secondary hardening), T7 (PF during in vitro + PSB during primary and secondary hardening), T8 (PF during in vitro + P. indica during primary and secondary hardening), T9 (PSB during in vitro + P. indica during primary and secondary hardening ), T10 (PF during in vitro + PSB + P. indica during primary and secondary hardening) and T11 (Control). T2 exhibited superior growth and stress tolerance compared to other treatments. This was evidenced by enhanced plant height (14.83 cm), leaf length (9.40 cm), leaf width (3.13 cm), number of leaves (6.00), leaf area (69.29 cm²), number of primary roots (5.67), secondary roots (86.67), root fresh weight (0.72 g), shoot dry weight (0.11 g), chlorophyll concentration (0.26 mg g⁻¹), and relative growth rate (0.04 mg g⁻¹ d⁻¹). Notably, lower proline accumulation (0.81 µmol g⁻¹ FW) indicated reduced abiotic stress. T2 also showed much increased nutrient uptake, primarily of Phosphorus (0.50%), Potassium (0.07%), Iron (225.24 ppm), Copper (26.95 ppm), Manganese (135.33 ppm), Zinc (43.87 ppm), and Boron (18.61 ppm).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Packaging potential of raw banana flour base composite film
    (Department of Community Science, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2025-02-04) Shihna.; Suma Divakar
    The study entitled “Packaging potential of raw banana flour based composite film” was conducted at the Department of Community Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the period of 2022-2024, with the objective of quality assessment and packaging potential of the composite film developed from raw banana flour.The study was conducted as four parts viz., quality assessment of banana fingers, processing of raw banana flour, processing of the film, assessment of the packaging potential of the film. Nendran bananas were sourced from a local farmer at Vellayani, Thiruvananathapuram. To accurately determine maturity, the bananas were tagged on the day of flower emergence. Fruits were harvested at 75, 80, 85, and 90 days post-emergence. For each maturity stage, green fruits were collected from the middle three fruits on the third hand from the top of each bunch. The study began with an analysis of the physical parameters of banana fingers across four maturity stages (75, 80, 85, and 90 days). Results showed that fruit length (22.32 cm), fruit weight (149.20g), pulp weight (81.25g) and fruit diameter (12.27 cm) increased with maturity, peaking at 90 days, while peel weight (50.75g) was high during 75th day of maturity. Chemical analyses revealed that moisture (59.41%), TSS (14.200Brix) and acidity (0.23%) levels were highest at 90 days maturity, whereas crude fiber (4.04%) and tannin (8.02mg 100g-1) contents were highest at 75 days. Nutritional profiling indicated that starch content (84.0%) was higher in less mature bananas (75 days), while protein (2.35g 100g-1), total sugars (2.81mg 100g-1), reducing sugar (1.03mg 100g-1) and ascorbic acid (2.13mg 100g-1) levels peaked at 90 days, showcasing the diverse compositional advantages of bananas at different stages of maturity. Banana flours were analyzed for their composition and functional properties. Flour from 75-day mature bananas exhibited higher starch (80.04%) and crude fiber (6.05 %) contents, while flour from 90th day mature bananas had higher moisture (6.01%), ash (1.92%) and protein levels (1.45 g 100g-1).Functional properties such as pH (5.82), bulk density (0.92g/ml), and oil absorption (1.11g/g) were higher in flour derived from 75- days of maturity, while foaming capacity (7.96%) and emulsion activity (1.90 %) were better in the flour from 90-day mature bananas. Composite films were produced using combinations of banana flour, glycerine, and water, with three formulations for each maturity stage. Seventy five days of maturity (M1), 80 days of maturity (M2), 85 days of maturity (M3), 90 days of maturity (M4) were the stages of flour taken. Besides, flour (F), glycerine (G) and water (W) were also incorporated. Five g F +15ml G + 80ml W formed T1, 8g F+ 15ml G + 77ml W formed T2, 10g F + 15ml G + 75 ml W formed T3. The films exhibited diverse physical and functional properties, such as moisture content, thickness, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), solubility, and oil absorption. Consumer acceptability tests identified M2T2, M2T3, M3T2, and M3T3 formulations as the most preferred for appearance, color, odor, texture, and stickiness. The best four composite films, selected based on sensory evaluation, were used as candy wrappers and subjected to storage studies. The results showed no microbial growth over a 7-day period, more likely due to the antimicrobial properties of potassium metabisulfite (KMS) added during their production. This study demonstrates the potential of banana-based composite films as sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. By utilizing raw banana flour, it not only offers an innovative solution to plastic pollution but also creates value from agricultural by-products that are otherwise underutilized. The findings contribute to the development of biodegradable and consumer-acceptable packaging materials, paving the way for broader applications in the food and packaging industries.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Expression profiling of water stress responsive miroRNAs in banana (Musa spp.)
    (Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2022-03-08) Amal Mohamud Naushad; Soni, K B
    The study entitled “Expression profiling of water stress responsive microRNAs in Banana (Musa spp)” was conducted during 2019-2021, in the Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani. The study envisaged expression profiling of selected computationally predicted miRNAs in banana cultivar Nendran (Musa AAB) under water stress conditions. Fifty-two novel miRNAs and their targets have been computationally predicted in banana genome A, using NOVOMIR (Mathew, 2018) in a previous study conducted in the Department of Plant Biotechnology. Among five miRNAs were selected in this study for their validation and identifying their association with water stress response. The microRNAs selected are miR-3900-5p (target: Heat shock protein, HSP gene), miR-2172-5p (target: Putative Ethylene Responsive Transcription factor 1 (ERT) gene), miR-971-5p (target: Argonaute, (ARG) gene, miR-6928-5p (target: FAD dependent oxidoreductase gene), and miR-2172-5p (target: Diacylglycerol, DAG gene). Six months old in-vitro raised banana plants of cv. Nendran (Musa AAB) were used in this study. Water stress was induced in the potted plants by withholding irrigation for seven consecutive days. After 7 days, the relative water content in the leaf samples was reduced from 93.84 to 59.32, indicating water stress. The expression profile of the miRNAs and their target genes in banana plants under water stress conditions was analysed by performing Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Total RNA was extracted from leaf samples using the modified Rodrigues Garcia method and reverse transcribed to cDNA using the miRNA specific stem-loop primers designed. Selected miRNAs were amplified using miRNA specific forward and universal reverse primers. The target genes were also amplified by designing primers. The specificity of the primers was determined using a melt curve analysis. All the reactions are conducted with three biological and two technical replicates. Out of the four, three miRNAs (miR-2172-5p, miR-6928-5p and miR-971 5p) and their target genes showed amplification in all the samples. All the water stressed 70 plants showed upregulation of miR-2712-5p (4 to 11fold), and downregulation of miR971-5p (0.1 to 0.4fold) and miR-6928-5p (0.2 to 0.7fold). The two targets of miR2712-5p showed differential expression under the water stressed conditions, DAG gene was downregulated (0.1 to 0.2folds) and ERT gene was upregulated (2 to 3folds). Expression of FAD dependant oxidorductase (The target of miR-6928-5p) and ARG (the target of miR971-5p) was increased up to 3 to 4folds respectively in water stress conditions. Relative gene expression analysis in the water-stressed plants indicated an inverse correlation between all the three miRNAs and their targets, suggesting their strong miRNA: target relation. The study showed that miR-2172-5p, miR-971-5p, miR-6928-5p are water stress-responsive in banana cv. Nendran. Since the products of all the target genes are related to stress responses in plants, an in-depth study of these miRNAs may help develop strategies for water stress management in bananas.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Documentation and management of oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera Spp.(Diptera:Tephritidae) in banana
    (Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2022-03-16) Remya , S R.; Ambily Paul
    The study on “Documentation and management of Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera spp. (Diptera: Tephritidae) in banana” was carried out at the Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during 2019 to 2021. The objectives were to document the species complex and cultivar preference of Bactrocera spp. infesting banana and to find out the effective management practices against them. Purposive survey conducted among 20 farmers each of two districts viz., Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam revealed that Palayankodan was the most susceptible cultivar to the fruit flies followed by Red banana. High TSS (17.80°Brix) of Palayankodan favoured the infestation. Fruit fly species infesting the banana cultivars viz., Palayankodan, Red banana and Nendran was identified as Bactrocera dorsalis Hendel. Bactrocera caryeae Kapoor was reported along with B. dorsalis from guava. Studies on the biology of B.dorsalis in banana under laboratory condition revealed that egg, larva, pupa and total life cycle ranged from 1-3, 7-12, 7-10 and 51- 58 days respectively. Morphometric studies revealed that the average length and breadth of eggs, full-grown maggots and pupae were 2.52±0.10 and 0.95±0.04 mm, 6.38±2.67 and 1.26±0.24 mm, 5.58±0.29 and 2.47±0.08 mm respectively. The investigation on the assessment of critical stage of banana susceptible to fruit flies was studied on Palayankodan fruits at different ripening maturity viz., under- mature, mature and over-mature. The critical stage of infestation by fruit flies was identified as “over mature”. Significantly higher number of oviposition punctures (13.30) and maggots (12.10) per banana finger was observed in “over-mature” fruit. Though oviposition punctures was noticed in mature (6.90) and under mature (3.20) fruits, no maggots were emerged from them. The tannin content in peel and pulp of Palayankodan fruits at different ripening maturity was estimated using folin-denis method to determine the defensive role played by tannin in the prevention of B.dorsalis infestation. The highest tannin level was found on both peel (235.29 mg g-1 DW) and pulp (265.62 mg g-1 DW) of under mature fruits. In over mature fruits, both peel (120.08 mg g-1 DW) and pulp (98.88 mg g-1 DW) recorded less tannin content which supported oviposition and growth of maggots. Laboratory experiment was laid out in CRD to study the efficacy of treatments against B. dorsalis on Palayankodan immediately after the harvest. Among various treatments, quinalphos 25 EC 0.05% was found to be the best treatment in reducing fruit fly infestation in banana followed by spinosad 45 EC 0.02%, azadirachtin 0.03% and salicylic acid 2mM. The oviposition deterrence recorded was significantly higher in quinalphos 25 EC (97.03%) followed by spinosad 45 EC (93.97%), azadirachtin (80.14%) and salicylic acid 2mM (63.44%). Presence of residues of quinalphos (0.021 mg kg -1) and spinosad (0.069 mg kg -1) in banana at the time of harvest was above MRL (0.01 mg kg-1), hence the next effective treatment, azadirachtin (0.03%) which was on par with Spinosad could be recommeded after harvest for the management of fruit flies in banana. The study could be concluded that the species of fruit fly infesting banana cultivars was identified as B. dorsalis and Palayankodan is the preferred cultivar and the critical stage of infestation by B. dorsalis was “overmature”. Post harvest spraying of azadirachtin (0.03%) was found to be effective and safe for the management of fruit flies, B. dorsalis in banana.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Management of postharvest anthracnose of banana using green nanoparticles
    (Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture , Vellayani, 2023-12-16) Ajay, B; Susha S Thara
    A study entitled ‘Management of postharvest anthracnose of banana using green nanoparticles’ was conducted during 2021-23 at Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani with the objective to characterize the major pathogen associated with anthracnose of banana fruits and its management using green nanoparticles. A survey was conducted in local markets of five agro-ecological units of Kerala viz., AEU 1, AEU 3, AEU 8, AEU 9 and AEU 12 covering Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts. A total of 34 locations were surveyed during 2021-23 to collect the diseased specimens of banana Nendran variety (Musa AAB) and to study the symptomatology of the disease. Variations in symptoms were noticed from different locations such as black or brown sunken spots of various sizes, shriveling of fruits and spots having triangular shaped or angular edges. The pathogens were isolated from the collected specimens; a total of 62 isolates were obtained out of which 34 isolates were Colletotrichum sp. and Koch’s postulates were proved in matured harvested dehanded banana. All the 34 Colletotrichum sp. isolates were screened for its virulence and pathogenicity. The isolate K1B1 from Kollam corporation (AEU 1- Kollam district) recorded the highest Percent disease index (PDI) of 83.33 per cent with a highest lesion size of 5.10 x 4.95 cm on the 5th day of artificial inoculation; and hence concluded as the most virulent isolate. Cultural and morphological studies of isolate K1B1 were carried out. Initially white to grey floccose aerial mycelium was observed which turns orange colour with age. Microscopic studies revealed that mycelia were hyaline and septate, acervulus were brown without setae, conidia were hyaline aseptate with elliptical or cylindrical shape and appressorium were dark brown and irregular shaped. Based on the cultural and morphological studies, isolate K1B1 was identified as Colletotrichum musae. Further molecular characterization of the isolate K1B1 was done using ITS primers and the isolate was confirmed as Colletotrichum musae. In vitro evaluation of prepared essential oil nanoemulsions (NEs) viz., cinnamon oil NE, clove oil NE, basil oil NE, neem oil NE and mustard oil NE at 0.5 %, 1 % and 2 % against C. musae in PDA by poisoned food technique revealed that all the essential oil NEs significantly reduced the growth of C. musae over control. The highest inhibition (100 %) at the lowest concentration (0.5 %) was observed in cinnamon oil NE and clove oil NE followed by basil oil NE (96.66 %). In vitro evaluation of prepared green copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) synthesized using leaf extracts of neem, ocimum, clove, American mint, and cinnamon at 0.05 %, 0.1 % and 0.2 % against C. musae by poisoned food technique revealed that all the synthesized green CuNPs significantly reduced the growth of C. musae over control. The highest inhibition (100 %) at the lowest concentration (0.05 %) was observed in green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon and clove followed by green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of neem (97.58 %). In vitro evaluation of chitosan NPs (60 nm) at 0.5 %, 1 % and 2 % in comparison with the best three treatments from essential oil NEs (cinnamon oil NE, clove oil NE and basil oil NE at 0.5 %) and green CuNPs (Synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon, clove and neem at 0.05 %) against C. musae by poisoned food technique revealed that the essential oil NEs and the green CuNPs significantly reduced the growth of C. musae over control. Chitosan NPs didn’t show any reduction in the growth of the pathogen.The highest inhibition (100 %) at the lowest concentration was observed in cinnamon oil NE (0.5%), clove oil NE (0.5%), green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon (0.05%) and clove (0.05%) followed by green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of neem (97.58 % at 0.05%). Based on the results of in vitro evaluation, the best five treatments (cinnamon oil NE, clove oil NE, green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon, clove and neem) were taken for in vivo studies along with carbendazim (0.1 %), pathogen inoculated control and uninoculated control. All the tested green NPs significantly reduced the lesion formation in matured harvested dehanded banana. Lowest lesion size of 0.86 cm and 1.46 cm was recorded in green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon and clove respectively followed by cinnamon oil NEs (2.60 cm). Similarly, the highest percent disease reduction over control was observed in green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon (99.01 %) and clove (98.28 %) followed by cinnamon oil NE (97.56 %). The best three green NPs (Green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon and clove and cinnamon oil NE) from in vivo studies were characterized. The formation of green CuNPs synthesized were confirmed by a characteristic peak obtained at 800 nm by UV-Vis spectroscopy.The results from FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) analysis conclude that the surface of synthesized CuNPs were capped and stabilized by flavonoids and other phenolic compounds in the leaf extracts. The morphological characterization of CuNPs using FESEM (Field emission scanning electron microscopy) and HRTEM (High resolution transmission electron microscopy) revealed the presence of spherical particles with some agglomeration and the size of the particles was found to be in the range of 20 – 60 nm. DLS (Dynamic light scattering) analysis was used to find out the surface charge of NPs and the negative zeta potential was found at -22.2 mV, -21.7 mV and -25.8 mV for green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon, clove and cinnamon oil NE respectively. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of green CuNPs revealed the crystalline structure of CuNPs. The shelf life and organoleptic properties (appearance with and without skin, colour with and without skin, texture, taste, flavor and overall acceptability) of the banana fruits treated with green nanoparticles was evaluated along with the uninoculated control and pathogen inoculated control and the green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon was noticed with highest shelf life (9 days) and excellent organoleptic properties followed by green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of clove (8 days) and cinnamon oil NE (7 days). Based on the results of in vivo evaluation, the best three treatments (Green CuNPS synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon, clove and cinnamon oil NE) were taken for the study of biochemical changes (Reducing sugar, ascorbic acid, titratable acidity, protein, moisture and pH) in comparison with the uninoculated control and pathogen inoculated control. The green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon was noticed with less biochemical changes with a decrease in reducing sugar (8.30 %), decrease in ascorbic acid (62.56 mg/100g), decrease in titratable acidity (0.59 %), decrease in protein (5.08 mg/g fresh weight), increase in moisture (56.24 %) and acidic in pH (3.40) when compared with the uninoculated control with reducing sugar (8.87 %), ascorbic acid (62.77 mg/100g), titratable acidity (0.60 %), protein (5.25 mg/g fresh weight), moisture (55.88 %) and pH (3.41) followed by green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of clove and cinnamon oil NE. The present study revealed that the major pathogen associated with anthracnose of banana fruits is Colletotrichum musae. The postharvest spraying of green CuNPs synthesized using leaf extracts of cinnamon at 0.05 % is proved to be an effective novel strategy for the management of banana anthracnose with higher shelf life (9 days) and excellent organoleptic properties. The results may be subjected to multi-location and multi seasonal field trials and the residual toxicity of CuNPs on the fruits have to be undertaken.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Sustainability assessment of banana value chains of Palakkad district, Kerala
    (Department of Agricultural Extension Education, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2023-05-08) Nikhil, K S; Aparna Radhakrishnan
    The study entitled Sustainability assessment of banana value chains of Palakkad district, Kerala was undertaken during 2021-2022. The study was based on the objectives viz, mapping of banana value chains depicting the value chain actors, functions, and dimensions; sustainability assessment and identification of constraints in banana value chain and formulation of sustainable framework for the banana value chain. The study was conducted in Agali, Kumaramputhur, and Karimpuzha panchayaths of Palakkad district, with a sample size of 170 value chain actors. The sample comprised of 19 input dealers, 105 banana farmers, 19 commission agents, 19 wholesalers, 17 value addition dealers, 19 retailers and 105 consumers. The major role of the above mentioned actors observed were supply of inputs, internal handling and management of resources, physical handling of the product and arranging for its sale, providing system for procurement, storage and distribution to the retailers and export agency, minimizing perishability risk and enhancing shelf life, grading, sorting, packaging of banana and its value added product for export purpose, acting as basic unit of demand of the commodity. More than ten value chains were identified during the study, and seven major value chains out of ten were selected for mapping viz, raw and ripe banana value chain, auction system value chain, chips export value chain, chips bakery value chain, banana product mix value chain, banana export value chain and banana powder value chain. It was realized that the chains were widely disbursed over the state and country and some ends abroad. During the investigation information flow, money flow, and product flow were observed and analysed. The former was depicted by social network analysis, and the latter is by causal circular loop method. The major information shared between actors observed were on marketing, consumer demand, risk, and opportunities existing in the chain, and it has resulted in the formation of virtual clusters within the chains. The transfer of money and products from actor to actor was depicted in money flow and product flow respectively. The of Palakkad district, Kerala sustainability was measured under four factors: economic, social,environmental, and technical. The weighted index method used for calculating sustainability and weightage of indicators was collected from the major actors by key informant interview and focus group discussion. On analysis, it was found that auction system value chain showed higher sustainability, raw and ripe banana value chain exhibited low sustainability and other chains depicted medium sustainability. In auction system value chain, actors were highly equipped with economic factors, socially forward, environmentally aware and technically well advanced. The major actors were from tribal community of Agali region, were less oriented towards marketing aspects, socially backward, poor in handling and use of plant protection chemicals and technologically less adapted, the raw and ripe banana value chain showed less sustainability among the others. The result of Karl Pearson correlation analysis revealed that independent variables namely profitability, credit availability, government support, labour availability, perception on soil health, waste management, environmental awareness, use of micronutrients and botanicals, integrated pest management, propping method and pre cooling and processing of banana showed highly significant correlation with the sustainability of the chains. The constraints on sustainability of banana value chain were grouped into four categories: economic, social, environmental and technical. Analytical hierarchy process was used to rank the constraints and the results exposed that economic category ranked highest, followed by technical, social and environmental categories. Invasion of cheapest banana from neighboring states, inadequate value addition centres, exploitation of producers by middlemen in rural areas, and product loss due to wild animal attack were the highest ranked constraints in the above-mentioned categories. Based on the sustainable food value chain framework developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the study proposed a conceptualised sustainable framework on the core value chains of study area which relates to the actors, their core functions, sustainability dimensions and the enabling environment. The value chain study can be adopted to the other major crops in Kerala to analyse the sustainability and the framework can be adopted for policy making.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Engineering banana bract mosaic virus resistance in banana by targeted editing of elF4E gene using crispr/Cas9 system
    (Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2024-05-23) Pandiaraj, S; Smitha Nair
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Irrigation water: assessing the economic efficiency and its pricing in banana
    (Department of agricultural economics, college of agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2023-07-24) Midhuna, Sivanandan; Hema, M
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Evaluation of banana cultivars for sheath fibre yield and quality
    (Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2021) Asish Benny; Pushpalatha, P B
    The research work “Evaluation of banana cultivars for sheath fibre yield and quality” was carried out in the Department of Fruit Science, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara during the academic year 2019-2021. As part of this experiment, biomass produced by different banana cultivars and their fibre yield were recorded. The fibre obtained from different cultivars were analysed for their physical and biochemical characters. Significant variation was observed among the cultivars belonging to different genomic groups with regard to biomass production. The highest values for whole plant weight (45.20 kg), pseudostem weight (30.19 kg) and leaf weight (6.42 kg) were recorded in Elavazha, whereas the highest rhizome weight was recorded in Karpooravally (10.63 kg). Maximum plant biomass production was noticed in cultivars with BB genome (42.24 kg) and least in cultivars with AA genome (12.08 kg). In general, cultivars with ‘B’ genome were found to produce higher biomass than cultivars with ‘A’ genome. The number of fibre extractable sheaths were found to vary (10-16) among the different cultivars. The maximum number of fibre extractable sheaths was recorded in cultivars Kunnan, Njalipoovan, Mysore Poovan and Monthan (16 each) followed by Elavazha and Grand Naine (15 each). The percentage of fibre extractable pseudostem among the different cultivars was found to be in the range of 41.52% (Kunnan) to 76.18% (Grand Naine). Sheath weight was found to be correlated with the weight of leaves, pseudostem, rhizome and whole plant and the average sheath weight was highest in Karpooravally (1083.57 g) and Elavazha (1072.89 g) followed by Attikol (1026.43 g). It was observed that, sheath weight was higher in the middle layers and showed a trend reducing towards outer and inner layers in all banana cultivars except for Chenkadali in which sheath weight of the outer layers were also higher. Among the methods of extraction, mechanical extraction was found to be better compared to manual method with respect to fibre yield. Fibre yield was directly correlated with sheath weight in each cultivar and as in the case of sheath weight, fibre yield was also found to be higher from middle sheath layers than that from outer and inner sheath layers. In cultivar Chenkadali, higher fibre yield was recorded from both outer sheaths and middle sheaths. Apart from such exception, the superiority of ‘B’ genome with respect to fibre yield was unravelled through higher yield and higher recovery percentage in Elavazha and Attikol. Fibre yield from the whole plant was comparatively high in Elavazha (157.38 g) followed by Chenkadali (146.97 g). Physical characters of banana fibres such as tex and diameter did not vary with respect to the method of extraction. However, variation was there among cultivars and also depending upon the position of sheath layer in pseudostem. Tex of fibre from different cultivars ranged from 5.50 to 21.70, whereas diameter ranged from 0.06 mm to 0.18 mm. Tex and diameter of the fibre were found to be positively correlated. With regard to TSS content of pseudostem juice, it was found to be very less in all the cultivars, with a comparatively higher value in Elavazha (1.37ºBrix). The values recorded for pH (5.32 to 6.87) and acidity of pseudostem juice of different cultivars indicated that the juice is slightly acidic in nature. Moisture content in freshly extracted fibre ranged from 49.98% to 77.78% and was found to be high in cultivars belonging to AB and ABB genomic groups. Significant variation was observed among the cultivars with respect to cellulose, lignin, carbohydrates and pectin in dry fibre. The cellulose content in fibre of different cultivars ranged between 43.86% and 68.70%, lignin content ranged between 11.64% and 39.23%, carbohydrate content ranged between 1.05% and 2.76% and pectin content ranged between 1.40% and 3.80%. The cellulose content in fibre was found to be high in cultivars with BB genome and lowest in cultivars with AAA genome. Lignin content was negatively correlated with cellulose content and ‘A’ genome was found to contribute more towards lignin content than ‘B genome. Pectin content was also positively correlated with lignin content. Among sheath layers, cellulose content was higher in fibre from inner sheath layers, whereas lignin and pectin content was higher in the outer sheath layers.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Evaluation of banana (Musa spp.) cultivars for dietary fibre
    (Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2022) Anjali, C; Pushpalatha, P B
    Banana is grown under a wide range of environment in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Since the plant as a whole is useful for its fruits, peel, fibre, rhizome, male bud and pseudostem, it is also called as ‘Kalpatharu’. After harvesting bunches, the biomass left out are reported to be rich source of dietary fibre. Nowadays, the development and use of functional ingredients is widely exploited in the food industry, principally those with high dietary fibre levels. Dietary fibres are plant derived complex carbohydrates, which have immense health beneficial effects. These plant parts, which are rich in dietary fibre could be used as a potential source of dietary fibre in food products. In this context, the present study was carried out in the Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara and Banana Research Station, Kannara, with the objective to evaluate the quantity and quality of dietary fibre from various parts of banana cultivars and to utilize the dietary fibre enriched powder for product development. The cultivars, belonging to different genomes (Grand Naine (AAA), Kunnan (AB), Nedunendran (AAB) and Pisang Lilin (AA)) were planted in the field of Banana Research Station, Kannara. The plant parts such as male bud, peel, inner core of pseudostem and rhizome were collected and estimation of biomass and dietary fibre yield were carried out. The rhizome of cultivar Kunnan recorded the highest biomass content (6955.56 g) and male bud of Pisang Lilin recorded the lowest (190.68 g). Among different cultivars, the Kunnan recorded the highest biomass content (3989.25 g), which was on par with the Grand Naine (3920.64 g) and Pisang Lilin recorded the lowest biomass content (1400.61 g). When plant parts are taken separately irrespective of the cultivars, the rhizome recorded the highest biomass content (5031.94 g) and male bud recorded the lowest (421.79 g). The dietary fibre content was recorded as highest in the rhizome of Pisang Lilin (72.10 %) and lowest in the inner core of pseudostem of Grand Naine (22.96 %). With respect to each cultivar, highest dietary fibre content was recorded in the rhizome of Pisang Lilin (72.10 %) and male buds of Kunnan (54.24 %), Nedunendran (42.43 %) and Grand Naine (38.82 %), followed by the rhizomes of Kunnan (50.83 %) and Grand Naine (37.19 %). These plant parts were powdered and the quality evaluation of dietary fibre for antioxidant activity, total phenols, lignin, cellulose, carbohydrate, swelling power and solubility was done. The male bud powder of Kunnan recorded the lowest phenol content (0.63 mg/g) and rhizome powder of Pisang Lilin recorded the highest phenol content (3.64 mg/g). The highest lignin content (17.05 %) and solubility (15.30 %) was recorded in the male bud powder of Kunnan. The cellulose content (22.50 %) as well as antioxidant activity (0.18 μg/ml) was recorded as highest in the rhizome powder of Grand Naine whereas, the carbohydrate (20.35 g/100g) content was highest in the male bud powder of Grand Naine. The swelling power was highest in the rhizome powder of Kunnan (5.03). As the male bud powder of Kunnan recorded the highest values for most of the quality attributes, it was selected for the product development. Thus, cookies were prepared by incorporating the male bud powder of Kunnan at different concentrations (10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 % and 50 %) to the banana flour. The cookies under control were prepared using 100 % banana flour. The cookies were evaluated for their biochemical and sensory attributes. The biochemical parameters such as protein, total minerals, calcium, potassium, dietary fibre and fat content increased with the level of incorporation of male bud powder of Kunnan and were highest for the cookies incorporated with 50 % Kunnan male bud powder. The carbohydrate, starch, total sugars and energy value decreased with the level of incorporation of Kunnan male bud powder, and were highest for the cookies under control. The sensory evaluation of the cookies was carried out using 9-point hedonic scale. The cookies incorporated with 10 % male bud powder of Kunnan adjudged as the best with respect to different sensory attributes analyzed, resulting in better overall acceptability. Hence, the cookies with 10 % incorporation of Kunnan bud powder was selected as the best treatment. The male bud powder of ‘Kunnan’ was proved to be the best among the different parts of cultivars studied, with respect to the quality attributes of dietary fibre such as phenol content, lignin content and solubility as well as for acceptability. Hence, there exist immense scope for Kunnan bud powder in the area of production of dietary fibre enriched products.