1. KAUTIR (Kerala Agricultural University Theses Information and Retrieval)

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    Seed production of potential stylosanthes gracilis
    (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 1981) Lekha Sreekantan; Madhavan Nair, K P
    Factorial experiment in Randomised Block Design with three replications was conducted in the College of Agriculture, Vellayani to study the effect of levels and methods of phosphorus application and number of cuts of green fodder taken, on the seed production potential of Stylosanthes gracilis. The phosphorus treatments were 40, 80 and 120 kg P2O5/ha as soil applications, 40 kg P2O5/ha as soil application + 40 kgP2O5/ha foliar and 80 kg P2O5/ha soil application+ 40 kg P2O5/ha foliar. The cutting treatments were two, three or four cuts. Increasing the level of soil applied phosphorus significantly increased height, spread, leaf stem ratio, nodular weight and number, greenmatter and drymatter yields in each cut and the cumulative greenmatter and drymatter yields.
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    Effect of dietary inclusion of azolla (Azolla pinnata) on production performance of broiler chicken
    (Department Of Poultry Sciences,College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, 2008) Balaji, K; Jalaludeen, A
    An experiment was carried out at the Department of Poultry Science, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Kerala Agricultural University, Mannuthy, to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of sun dried and ground Azolla (Azolla pinnata) on growth performance of broiler chicken. The study was conducted for a period of six weeks with one hundred and sixty, day-old commercial broiler chicks. The chicks were divided into four different treatments with four replicates of ten chicks each. The T1 was control with standard broiler ration and dried Azolla powder was supplemented in the basal diet at 1.5 per cent (T2), 3.0 per cent (T3) and 4.5 per cent (T4). The rations were made isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Chicks were reared under standard managemental conditions up to six weeks of age. The broiler starter ration was fed from 0 to 4 weeks of age and thereafter finisher ration during fifth and sixth week of age. Results of the present study revealed that supplementation of dried Azolla did not influence final body weight of broilers. The cumulative body weight gain up to sixth week of age did not reveal any significant difference among treatments. However, there was numerical reduction in both body weight and weight gain due to Azolla supplementation. The cumulative feed intake up to sixth week of age did not reveal any significant difference among treatments. But numerically lower feed consumption was recorded in 1.5 per cent (T2) and 3.0 per cent (T3) Azolla supplemented groups. The cumulative feed efficiency up to six week of age revealed no significant difference among the treatment groups. Although feed efficiency was numerically more with Azolla supplemented groups the differences were negligible. The per cent dressed yield, eviscerated yield, ready-to-cook yield, feather loss and total loss in broilers were not influenced by dietary supplementation of dried Azolla. The per cent giblet yield of birds fed with 4.5 per cent Azolla (T4) was significantly higher (P≤0.05) than control and other treatments. Giblet yield was low (P≤0.05) with 3.0 per cent Azolla supplemented group. The dietary supplementation of dried Azolla at 1.5 per cent level numerically reduced the serum total cholesterol level, while at 3.0 and 4.5 per cent levels (T3 and T4) there were significant (P≤0.05) reductions in serum total cholesterol. The dietary supplementation of dried Azolla at 4.5 (T4) per cent had significantly higher (P≤0.05) serum creatinine value than other treatment groups. The supplementation of Azolla at 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 per cent levels significantly (P≤0.05) reduced the breast meat cholesterol in broilers. The supplementation of Azolla at 3.0 and 4.5 per cent levels significantly reduced the thigh meat cholesterol in broilers than control and 1.5 per cent Azolla fed groups. The livability of birds in all four treatments were comparatively similar up to two weeks of age. However, at the end of experiment birds in 3.0 and 4.5 per cent Azolla supplemented groups livability per cent was less to the extent of 5 and 2.5 per cent respectively than control and 1.5 per cent Azolla fed group. Net profit per kg body weight was slightly lowered as a result of inclusion of dried Azolla at all three levels in broiler diet. The results of the present study suggest dried Azolla can be incorporated in broiler rations up to 4.5 per cent without affecting the economic traits. Moreover, dietary inclusion of dried Azolla in broiler rations is beneficial for substantial reduction in the cholesterol content of poultry meat.
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    Crop-standard interactions in black pepper (Piper nigrumL.)
    (Department of plantation crops and spices, College of horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2007) Manjusha, C M; Sujatha, V S
    Black pepper, known as the King of Spices, is the most widely used spice in the world. Providing ideal support plays an important role in successful establishment of black pepper plantation. A study was carried out at the Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Horticulture to unravel the interaction patterns of the Black pepper vines with different standards (supports) and to select the standard(s) ideal for trailing pepper. Black pepper var. Panniyur 1 trailed on 17 different standards (16 live + one dead) served as the experimental material. Characterisation of rhizosphere soil of pepper and root and shoot level interactions between pepper and standards were studied. Marked variations in the soil chemical and biological properties were noticed among the rhizosphere soil of different pepper-standard combinations. Significant variation was observed for pH, available Na, Mn, Cu and Zn in surface soil and available Na, Ca, Fe and Cu in subsurface soil. Available Mn and Cu had a significant negative influence on the dry yield of pepper. The rhizosphere region from which plants derive most of their nutrients are considered to be the seat of intense microbial activity. Variation in the microbial population of fungi, bacteria especially nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB) and phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) and actinomycetes was significant in the rhizosphere soil of pepper trailed on different standards. Population of NFB and PSB was higher in the rhizosphere soil of pepper vines trailed on Artocarpus and Garuga and lower in Ailanthus and Erythrina. No significant variation was observed among various treatments with regard to dehydrogenase and phosphatase activities of rhizosphere soil. To assess the extent of root competition between black pepper and standards on which they are trailed, 32P soil injection technique was employed. Procedure involved applying 32P at the effective foraging space (EFS) of black pepper followed by quantification of radioactivity absorbed by pepper and standards. The standards viz. Ailanthus, arecanut, coconut and Grevillea had a complementary interaction with the pepper vine associated with them with respect to 32P uptake. Artocarpus, Azadirachta, Bombax and Pajanelia also exerted a similar effect but to a lesser extent. The other standards had a competitive influence on pepper based on the uptake pattern of 32P. For example, Erythrina had a more extensive root system than pepper and that pepper and Erythrina explore same extent of soil surface (Sankar et al., 1988). The effect of different standards on growth, yield and quality attributes of pepper was found to vary significantly in most of the characters studied. Coconut was superior to all other standards for growth characters of pepper like height of bearing column, number of laterals per 0.25 m2, number of berries per spike and spike compactness and expressed higher values for spread at chest height, number of spikes per 0.25 m2 and spike length. All these characters had a positive correlation with yield. Pepper gave high yield when trailed on coconut, Ailanthus and Artocarpus and medium yield when trailed on Acacia, Azadirachta, Bombax, Caesalpinia, Erythrina, Garuga, Grevillea, Gliricidia, Pajanelia, Thespesia and teak pole. Foliar nutrient content of pepper was influenced by the standards used but had no significant correlation with yield of pepper. But the foliar nutrient status of standards had significant correlation with yield of pepper. Phosphorus, iron and copper had recorded a negative effect and Mn, a positive effect on yield. Based on the present study, it could be concluded that the pepper production can be raised substantially by trailing it on suitable supports like coconut, jack and Ailanthus. For quick establishment of pepper gardens using standards propagated through stem cuttings, Garuga was found better compared to other standards propagated in a similar way.