1. KAUTIR (Kerala Agricultural University Theses Information and Retrieval)
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Item Assessment of baseflow for micro watersheds in the midland of Kerala(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Kelappagi College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology , Tavanur, 2024-03-11) Diya, N Sabu.; Sathian, K KA study was conducted to quantify baseflow deriving from the micro watersheds of river Bharathapuzha lying near Valanchery town in the Malappuram district of Kerala, named as Perassannur watershed (W1) and Painkannur watershed (W2 Various baseflow separation methods such as graphical methods including straight line, fixed base and constant base methods; UKIH and digital filter methods including Lyne and Hollick (LH) and Chapman and Maxwell (CM) methods were used for the quantification of baseflow. Their performance evaluations were done to find the best suitable method for the selected study area. Micro watersheds were delineated from SRTM DEM using GIS software and their geographical areas were found for both the watersheds. Daily rainfall and stream flow were measured for both the micro watersheds by digital rainfall event recorder and area velocity method respectively. Morphometry of the study watersheds in terms of areal, linear and relief aspects; and land use and soil analysis were made in the GIS platform to gain insights into the parameters influencing the baseflow generation process. Graphical and statistical comparisons were performed among the methods to identify the best filter parameters for different filtering methods to make the baseflow separation process more accurate and acceptable. Morphometric analysis showed that the maximum stream order of Perassannur is 5 and Painkannur 4, and both of them have dendritic drainage pattern. Most of the area of the watersheds was covered by cropland and paddy fields, which facilitated the baseflow production. The value of N in the UKIH method was found as 4 in Perassannur and 3 in the Painkannur watersheds. Filter parameters of the digital filter method were determined using the procedure given by Cheng 2016 and estimated as 0.70 for Perassannur and 0.79 for Painkannur, and compared their performance with the often used filter parameters with the values of 0.850 and 0.925 in which 0.925 gave better results than the computed values for both watersheds. Estimated baseflow values for each method were statistically compared with the observed base flow values to find the best suitable method. Among the different filter methods, the LH method showed better accuracy than other methods while the variable slope method has come out as the most inaccurate procedure to estimate baseflow in the study region.Item Development of an IoT based automated aeroponic system(Departnent of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Food Technology ,Thavanur, 2025-04-11) Amrutha, K.; Jinu, AFood production remains a critical global challenge due to the rising human population, which is projected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Aeroponics, a soilless farming technique where plant roots are suspended in air and supplied with nutrient-laden mist, offers a promising solution for food demand. This study focuses on the development and evaluation of an IoT-based automated aeroponic system at the KCAEFT Campus in Tavanur, aiming to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness in Palak cultivation. The developed system consists of key components, including a growth chamber, misting units, PVC fittings, and storage tanks for nutrient and water solutions. Automation was achieved through a microcontroller-based control system integrated with a GSM module and various sensors, such as pH, EC, TDS, liquid temperature, DHT22 for humidity and temperature, and level sensors for monitoring and control. The system continuously collects and transmits real-time data to the ThingSpeak IoT platform every 10 minutes, enabling remote monitoring and control. Automated activation of fans, foggers, and atomizers effectively regulates the growing environment, maintaining an optimal chamber temperature of 23°C–27°C and relative humidity of 75%–95% throughout the crop cycle. Key nutrient solution parameters, including total dissolved solids (TDS) between 250–950 ppm, electrical conductivity (EC) from 0.5–2.4 dS m⁻¹, and an average pH of 6.5, were effectively regulated. Light intensity within the polyhouse fluctuated between 520.46 lux and 35,612.33 lux, supporting healthy plant growth. Performance evaluation of the system for Palak cultivation showed a yield of 9.29 kg in 80 days in the cultivation area of about 2.88 square meters (i.e. 32.28 t•ha-1). The water use efficiency was recorded at 66.88 kg/m³, and nutrient use efficiency at 2.86 kg per kg of nutrients used. The system demonstrated a benefit-cost ratio of 1.19 and outperformed aeroponic methods in plant growth and yield. The study concludes that integrating IoT into aeroponics enhances precision farming by facilitating real-time monitoring and automation of nutrient and water delivery, leading to improved resource efficiency and sustainable crop production. The research showcases the system's ability to tackle key issues like water scarcity, limited farmland, and food security, especially in urban and indoor farming.Item Assessment of saline water intrusion from Ponnani to Tavanur along the course of river Bharathapuzha(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2022-10-27) Hasna Ameena, P O.; Anu VarugheseThe study on „Assessment of saline water intrusion from Ponnani to Tavanur along the course of river Bharathapuzha‟ was done with the objectives to prepare the base map and landuse map of the study area, to develop a groundwater flow model, and to understand the saline water intrusion in coastal aquifers of Ponnani region. The study area involves part of Tavanur and Ponnani regions of Bharathapuzha river basin having geographical location of 10.76° to 10.85° North latitude and 75.88° to 76° East longitude, which comprises of about 50 km2 area.For modelling groundwater resources and salt movement, visual MODFLOW is recognized as a useful tool. In this study, Visual MODFLOW 2.8.1 integrated with MT3D software was used for ground water modelling and modelling saline water intrusion.The land use map of the area was prepared in ERDAS Imagine software using supervised classification. The area was divided into 50 columns and 50 rows (2500 cells).Water level and water quality data of observation wells were measured from the field and secondary data obtained from the wells of Central Water Commission in the study area were used as input to the model. In Ponnani and Purathur regions, salinity and electrical conductivity was also found to be higher than the standard limits for drinking water. The salinity level in the pre-monsoon period is even higher (1500 ppm) than the recommended limits for irrigation. Data on hydrogeological parameters and aquifer properties needed as the input for the modelwere also collected from different sources. In subsurface research, the use of contaminant transport models was fully supported in the context of ground water quality.The model was developed and calibrated with 7 years data (2012 to 2018) and validated with 3 years data (2019 to 2021). After validation, the model was used for prediction. Prediction was done for 10 years by increasing the pumping rate by 5, 10 and 15 per cent of pumping rate during the validation period (2021). It was observed that the saline water intrusion is present in the coastal stretch of Padinjarekkara,Purathur and Ponnani regions of Bharathapuzha river basinwhich extends along the coast from the northern boundary of Bharathapuzha river basin. It was also predicted from the model study that the saline water intrusion reaches to a lateral distance of 4.8 km to 5.5 km from the coast along the course of river. In the current climate change scenario, global warming and the related sea level rise pose a serious concern and are a major contributor to saline water intrusion into coastal freshwater aquifers. The activities carried out in the river basin that damage the area and facilitate the movement of contaminants including sand mining from Bharathapuzha and various types of developmental activity like construction, small-scale industry, and agriculture along the coast accelerates the saline water intrusion in this area.To minimize salt water intrusion, groundwater pumping in coastal areas (up to 5.5 km from the coast) need to be restrictedItem Characterisation of hydrologic responses of micro watershed using geospatial techniques(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Tavanur, 2022-06-13) Majeed Pasha,M D; Sathian K KWater is one of the precious and vital resources essentially required for the sustenance of life and for the economic and social progress of any country. Scientific water management is a must to sustain the domestic, irrigation and other water needs. Quantifying the hydrologic responses at micro watershed scale plays an important role for water resources development of a locality. For understanding the watershed characteristics and behavior, models play an important role which are also useful for extrapolating the current conditions to potential future conditions. Hydrological modeling is considered as a powerful technique for water resources management. In this study, the hydrology of two small sub watersheds of Bharathapuzha river basin near Valanchery town, were modeled using GIS and SWAT watershed model. The study aims to quantify the morphometric characteristics using GIS, simulate the hydrologic elements and stream flow using SWAT model and to suggest water conservation measures for the study area. First, a comparison of different commonly available DEMs were made to assess their suitability to perform morphometric analysis and it was found that SRTM DEM gives best result. Further studies were carried out using SRTM DEM. The W1 sub watershed is devided into six micro watersheds and W2 sub watershed is devided into four micro watersheds and prioritized the micro watersheds using morphometric analysis. Further, datasets required for the SWAT model were collected through primary and secondary sources and calibrated the model by generated two years (2019 to 2020) of stream flow. An NSE = 0.87 and R2 = 0.92 for W1 sub watershed and NSE=0.91 and R2 = 0.91 for W2 sub watershed were obtained. With the calibrated model, simulations were made to predict the hydrologic elements of both the sub watersheds. The whole sub watersheds characteristics and behavior and that of micro watersheds were determined and predicted. It was found that ET values of sub watersheds were varying in the range of 16 to 28 % of the annual rainfall, surface flow and base flow were in the range of 36 to 44 % and 25 to 27 % for W1 and W2 sub watersheds respectively. Relationship between morphometric characteristics and water balance components were determined and it was found that drainage density has got direct relationship with surface runoff (SURQ) and total runoff (WYLD) is having inverse relationship with base flow. Similarly, the relationship with relief ratio, stream frequency and texture ratio were also found out. Further, regression analysis was done between the morphometric characteristics viz. drainage density, relief ratio, stream frequency and texture ratio with that of hydrologic responses viz. surface runoff (SURQ), lateral flow (LAT_Q), baseflow (GW_Q) and water yield (WYLD). It was found that drainage density, stream frequency and texture ratio was having good positive correlation with total runoff (WYLD) generated from the watershed. Drainage density was having negative correlation with baseflow (GW_Q). Using these vital information, soil and water conservation measures have been suggested scientifically and objectively at micro watershed scale.Item Development and evaluation of small scale hydroponic green fodder production system(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, KCAET, Tavanur, 2021) Adarsha Gopalakrishna Bhat; Jinu, AA research on development and evaluation of small scale hydroponic green fodder production system was conducted in PFDC building of Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology Tavanur. The objective of research work was to develop a small scale hydroponic green fodder production system, testing of developed system under different micro climatic condition and estimation of water use efficiency for different water application method. Three different water application methods mist (I1), micro sprinkler (I2), fogger (I3) were selected. Artificial light source of LED red (L1), LED blue (L2), LED red + blue (L3) and sunlight were taken for the study. Statistical analysis was conducted to understand the significance of different treatments used in the experiment. A working prototype with best treatments observed during the study was built and cost economics were studied. The highest yield was observed in treatment involving fogger irrigation and LED red + blue (2.11 kg/tray) with the highest water use efficiency (515.43 kg/m3 ) compared to other treatments. The results are in accordance to the results found by Bian et al., (2018) and Kobayashi et al., (2013), who also found the highest yield under the combination of red + blue LED. Seed to fodder ratio obtained was 1: 6. Chemical analysis showed higher percentage of crude protein (13.56%) and crude fibre (12.59%) in this treatment. Higher growth of green fodder under artificial light source can be attributed to the continuous supply of energy compared to highly varying sunlight and also the uniform distribution of water by fogger irrigation which maintained favourable condition for fodder growth. Results clearly shows that growing green fodder with artificial light source (LED red + blue) and water supply with fogger can be commended to farmers for achieving better growth of green fodder for domestic animals.Item Assessment of lateral flow and base flow for effective interventions in water conservation(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, KCAET, Tavanur, 2021) Jyothy, Narayanan; Sathian, K KSubsurface movement of water has a vital role in the availability of water of an area, such that vertical downward movement of water from root zone region will recharge the groundwater and the lateral movement from the soil moisture or groundwater reservoir will tend to diminish it. The vertical downward movement of infiltrated water gets partially blocked and the accumulated water will induces interflow/lateral flow from a point of higher hydraulic gradient towards the lower hydraulic gradient. The midlands in the State of Kerala are predominantly covered with laterite soil underlain with hard laterite and crystalline rocks. Even though the state of Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3000 mm, it experiences severe dry spell during post-monsoon season as groundwater storage is not adequate to meet various demands. With growing variations in the characteristics of precipitation, increasing population and urbanization the infiltration opportunity time for rainwater has decreased resulting in further worsening of the situation. The pertaining issue requires a comprehensive investigation, learning and adoption of effective interventions for water conservation. The most hidden knowledge in this regard is the lack of quantitative information available on the movement of subsurface water. Hence, the present study was carried out to understand two major hydrological processes viz., lateral flow / interflow and groundwater flow in lateritic soils. The research was conducted at KCAET Tavanur campus, Kerala Agricultural University, India. The interflow determination was done in three sites through five experimental set ups. The selected experimental sites were having varied vegetal cover, slope and soil texture. Different techniques were used for the inducement of lateral flow such as rainfall simulation using micro-sprinklers, application of water in trenches and the natural rainfall. Interflow was monitored at three different soil depth zones of 0-40 cm, 40-80 cm and 80-120 cm on the vertical face of the trench made at the downslope side of the water application site. Further, salt (NaCl) tracer was used to determine lateral flow by analyzing salt breakthrough which was recorded through electrical conductivity variations at the monitoring trench face. Tracer analysis for interflow estimation was done through 2 experimental set ups in site 2 and site 3. Base flow monitoring was done through salt (KCl) tracer through five observation wells constructed for this purpose. Instantaneous injection of KCl tracer was done in the injection well and salt breakthrough analysis was carried out in nearby monitoring wells. The study also included simulation of lateral flow and groundwater flow using HYDRUS-2D software. The study revealed that among various soil physical properties, the lateral flow discharge greatly depends on bulk density of soil and soil texture. Further, it was found that an instantaneous application of water on the soil surface and in trench results in more lateral flow than gentle application rates. It was proved from the experiments that NaCl can be treated as an effective tracer to monitor the subsurface flow though molecular diffusion of the salt due to antecedent moisture content remains as a hindrance to its use during rainy season. The study has established that though the infiltration capacity of the lateritic soil is very high, major portion of the infiltrated water moves laterally without reaching the water table. Thus, to increase the groundwater recharge, it is essential to enhance vertical preferential flow through deep rooted vegetation or by deep trenches and pits. Adopting subsurface mechanical barriers which can intercept and divert the interflow to downward direction is also appears to be effective. Further, simulation of lateral flow and base flow using HYDRUS-2D software predicted the lateral flow discharge with a correlation coefficient of 96.4 %. The prediction accuracy of the model for base flow was 73%.Item Assessment of greenhouse cultivation problems in Kerala(Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, KCAET, Tavanur, 2021) Deepthi S Nair; Jinu, AGreenhouses are framed or inflated structure covered with transparent or translucent material large enough to grow crops under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity. Greenhouse have many advantages and some limitations also. Due to this farmer are abandoning this cultivation method citing crop failures after the initial phase. Thus, a survey was conducted to explore the reasons of failures of greenhouse farmers in Kerala covering all fourteen districts. Major problem faced by farmers was crop failure due to ageing of cladding material. So that fungal growth and dust deposit over the cladding material reduce the light transmission to the greenhouse which affect its microclimate and growth and yield parameters. To prove this, a field experiment was conducted during the period from April to June 2021 in the instructional farm of KCAET, Tavanur, Kerala. CO-1(Amaranthus green variety) was planted inside both cleaned greenhouse and uncleaned greenhouse (greenhouse without cleaned cladding material) and compared the microclimate and performance of Amaranthus in both conditions. Mean monthly values of light intensity and temperature were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the uncleaned one while relative humidity was higher inside the old greenhouse. Thus, crop growth parameters like plant height, number of leaves, number of branches and average yield per plant were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the old one whereas the inter nodal length of the plant was higher inside the old greenhouse. From this experiment, it was clear that the aging of cladding material has much influence on crop performance under the greenhouse. Other major problems faced by farmers were a decrease in soil fertility, Fungal/Insect attack inside the greenhouse, high maintenance cost 101 and structural problems of greenhouse, no demand and marketing facility of greenhouse products, etc. From the statistical analysis of survey details, it was clear that farmers are not satisfied with the greenhouse.