Dr.C.T.Abraham
Professor & Head - Officiating as Associate Dean
History
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Established as a Statutory Department of KAU in 1972 along with the inception of the College of Horticulture at Mannuthy
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Started M.Sc. (Ag) programme in 1976.
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Shifted the department to the present college building at Vellanikkara during November 1977
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Recognized as an approved centre for Ph.D. programmes in 1981
Vision
To generate, integrate and apply knowledge about tropical crops that are grown for food, feed and the general benefit of humankind. By integrating teaching, research and extension efforts, the Department finds and disseminates answers to problems and discovers opportunities concerning efficiency and sustainability of production, improvements in quality and methods for safe and environmentally sound agricultural practices.
Mandate
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To impart teaching at U G and P G levels on various aspects of Agronomy including various practical aspects
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To undertake challenges in the field of Agronomy through research activities
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To render advisory service to the farmers through different extension modes
Faculty
Dr. C.T. Abraham, Professor & Head
Dr. R. Gopinathan, Professor i/c, IF
Dr. P.S. John, Professor
Dr. Lalitha Bai, Professor
Dr. P. Sreedevi, Associate Professor
Dr. Mercy George, Professor
Dr. C. George Thomas, Associate Professor
Dr. Meera V. Menon, Associate Professor
Dr. A. Latha. Assistant Professor (Senior Scale)
Dr. P.Prameela, Assistant Professor(Senior Scale)
Supporting Staff
Sri. A.G.Rajendra Babu-Senior Farm Supervisor
Land Resources
Experimental Area : 1 acre for crop museum
3 acres for experimental purposes
Current Activities
Teaching
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U G Programme
9 Courses for B.Sc. (Ag) (New syllabus)
3 Optional courses (New syllabus)
Courses offered for BSc. (Forestry), B.V. Sc. & AH, C&B, B.Tech (Dairy Science
& technology) and P.G. diploma in Dairy Science.
The students get hands-on experience in the production of crops through the practical crop production and work experience programmes offered by the Department.
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P G Programme
4 core courses, 16 optional courses for M.Sc.(Ag)
2 Remedial Course for M.Sc (Ag Stat)
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Ph.D. Programme
3 core courses, 9 optional courses
Research
Ongoing research projects
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AICRP on Weed Control (ICAR)
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DBT project – Women Run Fodder banks for sustainable livelihoods in Dairy Sector
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TSI-FAI-IFA Project on ‘Sulphur in balanced Fertilization’
KSCSTE project on ‘Yellowing of Arecanut’
The main research areas include identification of yield limiting factors of soil-plant systems of important tropical crops; water-nutrient interactions; eco-physiology of weeds and integrated weed management in crops and cropping systems; and development of basic technologies to improve.
Facilities
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Separate laboratories for U G & P G students
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Research Laboratory for doing independent research
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Full fledged computer room
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Well established crop museum
Area for carrying out field experiments
Research Achievements
Post – graduate programme has been in important activity of the Department from 1977. Till 2003-04, 106 students of this Department have been awarded M Sc degrees and 27 students Ph D degrees.
The Department generated numerous improved agrotechniques and added new knowledge in many fields. Prominent among them are mentioned below.
- Nutrient management in cashew and cashew nursery.
- Irrigation management and fertigation in banana.
- Nitrate reductase activity in cocoa and pepper.
- Conversion of factory wastes into organic meal.
- Sustainable technology for higher productivity in mulberry.
- Use efficiency of green manures using N15 and P32 labeled plants.
- Agrotechniques for medicinal plants such as long pepper, Black Musale and Indian Sarasaparilla.
- Irrigation scheduling for groundnut, watermelon, and bitter gourd.
- Refinement of nursery techniques of tropical tree crops, for example, solarisation and biofertilizers.
- Floor land use in tree crop gardens.
- Eco – physiological basis of cultivar selection and nutritional management in perennial tropical crops.
- Integrated weed management systems in tropical crops.
- In situ water harvesting techniques.
- Light requirement of crops such as ginger, turmeric and their suitability for intercropping.
- Root activity studies of coconut, cocoa, banana, colocasia and ashgourd, using radio tracer techniques.
- Standardised DRIS (Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System) for coconut and pepper.
- Seed hardening for semi – dry rice.
- Standardisation of rice mat nursery.
- Methane emission from wetland rice fields.
- Improved nutrient use efficiency in rice.
- Improved farming system for pokkali rice
- In situ green manure sources for rice.
- Use of biofertilizers in crops such as rice, cowpea, sesame, pepper, cashew and Indian sarsaparilla
- Production and utilisation of azolla in rice.
Conceived, developed and demonstrated GALASA (Group Approach for Locally Adaptable and Sustainable Agriculture) for rice using management as the major tool for resource use efficiency and maximum productivity in clusters of small and marginal paddy lands.
Technology Transfer
Transfer of technology is achieved through various extension activities such as farmers’ field visits, research-extension interface, monthly reviews, training to field level officers of the State Department of Agriculture and Development Boards.
The Department also conducts adaptive research of new technologies. The faculty participate actively in peoples’ planning programmes and watershed management programmes of the local self governments. Other activities include publication of popular articles, technical bulletins and research
Associated Centre
AICRP on Weed Control
In order to conduct research on the biology and management of problem weeds of the state, the Trichur Center of AICRP on Weed Control started functioning at the College of Horticulture, Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, on 14-10-1985.
Project Objectives
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To develop most effective and economic weed control recommendations for field crops, plantation crops and aquatic areas.
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To conduct survey of weed flora, their distribution, ecology and habitat and to prepare weed map of the state.
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To study the ecology and control of problem weeds including aquatic and parasitic weeds.
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To standardise analytical techniques for estimating herbicide residues in soil, crop and water systems and to monitor the fate of important herbicides used in Kerala.
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To test the available tools/ implements for weed management.
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To train extension personnel in weed management.
Research Achievements
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Weed survey of the entire state has been completed
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Important weeds associated with major crops have been identified.
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Maps showing the distribution of these weeds have also been prepared.
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Recommendations for weed management in important crops of the State and for controlling the problem weeds have been worked out.
Contact Address :
Professor & Head
Department of Agronomy
College of Horticulture
Kerala Agricultural University
KAU (P.O.),Trissur Dt. 680 656
Kerala , India.
Phone: 0487 2370822( Extn.313)
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