College of Horticulture
Encyclopedia
The College of Horticulture, is a constituent college of Kerala Agricultural University
, situated in Thrissur
of Kerala
state in India
. The College of Horticulture imparts agricultural education at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. The college has 16 departments and 7 centres undertaking the multiple activities of teaching, research and extension. The college is located in the picturesque central campus of Kerala Agricultural University
in Vellanikkara, Thrissur
. The college received the Sardar Patel Outstanding Institution Award in the year 2003 awarded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
.
and strengthening research and extension activities in Horticultural crops. B.Sc. (Hort.) degree programme was started with an intake of 20 students during 1972. The intake capacity was increased to 30 from 1976 and then to 40 from 1979. The B.Sc.(Ag.) programme was also introduced from 1977 with an intake of 50 students. The syllabi for the B.Sc. (Hort.) and B.Sc. (Ag.) programme were then integrated and the B.Sc. (Ag) programme alone was continued with the integrated syllabus. The intake capacity for the B.Sc. (Ag.) programme was subsequently raised to 75 and then to 90. Post graduate programme was started in six disciplines from 1976 viz., M.Sc. (Hort.), M.Sc. (Ag.) in Agronomy
, Agricultural Botany, Soil Science & Agrl. Chemistry, Agrl. Entomology and Plant Pathology.
From 1979, Ph.D. programmes in the above disciplines were commenced. Subsequently, M.Sc. programmes were also started in Agrl. Economics, Agrl. Extension, Agrl. Meteorology, Agrl. Statistics and Home Science (Food Science and Nutrition). Two post-graduate diploma courses of one year duration were conducted in Natural Rubber Production and Land Water Resources and Management from 1979 and 1980 respectively and subsequently discontinued. Under the Manpower Development Scheme sponsored by the Coffee Board of India, the final year B.Sc. (Ag.) students were given special training in coffee cultivation and processing from 1984 to 1997.
A new diploma course of two-year duration in Natural Rubber Production was started in 1998 for the sponsored candidates from Tripura with the financial assistance of the Rubber Board, Kottayam
. The required Infrastructure for imparting practical training has been established. In addition to the Instructional Farm having an area of 95.35 ha, the different departments have established farms of their own in a total area of about 72.24 ha. Most of the tropical annual, perennial and plantation crops are grown in these farms. The undergraduates are given training in the cultivation of various annual crops, maintenance of perennial crops and processing of agricultural and horticultural produces through various work experience courses.
In addition to the regular field trips to various places within the state as part of practical training, the students of the second and third year B.Sc. (Ag) classes are taken on study tour to places of agricultural importance all over South India and all over the country, respectively. During the eighth semester, the final year students are attached to Krishi Bhavans and Agricultural Research Stations of the state for specific periods as a part of their field Training Programme (RAWE). The Associate Dean heads the college. The faculty consists of nearly 130 highly qualified teachers specialised in various branches of agricultural sciences
Following are the centers in the college:
Kerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University is the primary and the principal instrumentality of the Kerala state in providing human resources, and skills and technology, required for the sustainable development of its agriculture, defined broadly encompassing all production activities based on land and water,...
, situated in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The College of Horticulture imparts agricultural education at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. The college has 16 departments and 7 centres undertaking the multiple activities of teaching, research and extension. The college is located in the picturesque central campus of Kerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University
Kerala Agricultural University is the primary and the principal instrumentality of the Kerala state in providing human resources, and skills and technology, required for the sustainable development of its agriculture, defined broadly encompassing all production activities based on land and water,...
in Vellanikkara, Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
. The college received the Sardar Patel Outstanding Institution Award in the year 2003 awarded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research , New Delhi, India is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India...
.
History
The College of Horticulture was established in 1972 with the main objective of starting graduate programme in HorticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
and strengthening research and extension activities in Horticultural crops. B.Sc. (Hort.) degree programme was started with an intake of 20 students during 1972. The intake capacity was increased to 30 from 1976 and then to 40 from 1979. The B.Sc.(Ag.) programme was also introduced from 1977 with an intake of 50 students. The syllabi for the B.Sc. (Hort.) and B.Sc. (Ag.) programme were then integrated and the B.Sc. (Ag) programme alone was continued with the integrated syllabus. The intake capacity for the B.Sc. (Ag.) programme was subsequently raised to 75 and then to 90. Post graduate programme was started in six disciplines from 1976 viz., M.Sc. (Hort.), M.Sc. (Ag.) in Agronomy
Agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
, Agricultural Botany, Soil Science & Agrl. Chemistry, Agrl. Entomology and Plant Pathology.
From 1979, Ph.D. programmes in the above disciplines were commenced. Subsequently, M.Sc. programmes were also started in Agrl. Economics, Agrl. Extension, Agrl. Meteorology, Agrl. Statistics and Home Science (Food Science and Nutrition). Two post-graduate diploma courses of one year duration were conducted in Natural Rubber Production and Land Water Resources and Management from 1979 and 1980 respectively and subsequently discontinued. Under the Manpower Development Scheme sponsored by the Coffee Board of India, the final year B.Sc. (Ag.) students were given special training in coffee cultivation and processing from 1984 to 1997.
A new diploma course of two-year duration in Natural Rubber Production was started in 1998 for the sponsored candidates from Tripura with the financial assistance of the Rubber Board, Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
. The required Infrastructure for imparting practical training has been established. In addition to the Instructional Farm having an area of 95.35 ha, the different departments have established farms of their own in a total area of about 72.24 ha. Most of the tropical annual, perennial and plantation crops are grown in these farms. The undergraduates are given training in the cultivation of various annual crops, maintenance of perennial crops and processing of agricultural and horticultural produces through various work experience courses.
In addition to the regular field trips to various places within the state as part of practical training, the students of the second and third year B.Sc. (Ag) classes are taken on study tour to places of agricultural importance all over South India and all over the country, respectively. During the eighth semester, the final year students are attached to Krishi Bhavans and Agricultural Research Stations of the state for specific periods as a part of their field Training Programme (RAWE). The Associate Dean heads the college. The faculty consists of nearly 130 highly qualified teachers specialised in various branches of agricultural sciences
Departments
- Department of AgronomyAgronomyAgronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology,...
- Department of Agricultural MeteorologyMeteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
- Department of Soil ScienceSoil scienceSoil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.Sometimes terms which...
and Agricultural ChemistryAgricultural chemistryAgricultural chemistry is the study of both chemistry and biochemistry which are important in agricultural production, the processing of raw products into foods and beverages, and in environmental monitoring and remediation... - Department of Plant BreedingPlant breedingPlant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...
& GeneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms.... - Department of Agricultural EntomologyEntomologyEntomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
- Department of Plant PathologyPathologyPathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
- Department of Agricultural EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
- Department of Agricultural Extension
- Department of Agricultural StatisticsStatisticsStatistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
- Department of PomologyPomologyPomology is a branch of botany that studies and cultivates pome fruit, particularly from the genera Malus, Prunus and Pyrus belonging to the Rosaceae. The term is sometimes applied more broadly, to the cultivation of any type of fruit...
and FloricultureFloricultureFloriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry... - Department of Olericulture
- Department of PlantationPlantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
cropsCrop (agriculture)A crop is a non-animal species or variety that is grown to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, fuel or for any other economic purpose. Major world crops include maize , wheat, rice, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton. While the term "crop" most commonly refers to plants, it can also include...
and spices - Department of Processing TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
- Department of Agricultural EngineeringAgricultural engineeringAgricultural engineering is the engineering discipline that applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing...
- Department of Home Science
- Department of Physical Education
- Centre for Plant BiotechnologyBiotechnologyBiotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
& Molecular BiologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry... - Radio Tracer LaboratoryLaboratoryA laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
Following are the centers in the college:
- Center for Gender Concerns in Agriculture
- Center for Plant Biotechnology & Molecular Biology
- Center for Land Resources Management
- Radio Tracer Lab
- Cadbury-KAU Cocoa Project
- Center for Bioinformatics
- Agricultural Technology Information Centre