1. Ornamental Horticulture: Scope, method and management

The value-added course, Ornamental Horticulture: Scope, method and management were designed to provide students with knowledge outside their curricula that too with an idea to benefit them by making the knowledge gained immediately into practice. It can even be taken as a hobby to develop homestead gardens or can elaborately developed to have earnings.

For the conduct of this course, the Department of Botany has received good support from the Department of Floriculture & Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Kerala Agriculture University Vellanikkara, Thrissur.

Dr. Sreelatha U., the Head Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, handled the first session with a brief introduction followed byan elaborate discussion on the “Features of a Garden”. The entire faculty members of the Department of Floriculture & Landscaping participated in this programme as resource persons, to name: Dr. Mini Sankar, Dr. Anupama TV, Dr. Resmi Paul and a Research Fellow, Ms. Shilpa P, have also dealt one or more sessions during these eleven days. They have covered all the major topics in horticulture in a simple and lucid way that everyone can understand. Dr. Mary Regina, Professor of Department of Agricultural Engineeringhandled a session on Green House. All of these sessions were very effective and informative. The sessions handled by Dr. Thania Sara Varghese from Department of Agricultural Entomology and Dr. Reshmi CR from Department of Pomology and Floriculture, College of Agriculture, KAU, Vellayani were also fruitful. Apart from KAU, resource persons from JNTBGRI, Palode – Dr. Raju Antony; Mr. Panav N Pradeep from Bliss Garden and Exteriors, Dr. L. Jose, Retd. Professor from St. Alberts College, Ernakulam provided useful lectures and shared their expertise in respective areas.