Faculty of Agriculture

Annamalai University is a Public University located in Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

History of the Faculty of Agriculture

Circumfusion of rural scenario and agriculture around the University premises have been taken advantage of in the introduction of Agriculture as an optional subject in the graduate program of Arts and Science for the first time in India, due to idealized perception of the Second Founder Pro- Chancellor, Dr. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar and the strenuous efforts of Dr. S. Krishnamurthi, the renowned Horticulturist and the then the Curator of the Government Botanical Garden, Ooty, who later became the first Head of the Department of Agriculture, Annamalai University. Deep abiding interest and stewardship of Dr. S.G. Manavala Ramanujam gave an impetus to the above noval agricultural education program.

The Department of Agriculture under the Faculty of Science was established at this University in the year1951, to serve the cause of rural people. The subject of Agriculture was introduced as one of the two optional subjects to be studied for qualifying the B.A, or B.Sc. program. In B.A degree, Agriculture was combined with Economics and in B.Sc. program, Chemistry was the second subject along with Agriculture. Later in B.A., Agriculture was taught along with Sociology also and in B.Sc. it was combined with Botany or Zoology as the other optional.

The curriculum was devised rationally dealing with Agronomy, Crop Botany, Pests and Diseases, Horticulture, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. To train the students, an Experimental Farm was started in the year 1951 with the available wetlands in the university.

In the year 1953, Agriculture was introduced for the intermediate course as one of the three optional subjects in the Science group in the place of Physics. Thus in the Science group of intermediate course, there were two groups, one with physics, Chemistry and Natural Science and other with Agriculture, Chemistry and Natural Science. The students of this science group were eligible to join M.B.B.S or B. Sc. (Ag.) courses. Later, when Pre-University course was introduced in the place of intermediate, Agriculture was an optional in the Science group also.

The USAID group visited the Department of Agriculture and expressed genuine appreciation of the new grounds being broken in agricultural education. There understanding later paid its dividends. This was followed by the visit of the then Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Dr. M.S. Randhawa. He expressed his appreciation of the vitality with which the Department of Agriculture in the University was being developed as a model for the farming community in productive methods of cultivation in the University farm and for innovative agricultural education curricula for under–graduate with agricultural science as a major subject along with other conventional major sciences. This played a subsequent role when the time came for grants from the ICAR. He felt the need for a higher institution coming into the picture in the Annamalai University amidst rural surroundings. Then University Grants Commission was also similarly impressed and fully supported for the supply of laboratory equipments and a whole set of meteorological instruments to be set up in the Experimental Farm.

In the year 1955, M. Sc. (Ag.) in Horticulture was introduced for the first time in the whole of India. The Post –Graduate unit in Horticulture also became a pioneer in India regarding practical application of plant growth regulators (plant hormones).

Kurinji Hostel

As these courses were in progress, Dr.S. Krishnamurthi moved to IARI, New Delhi as Professor of Horticulture in the year 1957, handing over charge to Mr.C.N.Sambandam, then Lecturer in Agriculture. Dr. G. Rangaswami, an eminent International Microbiologist who did his Ph.D under the guidance of Dr.Selman A. Walksman, a Nobel Laureate joined the Agriculture Department as Reader in February 1958 and took charges from Mr. C.N. Sambandam. He took efforts to start the B. Sc. (Ag.)  course in July 1958 with 24 students in the first year which was then called as Pre-Professional Course (PPC).  As the facilities were limited, these 24 students were attached with PPC of Engineering College and I B. Sc. (Ag.) class started functioning from 1959 July in the Agriculture Department. Dr. G. Rangaswami contributed to the establishment of M. Sc. (Ag.) in Agricultural Microbiology for the first time in this country in 1959 and played a key role in introducing the Agricultural Microbiology in all the Agricultural Institutions in the country.

During 1959, the Meteorological Observatory was established and it was formally inaugurated by Hon’ble Thiru. M. Bakthavatchalam, the then Agriculture Minister of Madras State.

As the years passed, the Agricultural laboratories and the office moved to the Meenakshi Building.  Out of a major grant of Rs. 16 lakhs from ICAR and some grants from the State Government, single storied college building and a double storied hostel was built on the south-eastern side of Annamalainagar Pasupatheswaran Temple, where the present Agriculture College stands with many more buildings added periodically.  The Agriculture College was occupied in October 1965 and the Hostel in 1968.

When the first batch of B. Sc. (Ag.) graduates turned out during 1962, they were awarded B.Sc. (Ag.) degree only under the Faculty of Science as there was no Faculty of Agriculture.  The Faculty of Agriculture was started only in the year 1963 and Dr. G. Rangaswami became the first Dean of the Faculty in the year 1963.  When these courses were in progress, Dr. G. Rangaswami handed over charge to Dr. C.N. Sambandam in October 1965 and moved as Dean to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore.

Dr. C.N. Sambandam, the renowned Vegetable Breeder and Geneticist was the Dean of the Faculty from 1965 to 1981.  The high yielding “Annamalai Brinjal” developed by him is popular all over Tamil Nadu and elsewhere.  He saw further expansion through the construction of the Agronomy laboratory, Extension laboratory, Plant Pathology laboratory and the Soil Science laboratory.  New M.Sc. (Ag.) course in Plant Protection was started.  Post-Graduate course in Agronomy was commenced in the year 1978-79.  The Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Entomology and Plant Pathology started their Post-Graduate courses in the year 1980-81.

Agriculture remained as a single department for over 19 years and it was due to the farsighted vision of Prof.  S.V. Chittibabu, the then Vice-Chancellor, who recognized the major role Agriculture is destined to play in the welfare of our country, four major Departments viz., Agronomy, Agricultural Botany, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry and Agricultural Microbiology came into being in the year 1981.  Two more Departments viz., Entomology and Plant Pathology were inaugurated in the year 1984 by the dynamic Founder Pro-Chancellor, Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy.

Our Guru (Dr. G. Kuppusamy)

The Divisions of Horticulture, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension were upgraded as Departments in 1990, 1993 and 1994, respectively.  With this, the total number of Department in the Faculty of Agriculture is nine.  Animal Husbandry remains as a Division.

After Dr. C.N. Sambanadam, Prof. AR. Lakshmanan, renowned Agronomist, Dr. S. Chandrasekaran, reputed Soil Scientist, Dr. N.N. Prasad, eminent Microbiologist and Dr. P. Baskaran, distinguished Entomologist, Dr. G. Kuppuswamy, the renowned Agronomist, Dr. P. Narayanasamy, eminent Entomologist were in the helm of affairs and significantly contributed towards the phenomenal growth of the Faculty of Agriculture.  Since 2010, the Faculty is under the stewardship of Dr. J. Vasanthakumar, the renowned person in Agricultural Extension, as the Dean of the Faculty.

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