Sericulture Information For Agriculture Exams

Sericulture

Sericulture:- Sericulture is an agro-based industry, rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.Food-plant cultivation to feed the silkworms which spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament.

• Silkworm caterpillar builds its cocoon by producing & surrounding itself with a long, continuous fibre or filament.
• Liquid secretions from two large glands called sericin.
• Larva is killed in the cocoon by steam or hot air at the chrysalis stage.
• Silk is a continuous filament within each cocoon.
• Its having a length about 600 to 900 meters (2000-3000 feet).
• Silk containing sericin is called raw silk.
• Sericin is removed by placing the cocoons in hot water
• which frees the silk filaments and readies them for reeling
• This is known as degumming process.

Production of silk involves 2 processes:-

• Care of the silkworm from the egg stage through completion of the cocoon.
• Production of mulberry trees that provide leaves upon which the worms feed.

Process Followed in Sericulture:-

• Moriculture – Cultivation of mulberry leaves.
• Silkworm rearing – Promoting the growth of the silkworm.
• Silk reeling – Extraction of silk filaments from silkworm cocoons

Moriculture– refers to the cultivation of mulberry plants, whose leaves are used as silkworm feed. These plants can be grown methods

• Cultivation from seeds
• Root-grafting
• Stem grafting

Mulberry leaves can be harvested from the plants following methods

• Leaf picking – Removal of individual leaves by hand
• Branch cutting – Removal of the entire branch
• Top shoot harvesting– Removal of the mulberry shoot tops

Silkworm Rearing-

• The process begins with the laying of eggs by the female silk moth.
• These eggs are then disinfected with the help of a 2% formalin solution.
• Mature larvae wrap themselves in a cocoon by secreting saliva from two salivary glands on their heads.
• This saliva solidifies and becomes silk when it comes in contact with air., t
• The cocoon is spun in 2-4 days.

Commercial variety of Silk-

Mulberry Silk

• The bulk of the commercial silk produced in the world.
• Mulberry silk comes from the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. which feeds on the leaves of mulberry plant.
• These silkworms are completely domesticated and reared indoors.
• In India major mulberry silk producing states are KT, A.P., W.B, T.N.& J&K.
• Which about 92 % of country’s total mulberry raw silk production.

Tasar Silk

• Tasar culture is the mainly tribal community in India.
• Tasar is copperish colour, coarse silk
• It is generated by the silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Tropical Tasar) which food plants Asan and Arjun.
• Mainly produced in Jharkhand, CG & Orissa, besides M.H. W.B & A.P.(Tropical Tasar).
• Antheraea proyeli(Oak Tasar) which food plants oak. in Manipur, H.P.  U.P, Assam, Meghalaya & J&k.
• China is the major producer of oak tasar in the world.

Eri Silk

• Known as Endi or Errandi, Eri is a multivoltine silk spun from open-ended cocoons
• Eri silk is the product of the domesticated silkworm
• Feeds mainly on castor leaves
• Eri culture is a household activity practiced, a delicacy for the tribal
• Mainly in the north-eastern states and Assam

Muga Silk

• This golden yellow colour silk.
• Feed on the aromatic leaves of Som and Soalu plants.
• Muga is used in products like sarees, mekhalas, chaddars etc.
• Muga culture is specific to state of Assam.

Vanya Silks

• The Wild Silks of India.
• A single filament from a cocoon can be as long as 1600 meters
• It is considered an animal fibre because it has a protein structure
• Vanya silk contributes to around 20.58%
• Total vanya silk production, contribution of Eri, Tasar and Muga silks are 64%, 33% and 3% respectively.
• Natural silks are Mulberry, Tasar, Muga & Eri silk
• The Tasar, Eri and Muga silk are non mulberry silks which are wild silks and also known as Vanya Silks
• The Wild Silks of India – Tasar, Eri And Muga

Sericulture