Sericulture in India

Course Seminar
On
Sericulture in India
Mr. R. N. NISHAD
Ph. D. Scholar
Department of Entomology
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology,
Kumarganj, Ayodhya – 224229 (U.P.)

Introduction
History
Types of Silkworms
Life-cycle of silkworms
Sericulture-Stages of production
Production & share
Health hazards in sericulture
Sericulture opportunities
Central research institute of India
Silk road
Conclusion
Contents

Sericulture:
The word sericulture is derived from the Greek word “Sericos”.
“Seri” means silk and “Cos” means culture.
The rearing of silk worm for production of silk is called as
sericulture.
Infact, sericulture refers to the mass scale rearing of silk producing
organism in order to obtain silk.
Silk is secreted by silk gland of the silk worm and it is a fibrous
protein of insect origin.
Silk fiber consists of two types protein namely Fibroin (80%) and
Sericin (20%).
China ranks first in the production of silk. India is the second largest
producer of silk after china. It is also the largest consumer of silk in the
world.
In India Karnataka is the largest producer of silk.
India produces all varieties of silk namely tasar, muga, mulberry and
eri silk.
Source: http://www.csb.gov.in/silk-sericulture/sericulture/

Sericulture or silk farming, is the rearing of silkworms
for the production of raw silk.
Sericulture is both an art and science of raising
silkworms for silk production.
Amongst species of silkworms, Bombix mori is the most
widely used.
Silk is known as the queen of textile and “BIOSTEEL”
because of its strength.
What is sericulture?

What is moriculture?
 Moriculture is the science of mulberry
cultivation to rear silk worm for silk production.
 Bombyx mori feed specifically on white
mulberry leaves, but also eat Osage, oranges
and lettuce.

History of Silk
A Chinese tale of the discovery of the silkworm's silk was by an ancient
empress Lei Zu, the wife of the Emperor.
She was drinking tea under a tree when a silk cocoon fell into her tea and the
hot tea loosened the long strand of silk.
As she picked it out and started to wrap the silk thread around her finger, she
slowly felt a warm sensation.
When the silk ran out, she saw a small larva. She realized that this caterpillar
larva was the source of the silk.
She taught this to the people and it became widespread.

China is the origin of Sericulture.
Chinese lady named HSI-LING-SHIH invented mystery of
silkworm cocoons accidently.
It is said that silk is discovered before 3000 B.C.
Art of silk production was secret up to 200 B.C.
( For about 2800 years)
Trading of silk was through the Silk Road at that time.
By about 300 AD sericulture had spread to INDIA
from KOREA.
In 1857, world sericulture industry suffered from Pebrine disease.
This almost destroyed European sericulture industry.
(Sogdian silk, 8th century)

Aryans discovered the silk worm in sub Himalayan region.
Silk from Kashmir to Bengal was exported to European markets during 14 &
15 century.
Tippu sultan of Mysore laid foundation in Mysore (Karnataka produces 70% of
countries raw silk).
1771- chines silk worm was introduced in India to improve the quality of
cocoons
1717-1775- Italian method of raring was introduced by east India company
1942- silk conference at Delhi.
Silk expansion scheme – to meet the requirements of parachute cloth.
1949- central silk board.
1963- CSTRI at Mysore.
1964-tassar research station.
Regional research stations are established in Salem,Trivandrum, Anatapur,
kollegeal , Bangalore , majra , pampore.

Different types of silk worms
There are five major types of silk of commercial importance
obtained from different species of silkworms which in turn feed
on a number of food plants except mulberry. Other varieties of
silks are generally termed as nonmulberry silks.
India has the unique distinction of producing all these
commercial varieties of silk.
SILK WORM TYPES ARE:-
1. Mulberry silk worm.
2. Tasar silk worm.
3. Oak Tasar silk worm.
4. Eri silk worm.
5. Muga silk worm.
Source: http://www.csb.gov.in/silk-types of silkworms

S.No. Type of silk Scientific
name and
family
Host Producing states
1. Mulberry silk(white
or cream colour)
Bombyx mori
(Bombycidae)
Mulberry plant
(Morus Spp.)
Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh
2. Tropical tasar
silk(copperish in
colour)
Antheraea
mylitta
(Saturniidae)
Arjun
(Terminalia
arjuna), Asan
and saal.
Jharkhand, Orissa,
Chhattisgarh, West
Bengal, Andhra
Pradesh
3. Oak tasar (Temperate
tasar)
Antheraea
proylei
(Saturniidae)
Quercus spp. Sub Himalayan belt
4. Eri silk
(White colour)
Samia cynthia
(Saturniidae)
Castor
(Ricinus
communis)
North eastern states,
Bihar, West Bengal,
Orissa
5. Muga silk
(golden yellow
colour)
Antheraea
assama
(Saturniidae)
Som (Persia
bombycina),
Sualu.
Assam

Mulberry silk worm.
The bulk of the commercial silk
produced in the world comes from this
variety and often silk generally refers to
mulberry silk.
Mulberry silk comes from the
silkworm, Bombyx mori L. which solely
feeds on the leaves of mulberry plant.
In India, the major mulberry silk
producing states are Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and
Jammu & Kashmir which together
accounts for 92 % of country’s total
mulberry raw silk production.

Tasar silk worm
 Tasar silk is generated by the
silkworm, Antheraea mylitta which
mainly thrive on the food plants Asan
and Arjun.
It is less lustrous than mulberry silk,
but has its own feel and appeal.
 Tasar silk is mainly produced in the
states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
and Orissa, besides Maharashtra,
West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
 Tasar culture is the main stay for
many a tribal community in India.

Oak Tasar silk worm
It is a finer variety of tasar generated
by the silkworm, Antheraea proyeli J.
In India they feed on natural food
plants of oak, found in abundance in
the sub Himalayan belt of India,
covering the states of Manipur,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Assam, Meghalaya and
Jammu & Kashmir.
China is the major producer of oak
tasar in the world and this comes
from another silkworm which is
known as Antheraea pernyi

Eri silkworm
Also known as Endi or Errandi.
Eri silk is the product of the domesticated
silkworm, Philosamia ricini that feeds
mainly on castor leaves. Ericulture is a
household activity practiced mainly for
protein rich pupae, a delicacy for the tribal.
The silk is used indigenously for
preparation of chaddars (wraps) for own use
by these tribals.
In India, this culture is practiced mainly in
the north-eastern states and Assam. It is
also found in Bihar, West Bengal and
Orissa.

Muga silkworm.
 Muga obtained from semi
domesticated multivoltine silkworm,
Antheraea assamensis.
 This golden yellow colour silk is
prerogative of India and the pride of
Assam state.
 Muga culture is specific to the state
of Assam and an integral part of the
tradition and culture of that state.
 The muga silk, an high value
product is used in products like
sarees, mekhalas, chaddars, etc.

Sericulture-Stages of production
The silk moth lays eggs.
The eggs hatch and the larvae feeds on mulberry leaves.
When the silkworms are about 25 days old, they are 10,000 times
heavier then when they hatched. They are now ready to spin a silk cocoon.
The silk is produced in two glands in the silkworm’s head and then
forced out in liquid form through openings called spinnerets.
The silk solidified when it comes in contact with the air.
The silkworm spin approximately 1 mile of filament and completely
encloses itself in a cocoon in about two or three days.
Due to quality restrictions, the amount of usable silk in each cocoon is
small. As a result, 5500 silkworms are required to produce 1 kg of silk.
The silk is obtained from the undamaged cocoon by brushing the cocoon
to find the outside end of the filament.
The silk filament are then wound on a reel.

Life cycle of silk worm
Bombyx mori

What is silk?
SILK - The Queen of Textiles, spells luxury, elegance, class and
comfort. Mankind has always loved this shimmering fibre of
unparalleled grandeur. It withstood many a daunting challenges from
other natural and artificial fibres and yet, remained the undisputed Queen
of Textiles since centuries. Exquisite qualities like the natural sheen,
inherent affinity for dyes and vibrant colours, high absorbance, light
weight, resilience and excellent drape etc. This silk is woven into cloth
and sarees. In India, silk is worn by people as a symbol of royalty while
attending functions and during festivals.

Mulberry Silk
Tasser Silk
Munga Silk
Eri Silk

Source: https://inserco.org

Rank State Production of raw silk in metric
tonnes
1. Karnataka 9823
2. Andhra Pradesh 5086
3. Assam 3325
4. West Bengal 2391
5. Jharkhand 2284
6. Tamil Nadu 1898
7. Meghalaya 857
8. Nagaland 631
9. Manipur 519
10. Maharashtra 275
STATE WISE PRODUCTION OF RAW SILK- 2017
Source: https://www.bizvibe.com

Global production of % share
Source: http://www.csb.gov.in/statistics/silk-production

HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY SILK?
Sometimes, artificial silk are sold out in the
name of Natural silk. This can easily be
detected with a simple burn test . It will give
a smell of burning and, if not it is not a
natural silk.

HEALTH HAZARDS IN SERICULTURE
 Handling of dead worm with bare hand
contributes to infection and illness.
 Standing almost about 12 to 16 hour a day can
lead to problems such as backaches, spine
problem , and problem related to vision.
 Continuous exposure to the noise made by
spinning and winding machines and looms
where the fabrics is woven, result in hearing
problems.

SERICULTURE- OPPORTUNITIES
 Sericulture being cottage industry plays an important
roles in employment generation and poverty alleviation.
 It is one of the most profitable activity in rural sector.
 Availability of indigenous technology at low cost.
 Regular and quick returns.
 Large demand and popularity of hand woven silk in the
west.
 Scope for establishing the large production units and
organized sector.
 This silk is woven into cloth and sarees. India is the
largest consumer of silk in the world.

Infrastructure of sericulture in India
Union Government:
Central Silk Board (CSB), coming under the Ministry of
Textiles, Govt. of India, is the Central Agency for the development
of Sericulture and Silk Industry. The main activities of the CSB are
R&D, upkeep of the 4 tier seed production network, supports the
provincial government to implement field development
programmes, promotion of silk at national and international level,
and framing & implementing policy actions for the organized
development of the industry. The activities of CSB are undertaken
through 300 units and 4000 employees in different parts of the
country. 800 scientists and 2500 technical staff are deployed for
specialized areas in different disciplines of the industry. CSB spend
about US $60 Million per annum for the development of the
sericulture and silk industry.

Provincial Governments:
All the provincial Governments have separate departments
dealing with sericulture and silk industry. Their major
responsibilities are; implement field development programmes,
extension, marketing, seed production, and incentivize investments
among the stakeholders. The investment by the provincial
Governments to the industry is at the level of US $ 50 Million per
annum.

Private Sector:
The private sectors, including the Non-
Government Organizations are also playing an
important role for the development of the industry.
Private Investment is witnessed in seed production,
post yarn and export sectors.

‘Silk Road’ was the world’s longest trade route between
Eastern China and Mediterranean Sea. Silk, the most
valuable commodity in those times was transported along
this road.
China was the first to start sericulture and the cultivation of
silk worm spread throughout China soon.
Today, China and India are the two main producers, together
manufacturing more than 60% of the world production each
year.
Silk Road
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road

Silk was exported along the Silk Road (the ancient trade
route linking China and the Roman Empire). This trade
brought China a great wealth, but the Chinese did not
give away the secret on how silk was produced.

India is the unique country in the world where all
four varieties of silk namely mulberry, muga,
tasar and eri are produced.
Sericulture has been identified as an occupation
of low investments, employment creating and
income generating.
Favourable climatic conditions and participation
of large number of women in sericulture industry
will lead the development of silk industry to a
greater height.
Conclusion

Sericulture in India

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