SERICULTURE DR SHAHID BIN ZEYA Discovery of silk

SERICULTURE DR. SHAHID BIN ZEYA

Discovery of silk Ø According to Chinese records, the discovery of silk production from Bombyx mori L. occurred about 2, 700 B. C. Ø According to reports available, sericulture was introduced into India about 400 years back and the industry flourished as an agro-industry till 1857. Ø Once upon a time long, long ago in an ancient kingdom of China there lived Queen Xi-Ling, wife of Emperor Huang-Di. Ø One day as she sat under her favourite mulberry tree in the garden sipping tea , something fell into her tea cup.

She jumped up horrified and spilled the tea all over her lovely dress. Ø Her ladies-in-waiting rushed to wipe off the stains but lady Xi-Ling stopped them. Ø On top of the tea stain on her dress she spotted a lovely web of the most exquisite threads she had ever seen before. She carefully picked up the delicate threads. Ø They felt soft and smooth to the touch. She understood that is the Silk threads come from the Silkworm’s Cocoon where it fell from Mulberry tree. Ø This discovery of Silk was celebrated with great feasting and rejoicing throughout the land. Later when commercial relations were established between China, and the rest of the world. Ø

SILKS OF INDIA India has the distinction of growing all 5 known commercial varieties of silk! Mulberry Silk v Tropical Tasar Silk v Temperate/Oak Tasar Silk v Eri Silk v v Muga Silk

Variety of Silks in India Silk Variety Name of Silkworm Food Plant Mulberry Bombyx mori Mulberry Morus spp. Tropical Tasar Antheraea mylitta Arjun & Asan Terminalia spp. Oak Quercus spp. Som & Soalu Machilus/Litsea spp. Temperate Tasar Antheraea proylei Muga Antheraea assama Eri Samia cynthia ricini Castor (Ricinus), Payam (Evodia), Tapioca (Manihot), Kesseru (Heteropanax sps. )

Most States In India Produce Silks…of different kinds ! MULBERRY Karnataka Andhra Pradesh West Bengal Tamil Nadu Jammu & Kashmir Mah, MP, Ucl, HP Manipur, Asm, Mzm, Tripura, Ker, Chht, . - - MUGA Assam Meghalaya Arunachal Pradesh Nagaland West Bengal Mizoram - - TROPICAL TASAR Chattisgarh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Odisha, W. B. Bihar Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh - - ERI Assam Meghalaya Manipur Nagaland Mizoram Arunachal Pr. West Bengal Andhra Pradesh Bihar OAK TASAR Manipur Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh Nagaland Arunachal P, Mizoram

Definition: Cultivation of food plants and rearing of silkworm in order to get silk. Silk is known as queen of textiles. India enjoys the unique distinction of being the only country in the world to produce all varieties of silk. Mulberry silk, Tasar silk (includes tropical and temperate tasar, Eri silk and Muga silk. v. Mulberry v. Non- silk is produced by Bombyx mori L. (Bombycidae) mulberry silk (Vanya silk) Tasar silk: Tropical tasar by Antheraea mylitta Drury and temperate tasar by A. proylei J. Eri silk: Samia cynthia recini Muga silk : Antheraea assamensis (=assama)

Mulberry silk: Bombyx mori L. is monophagus as it feeds only on mulberry leaves. There are five traditional states for the production of mulberry silk. Bivoltine, Multivoltine in nature. J&K, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. It constitutes about 98% of total silk production in India. v. About 50 -55% are being produced by Karnataka v 30% comes from Andhra Pradesh v 20 -22% produced by West Bengal. v. Tamil Nadu produces about 4. 27 -5 %. v 0. 6% by J&K but quality bivoltine silk in India. v. Rest by non- traditional states: MP, Jharkhand, HP, Uttrakhand. v. However, total mulberry silk production is about 16245 MT

Non-Mulberry silk (Vanya silk): Antharaea mylitta Drury is a polyphagus feed about dozen of food plants. But primary food plants are: Termionalia tomentosa, T. arjuna, Shorea robusta etc. – Distributed in humid and dense forest of central and southern plateau of India. But five traditional states for tropical tasar : Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal - Andhra Pradesh - Maharashtra - Uttar Pradesh q Bivoltine, Trivoltine in nature. q 44 ecoraces q. Commercial ecoraces: Daba BV, Daba TV (Both from Jharkhand), Sukinda (Odisha).

Oak Tasar/ Temperate Tasar: Antharaea proylei is a polyphagus feeds on: Quercus serrata, Q. incana, Q. himalyana, Q. grifthi, Q. semicarpifolia etc. Reared across parts of entire temperate sub-himalayan belt extending from North west (J &k, Himachal and Uttrakhand to Manipur in North East. Completely domesticated in north-west. Reared outdoor like tropical tasar in north-east.

However, the silkworm food plant is specific depending upon the altitude and plant species. In north east: 3 crops per year, 2 crops at higher altitude (above 2000 msl) and 1 crop at lower altitude (below 1000 msl). Total production of both kind of tasar is about 428 MT Eri Silk: Samia cynthia ricini Prevalent in N. E states like Assam Meghalaya Nagaland Manipur Mizoram Also practicing some pockets of Bihar, UP, Odisha, W. B & A. P.

Eri Silk: Samia cynthia ricini Prevalent in N. E states: Assam Meghalaya Nagaland Manipur Mizoram Also practicing some pockets of Bihar, UP, Odish, W. B & AP

Polyphagus in nature. Food plants: Ricinus communis (Caster), Heteropanox fragrans (Kessuru), Evodia flaxinifolia (Payam) & Manihot utilissima (Tapioca). Recently efforts have been made to introduce & popularize on a large scale especially T. N. , A. P, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand MP. Total production: 1530 MT. Life cycle is highly variable as it is reared in different seasons March-September: 38 -50 days September-March: 49 -61 days November to April: 114 -126 days

Muga (Golden Silk): Assam is the traditional home or home territory of Muga: Produced by Antheraea assamensis Maghalaya and other N. E. states also contribute in a small way to Muga silk production. Multivoltine, semidomesticated, reared out door. Six crops are harvested per annum Primary food plants: Machilus bombycina (Som) Litsaea polyantha (Soalo) Life cycle-50 days in summer 120 -150 days in winter Total production of Muga : 117 MT Total production of silk : 18, 320 MT

Labour intensive agro-forest based industry Nearly 6 million people are currently engaged in sericulture and silk production. Sericulture plays a significant role in transferring wealth from rich class to the poor section of the society. Major share goes: v. Cocoon grower-54. 6% v. Traders-17. 80 v. Weaver-12. 3% v. Twister-8. 7% v. Reeler- 6. 6%

Variety of Silks in India Bombyx mori BV Cocoon MULBERRY

Variety of Silks in India TROPICAL TASAR Silkworm (Antheraea mylitta, Drury)

Variety of Silks in India ERI Ricinus communis (Castor) Samia cynthia ricini

ERI SILK WORM REARING Silkworm: Samia cynthia ricini- hardy variety in all silkworm species. Ecoraces: Green bluish Zebra Yellow spotted Yellow plain

Food plants Castor- Recinus communis Kesseru- Heteropanox fragrance Tapioca- Manihot utilisima Payan- Evodia flaxinifolia (Multivoltine- 5 -6 crops per year)

Feed the 4 th and 5 th instar worms 5 times a day (i. e. 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 6 pm and 10 pm). Rearing methods are followed: Rear the worms on tray upto 3 rd instar. Bamboo rearing platform used in north-east and AP. Rear the 4 th & 5 th instar worms by hanging bundle method i. e. Tapioca leaves with petiole tied to make a bundle and hang vertically on horizontal rope or iron pole. Fresh bundle is placed just after the previous bundle so that worms may crawl over the bundle easily.

TROPICAL TASAR MOTH AND NEWLY HATCHED LARVAE

TROPICAL TASAR LARVAE

Variety of Silks in India OAK TASAR Silkworm (Antheraea proylei) Oak Tasar silkworm on leaves of the

Variety of Silks in India MUGA (Antheraea assama) Successive stages of muga silkworm on leaves of the host plant

Mulberry Sericulture: Larval period - 26 -30 days depending upon temperature. Pupal period- 10 -12 days. Moth’s emergence, coupling and egg layings (laying done at 25 -26% and RH 70 -80%).

PREPARATION OF DFLS (DISEASE FREE LAYINGS) §Mother moth examination can be conducted by using fresh (green) or dry moths to detect pebrine disease. For green moth testing, 0. 5 -0. 6% of potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3) and for dry moth testing, 2 % potassium hydroxide (KOH) is necessary for crushing. §Male cannot transmit the pebrin because size of the sperm is smaller than the pebrin spore. §Individual moth examination: Individual mother moth examination is conducted at P 4 level, where each mother moth is crushed in mortar with pestle.

Mass moth examination: (80 -100 ml for 20 -30 moths) This is conducted for preparation of commercial seed. Moths in group of 20 are homogenized in 80 -100 ml of 0. 6% K 2 CO 3. The floating tissues are filtered through muslin cloth or absorbent cotton and centrifuged to get clear sedimented pellet. Final sediment / smear will be taken for microscopic observation using 600 X magnification. Incubation: Egg- 10 days are required to incubate the silkworm eggs. Temperature: 25 -26 o. C and RH more than 70%

Before commencement of rearing certain needful works are to be required for getting successful cocoon crop: Disinfection: 2% formalin solution is required for eggs. 10% formalin solution is required for rearing equipment /appliances 2% bleaching powder in 0. 3 % slacked lime for rearing house or 5% formalin solution. 2. 5% Sanitech in 0. 5% slaked lime solution. [For 100 Sqft. : 10 x 0. 14/sqft. = 14 litre is required to disinfect the rearing room having an area of 100 sqft.

Black boxing: Black boxing is done 48 hours before the hatching ie. , at pin head or head pigmentation stage. At this stage the colour of eggs changes to a lighter shade with a distinct dark spot. 24 hours before hatching the egg turns bluish and referred to the “Blue egg or body pigmentation stage”. Black boxing of eggs is required to arrest the hatching of developed embryo and facilitate the lagging embryo to develop faster and reach the hatching stage. On the day of hatching removal of black boxing is done at early hours (ie in the morning) in order to expose them to light, which ensure uniform hatching. And hatching will be obtained about 90 -95%. Rearing divided into following steps: Brushing: Chawki rearing Late age rearing

Brushing: Transfer of newly hatched larvae from eggs on to the rearing bed is called brushing. After one or two hours of exposure of light in the morning. Egg cards are transferred to the rearing seat. Brushing is facilitated by sprinkling of roasted husk followed by spreading of cut leaves of proper size (0. 5 cm x 0. 5 cm) on the egg cards. Leave for 10 -20 minutes as it allows them to crawl on to cut leaves. Hold the egg sheet and tap gently so that worms along with the leaves are well placed on the rearing seat.

Chawki rearing or young age rearing: Chawki rearing refers to first two instars of silkworm ie. , 1 st and 2 nd age rearing of silkworm. However, rearing up to 3 rd age is also considered as young age silkworm rearing. Young age worms are resistant to high temperature and humidity and require succulent leaves, containing more than 80% moisture in the leaves (Generally succulent leaves are present on the top of the shoots leaving behind the leaf bud and one larger leaf). Under these condition and larvae grow healthier and faster. Temperature (27 o. C) and RH (85 -90%) in the rearing room/house should be maintained during the young age rearing. At low temperature and RH it is susceptible to various diseases which will be diagnosed at the later stage subsequently crop is failure. One bed cleaning is required at 2 nd and 3 rd age.

FACTOR INFLUENCING THE REARING Factors 1 st stage 2 nd stage 3 rd stage Temperature 27– 28 o. C 26– 27 o. C 25– 26 o. C RH (%) 85– 95 80– 85 75– 80 2. 5– 3. 0 3– 3. 5 18– 20 hrs. 26– 32 hrs. Feeding 3– 3. 5 days period Moulting 22– 24 hrs. period Mesh size of cleaning nets 5 – 10 sq mm 15 sq mm

1 st to 3 rd instar larvae consume only 5% of leaves. Late age rearing: It refers to the rearing of 4 th and 5 th instars of silkworm larvae to the spinning (till the formation of cocoon). It usually completed in 14 -16 days. More sensitive to temperature & RH, hence, low temperature and low humidity are required to carry out successful rearing. The 5 th age larvae do not tolerate high temperature and high humidity as well as poor ventilation and during this stage larvae eat voraciously and their body water is released. Therefore good aeration/ ventilation is required to cool down their body temperature, removal of vapour harmful gases etc. , as large quantities of excreta are generated due to high amount of feed consumed. Quality and mature leaves are provided or entire shoot should be provides which may be 40 -50 days old only. Rearing is done either on tray or on the floor. Daily cleaning is required. 4 th instar larvae consume 15% of leaves. 5 th instar larvae consume 80% of leaves.

LATE AGE REARING Factors 4 th stage 5 th stage Temperature 24 -25 o. C 23 -24 o. C RH (%) 70 -75 65 -70 Feeding period 3. 5 – 4. 0 days 6 -8 days Moulting period 36 -40/48 hrs. -. Mesh size cleaning nets of 20 sq mm 25 -30 sq mm

Bivoltine rearing generally practices in temperate and subtropical region. Multivoltine rearing practices in tropical climatic condition. 1000 - 1200 kgs of leaves are required for rearing of 100 dfls of bivoltine breeds. 800 - 1000 kgs of leaves are required for rearing of 100 dfls of multivoltine breeds.

Mounting: Mounting is the term referring to the operation of picking up the fully mature worms from the rearing bed and distributing in a proper frame to facilitate spinning of cocoons. Such frames are called mountages. Temperature 23 -25 o. C and RH 60 -70% is ideal for mounting. Plastic collapsible mountages, rotary mountages, bottle brush mountages, Chandrike, muntages are also made up of bamboo, dry twigs, paddy grass etc.

Identification of pebrine spore: Pebrine disease is a chronic silkworm disease which is caused by a microsporidian pathogen Nosema bombycis. Pebrine is detected by presence of oval or ovocylindrical and highly refractive spore. The spore measures 3. 8 µm in length and 2. 6 µm width and exhibit characteristic Brownian movement. Symptoms: Pebrine disease symptoms are morphological and anatomical. The morphological symptoms are atypical and are recorded in egg, larva, pupa and adult stage.

LOCALLY FRAMED MOUNTAGES

Harvesting: spinning is completed in 2 - 3 days but the worm inside the cocoons turn into pupa on 4 th-5 th day. So cocoon harvesting is done on 6 th day from the day of spinning. Cocoon drying: 10 -12 days are required for moth emergence. Stifling of cocoons: it is the process to kill the pupae

Sun drying: cheap but not ideal as it affects the reelability and quality of silk. Steam stifling: Bamboo basket containing 10 -15 kgs of cocoons, put on the top of pot filled with boiling water. Half an hour is required to kill the pupae. Hot drying: this method is most suitable but it is costly. Drying starts from 110 o. C - 55 o. C ie in descending order, drying period is 5 hours. Cooking and Reeling: Dipped the cocoons in hot water at 60 - 90 o. C for 10 -11 minutes. Soften the sericin. Unwind the thread. Extraction of threads through Charkha reeling, cottage basin reeling. Multi-end reeling machine. 5 -8 threads combined & twisted to make one thread, this is known as silk yarn.

EXTRACTION OF SILK THREAD INMULTI-END REELING MACHINE

FABRICS PRODUCED FROM SILK YARN