Sericulture is the cultivation of silkworms for the production of raw silk. It involves three main activities - production of mulberry leaves as food for silkworms, rearing of silkworms to produce cocoons, and reeling of cocoons to yield silk filaments. Sericulture is an important agro-based cottage industry in India and several other Asian countries that provides livelihood to millions of people.

1. SERICULTURE
Dr. Manzoor Ahmad Mir
Assistant Professor
Department of Bioresources
University of Kashmir
drmanzoor@kashmiruniversity.ac.in
Mobile: 9622901319

2. Sericulture is an agro based cottage industry, which include three main activities
1. Production of quality seed,
2. Rearing of Silkworm and raising of cocoons for silk,
3. Reeling of cocoons and yield of silk.
Reeling of cocoons, which yield silk, is basically an industrial activity.
No other fabric has fascinated man so
continuously over millennia as silk.
It is royal in its splendor, exotic and
sensuous in its radiance.
An aura of luxury has always surrounded
and still surrounds, cloths made of silk.
No other fabric drapes more beautifully or
flatters the body more than silk.
Silken shine, silken soft, and silken smooth –
these epithets show that the queen of
fabrics is a symbol of beauty, plain and
simple.

3. DIFFERENT TYPES OF SILKWORMS AND THEIR FOOD PLANTS
Types Local name Food Plant
1. Bombyx mori L Mulberry Silkworm Morus Spp.
2. Antherea mylitta Tassar Terminalia tomentosa
Terminalia arjuna
3. Philosamia ricini Eri Ricinus communis (Castor)
4. Antherea assama Muga Machilas bombycina (Som)
Litsaea Polyantha (Soalu)
What is Sericulture?
Sericulture means cultivation of food plants and rearing of silkworms for
production of quality silk.
It is an agro based rural Industry and has two main sectors
On Farm Sector and Off Farm sector
a)Food plant cultivation Post harvest cocoon technology
(Mulberry cultivation)
b) Silkworm Rearing a) Reeling of cocoons
b) Weaving (twisting etc)
c) Dying
d) Printing
e) Garment making

4. 4
HISTORY
CHINA IS THE ORIGIN OF SERICULTURE.
CHINESE LADY NAMED HSI-LING-SHIH INVENTED MYSTERY
OF SILKWORM COCOONS ACCIDENTALY.
IT IS SAID THAT SILK IS DISCOVERED BEFORE 3000 B.C.
ART OF SILK PRODUCTION WAS A SECRET UPTO 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.
SILK ROAD
IN 1857, WORLD SERICULTURE INDUSTRY SUFFERED FROM
PEBRINE DISEASE.
THIS ALMOST DESTROYED EUROPIAN SERICULTURE
INDUSTRY.
LOUIS PASTEUR DISCOVER “MME” TECHNIQUE TO
CONTROLL THAT DISEASE

5. Sericulture means cultivation of host plants and rearing silkworms
which finally produces SILK.
The word silk sounds luxury and class.
Till today, no other fabric can match it in luster and elegance.
As long as human desire for silk garments continues, the demand
for sericulture activity remains.
Silk is the queen of textile and the naturally produced animal fibre
 Silk is known as BIO STEEL due to strength of it.
 China is the world’s largest producer of silk. Though, way behind
in quantum of production, the Indian silk industry has some unique
features.
 India is emerging as a major silk producing country in the world.
Among the countries producing silk, India ranks second.
INTRODUCTION TO SERICULTURE
7 April 2023
5

6. 7 April 2023
6
FEATURES OF INDIAN SILK INDUSTRY
India has favourable environment conditions for both Mulberry cultivation and silkworm
rearing.
India is second largest producer of Raw silk with market share of 13.96% after China
which is having 82.62% share.
India is the only country produces all 4 types silk.
Indian handloom fabrics has good global demand.
India is very well known for its finished products.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu Kashmir are the five
traditional states accounts for around 90% of the total production.
Karnataka accounts for more than 50 percent of the country's total silk production
earlier, but during 2007-08 it came down to 45 percent.
The silk industry is giving employment to 63 lakh people in the country including 46 lakh
farmers, three lakh reelers and 14 lakh weavers.
Thus, there is considerable scope for stepping up production of raw silk in the country,
overcome the persistent conflict of interest between exporters of silk products and
producers of raw silk.

7. History of Sericulture
Historically, sericulture was introduced in China by Hoshomin, the Queen of
China.
For a long time, sericulture was considered to be a national secret by the
Chinese Government, and as an industry it was not known in other countries.
Sericulture was introduced in India 400 years back and the industry
flourished as an agro-industry giving employment to over 7.3 million people in
the Country.
Sericulture is an agro based cottage industry, which include three main activities
1. Production of quality seed,
2. Rearing of Silkworm and raising of cocoons for silk,
3. Reeling of cocoons and yield of silk.
Reeling of cocoons, which yield silk, is basically an industrial activity.
The cultivation of Mulberry, the leaves of which are used for feeding the silkworms,
rearing of silkworms for production of cocoons are indeed activities of agriculture nature.
Naturally Sericulture involves agriculture and industry, therefore it is recognized as an
agro - industry.

8. What is silk ?
Naturally Silk is a Protein. Silk emitted by the silkworm consists of two main
proteins, sericin and fibroin.
Fibroin being the structural centre of the silk, and sericin being the sticky
material surrounding it.
Fibroin is made up of the amino acids Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gly-Ala and forms beta
pleated sheets. Hydrogen bonds form between chains, and side chains form
above and below the plane of the hydrogen bond network.
The high proportion (50%) of glycine, which is a small amino acid, allows tight
packing and the fibers are strong and resistant to breaking.
The tensile strength is due to the many inter seeded hydrogen bonds, and when
stretched the force is applied to these numerous bonds and they do not break.
Silk is resistant to most mineral acids, except for sulphuric acid, which dissolves
it. It is yellowed by perspiration.

9. • Sericulture has been practiced for at least 5000 years in China
• The Silkworm (Bombyx mori, Latin for “silkworm of the mulberry tree") is,
technically, not a worm. It is the larva or caterpillar of a moth in the family
Bombicidae
• A silkworm's diet consists solely of mulberry leaves
• The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is entirely dependent on humans for its
reproduction and no longer occurs in the wild. It is native to northern China.
Its nearest wild relative is Bombyx mandarina with which it is able to
hybridize
• The silkworm female deposits around 400 eggs at a time. In an area the size of
your monitor screen, about 100 moths would deposit more than 40,000 eggs,
each about the size of a pinhead
• The female dies almost immediately after depositing the eggs; the male lives
only a short time after. The adult does not eat during the short period of its
mature existence
• After growing to its maximum size at around 6 weeks, the larva is about
10,000 times heavier than when it hatched
Facts About Silk

10. • One hectare of mulberry trees yields about eleven tons of leaves, producing
around 450 pounds of cocoons, but just about 85 pounds of raw silk
• The cocoon is made of a single continuous thread of raw silk around 1
kilometer (2/3 of a mile) long
•
About 2,000 to 3,000 cocoons are required to make a pound of silk. One
pound of silk represents about 1,000 miles of filament
• It takes silk from over 2,000 cocoons to produce a single kimono
• The annual world production represents 70 billion miles of silk filament, a
distance well over 300 round trips to the sun
• Based on 1 kilometre (2/3 of mile) per cocoon, ten unravelled cocoons could
theoretically extend vertically to the height of Mount Everest
• The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fiber’s
triangular prism-like structure which allows silk cloth to refract incoming
light at different angles
• Silk fibers are very fine, about 10 nanometers (1/2500th of an inch) in
diameter

11. • Strong as steel in tensile strength, silk is the strongest natural fiber known to
man
• Silk is much lower in density compared to cotton, wool or nylon. It is,
therefore, highly moisture absorbent, able to absorb as much as a third of its
own weight in moisture without feeling damp
• A highly versatile fabric, silk has proven to be ideal for a variety of uses –
from formal wear to sleepwear, from parachutes to rugs, from medical
sutures to prosthetic arteries
• Silk has a miniscule percentage of the global textile fiber market – less than
0.2%. Yet the actual trading value of silk and silk products is in many
billions of dollars since the unit price for raw silk is roughly twenty times
that of raw cotton
• Current world silk production is estimated to be around 125,000 metric tons.
China produces about 80% of the world’s silk; and India over 10%
• Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan also have a significant
production of raw silk and silk yarn. Brazil is the only non-Asian country
that is a significant producer of raw silk or silk yarn
• United States is the largest silk importer in the world

12. Did we know ?
 The journey from Silkworm egg to a matured larva in 25-28 days time gains 10,000
times of the weight of the egg…… which is highest in the Animal Kingdom.
 The filament from one Mulberry Cocoon (Biv.) can be more than 1 kilometer.
1. Mulberry culture
2. Eri culture
3. Tasar culture
4. Muga culture
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum :Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Bombycidae
Genus : Bombyx
Species : Bombyx mori
Mulberry Silk Culture
Bombyx mori. Lin.
Kingdom : Plantae
Phylum : Dichotilidanea
Class :Monochlamydeae
Order : Unisexuales
Family : Moraceae
Species : Morus alba. Linn.
Morus alba.Lin.
Eri Silk Culture
Samia cynthia ricini
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum :Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Saturniidae
Sub Family:Saturniinae
Genus : Samia
Species : Samia cynthia ricini
Ricinus communis.Linn.
Kingdom : Plantae
Phylum : Dichotilidanea
Class :Monochlamydeae
Order : Unisexuales
Family : Euphorbiaceae
Species : Ricinus communis.Linn.

13. Antheraea paphia
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum :Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Saturniidae
Sub Family:Saturniinae
Genus : Antheraea
Species : Antheraea paphia
Tasar Silk Culture
Kingdom : Plantae
Phylum : Dichotilidanea
Class :Polypetalae
Order : Disciflorae
Family : Combretaceae
Species : Terminalia arjuna.
Terminalia arjuna
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum :Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Saturniidae
Sub Family:Saturniinae
Genus : Antheraea
Species : Antheraea assamensis
Muga Silk Culture
Antheraea assamensis
Kingdom : Plantae
Phylum : Angiosperms
Class :Polypetalae
Order : Laurales
Family : Lauraceae
Species : Litsea polyantha.
Litsea polyantha

14. WORLD RAW SILK PRODUCTION STATISTICS
(in MT)
CONTRY 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 %
SHARE
CHINA 64567 68600 94600 102560 105360 130000 10842
0
82.62
INDIA 17531 16319 15742 16500 17305 18475 18320 13.96
JAPAN 431 394 287 263 150 150 150 0.11
BRAZIL 1485 1607 1563 1512 1285 1387 1220 0.93
KOREA 157 154 150 150 150 150 150 0.11
UZBEKISTAN 1260 1260 950 950 950 950 950 0.72
THAILAND 1510 1510 1500 1420 1420 1080 760 0.58
VIETNAM 2035 2200 750 750 750 750 750 0.57
OTHERS 1692 3814 1500 1500 1500 1000 500 0.38
TOTAL 90488 95858 117042 125605 128870 153942 13122
0
_
7 April 2023
14 source:- ISC WEBSITE AS UPDATED ON OCTOBER 2007

15. Uses
1. Silk absorbs about 11% moisture, therefore this absorbency makes it comfortable to
wear in warm weather and while active.
2. Its low conductivity keeps warm air close to the skin during cold weather, Therefore It is
often used for clothing such as shirts, ties, blouses, formal dresses, high fashion clothes,
pyjamas, robes, dress suits, sun dresses and eastern folk costumes.
3. Silk's attractive lustre and drape makes it suitable for many furnishing applications. It is
used for wall coverings, window treatments (if blended with another fiber), rugs, bedding
and wall hangings
4. Silk has had many industrial and commercial uses, such as in parachutes, parachute
cords, tyres of racing cars, insulation coils for telephones, and artillery gunpowder bags,
wireless receivers, sieves for flour mills
5. Non-absorbable surgical threads are also made from silk .
6. silk underclothing is used for children and adults with eczema where it can significantly
reduce itch
7. New uses and manufacturing techniques have been found for silk for making everything
from disposable cups and holograms

16. Chemical properties/Identification of pure silk contents in silk fibers
S.No Nature of Test Observation Inference
1 Flame Test a) Burns slowly leaves a black residue which crimples easily
with fingers
b) Burnt hair smell Silk
2 Shirlastain “A” a) Slightly brownish orange
b) Golden Brown
c) Chestnut Brown
d) Bright greenish yellow
Silk
Silk
Silk (Tassar)
Acetate ( Rayons)
3 Nitric Acid (Conc.) Disintegrates & Dissolves Silk
4 HNo3 ( 70% Diluted) Fiber stains yellow Silk
5 H2So4 ( 80% Diluted) Disintegrates & Dissolves Silk
6 Hcl ( Concentrated) Dissolves Silk
7 NaOH (5% Boil) Dissolves slowly Silk
8 Millon’s Reagent Fiber stains red Silk
9 Glacial acetic acid No change Silk
10 Phenol (90%) a) No change
b) Dissolves
Silk
Nylon
11 Zinc chloride-Iodine Red to violet Rayon or cotton
12 Microscopic test a) Structure less fiber (rod shaped)
b) Tape like flat double fiber with longitudinal striations
Silk
Tassar silk

17. Staining of fabrics and their removal
S.No Source of Stain Treatment
1 Blood Soak in warm water , sponge with a few drops of ammonia in 10cc of hydrogen peroxide, then launder
2 Butter Use drops of carbon tetrachloride.
3 Chocolate Soak in hot water and launder.
4 Coffee or tea Allow the fabric to dry, sponge with carbon tetrachloride. If stain remains, launder in hot water using small quantity of
hydrogen peroxide.
5 Cosmetics Dampen the stain and rub with bar soap, finally rinse and wash.
6 Ink or Lipstick Place the stain on paper towel facing down, sponge with dry cleaning solvent or alcohol. Avoid water until stain is removed ,
rinse and launder.
7 Nail polish Sponge with acetone.
8 Cream ( Ice, milk) Sponge with carbon tetrachloride. Launder in hot water.
9 Egg Sponge in cold water.
10 Fruit Juices Sponge with alkali and alcohol in equal proportions and launder.
11 Grease Apply face powder and place the stain facing down on paper towel and sponge with dry cleaning solvent, dampen slowly, rinse
and wash or launder.
12 Machine oil Cover the stain with an absorbent and slowly sponge, remove the trace with carbon tetrachloride, rinse and wash or launder.
13 Mud Allow to dry ,sponge with carbon tetrachloride, rinse and wash or launder.
14 Paint Rinse in warm water and launder, if stain remains , sponge with turpentine and kerosene, rinse and wash or launder.
15 Varnish Sponge with carbon tetrachloride.
16 Perspiration Rinse in dil. Hydrochloric acid, rinse and launder.
17 Shoe Polish Remove the excess polish, sponge with liquid detergent , followed by solvent or rub with alcohol, rinse or launder.
18 Wine/Soft drinks Soak in cold water, then use liquid detergent, launder in hot water.