Impact of improved technologies on quality cocoon production

Kritika Sharma

Sericulture industry has occupied a prominent place in the industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir and is known to produce the best quality bivoltine silk as the climate is congenial for bivoltine silkworm rearing. This industry attained a unique importance among all other sectors and provides an excellent and unique opportunity for socio-economic progress in the state. Silkworm is playing a very big important role in rural life of Indians being an insect of economic importance as Sericulture. Sericulture plays a key role in the upliftment of rural population both socially and economically.

The common silkworm Bombyx mori Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) spins valuable silk fibre, making it one of the most beneficial insects to mankind, and is becoming an attractive multifunctional material for both textile and non textile uses. India is the largest consumer of natural silk in the world and the demand for silk is consistently increasing in the country. As a result, the demand- supply gap is widening in mulberry raw silk. The practices of sericulture consists of cultivation of mulberry plants for producing disease free crop leaf to the Silkworm larvae and the rearing of silkworm larvae to produce the cocoons, which is the raw material for the silk reeling industry.

Silkworm is an economical and helpful insect and is reared by many farmers throughout world. It is an important economic insect since it is the producer of silk. Success in sericulture depends largely on major factors like, breed, seed and feed. The silkworm breeds play an important role for high cocoon yield and silk quality. If the cocoons, which form the basic raw material for raw silk, are from bivoltine will definitely be superior with high silk content. Introduction of tropical bivoltine rearing practices in India is revolutionizing the bivoltine silk production. Among the Sericultural countries India stands second in the production of silk. Sericulture plays a key role in the upliftment of rural population both socially and economically. In the past two decades various technologies have been developed both in the improvement of mulberry yield and silkworm rearing technology by the concerted efforts of scientists in order to overcome the constraints and boost the bivoltine silk production of the country. It needs proper management, appropriate technology and its transfer to the silkworm rearers.

The cocoon productivity not solely depends on the quality seed supply or the in time supply of the inputs to the farmers but also in the degree of adoption of suitable technology by rearers and its management. Cocoon yield and cocoon price influence the adoption of technologies. Rate of education and the participation of the farmers in the extension contact, mass media programmes also hasten the rate of adoption of technologies. Extension efforts and supporting training needs of the farmers have to be dealt properly. It was observed that due to absence of updated technology by rearers is the major reason for low level cocoon productivity in the state. Transfer of technology in right positive direction will determine not only the genuineness of the technology but also the impact it is likely to have in the farmer level. However, technology itself will not produce anything unless it is transferred to the rearers.  The survey of rearers revealed that the technology packages viz., introduction of season specific hybrids, application of disinfectants for control of silkworm diseases, chawki/late age rearing techniques, mountages and mounting care etc. had substantial effect on cocoon production and productivity. The cocoon yield of farmer who was supplied chawki worms after 2nd moult, rendered average yield between the range of 35-40 kg. Introduction of new high yielding spring specific hybrid namely CSR2 x CSR4 yielded 40 kg per ounce against ruling hybrid SH6 x NB4D2 which recorded yield of 30-35 kg/ounce. In order to enhance cocoon productivity in the state more proactive approach needs to evolve region/season specific cost effective technologies and to be adopted for the long term development of sericulture industry.

The author is a PG Scholar.