LAC CULTURE

lac culture, its types and uses

1. LAC CULTURE
MUHAMMED SINAN MALIK PC
1756

3. •WHAT IS LAC ?
•Lac is a protective resinous substance
secreted by the abdominal gland (lac
gland) of the Lac insect.
•Lac insects (Tachardialacca,Kerrialacca)
are tiny lack-producing scale insect . In
indiatwo strains of lac insects are
recognised, namely kusumiand Rangeeni.
•They live on several species of host plant,
such as mango ,fig , peepeal,teak, oak,etc.

5. •They insert their beak into the plant
tissue and feed on the plant sap.
•They reside inside resinous covering,
called ‘lac cell’ .
•Males are winged and actively
moving and has no significant role in
lac production.
•Females are wingless and inactive in
nature and much of the lac is
secreted by them.
•Eggs devolopsinto nymph and they
feed on plant sap to grow in size. In
course of time they secrete lac.
•Life cycle of lac complete in 6-8 week

7. LAC CULTIVATION
Lac cultivation involves three major steps
1.Selection and preparation of host
plants.
2.Inoculation of lac insects.
3.Harvesting of lac insects.

8. 1. Selection of host plants
•It is the most important step in lac culture,
because quality of lac depends more on variety of
host plant.
•Lac insect does not have specificity to particular
host plant.
•Lac cultivation can begin , when host plant attain
optimum growth and size.
•Initial preparation of host tree for lac culture
involves pruning. Pruning means cutting away old ,
weak and disease branches to inducing tree to
produce maximum number of new shoots.

9. 2.INOCULATION
•Inoculation is the method by which lac
insects or its young ones are introduced
to a host tree and properly associated
with its succulent branches.
•Inoculation are of two types,
1. Natural Inoculation.
2. Artificial Inoculation

10. Natural
Inoculation
•When infection from
one plant to other
occur by natural
movement of
insects
•Natural inoculation
occurs due to
overcrowding of
insect populations
and in-availability
of tender shoots.
•In artificial inoculation,
the host trees are pruned
first. When the new
branches attain desirable
growth, small cutting lac
encrusted twigs are
taken from donor tree.
These are the seeds of
lac cultivation. They are
soon tied to succulent
branches of the pruned
tree.
Artificial
Inoculation

11. •The collection of lac from host tree for commercial
uses is called lac harvesting. There are two kinds
of harvesting;
Immatureand Mature harvesting.
•In immature, lac harvested before larval swarming,
and in mature after.
•The lac that remains attached to the twigs of host
tree is called -Brood lac.
•It is then scraped out , cleared from impurities,
washed,crushedand powdered called seed/ grain
lac
3. LAC HARVESTING

12. •Grain lac is then melted on
charcoal with arsenic sulphate to
form the impure lac called –Kirri
Lac.
•The clear filtrate is cooled and
solidified to form
-Pure Lac.
•Pure lac is then made into thin
sheets called -Sheet Lac.
•This chemically processed form
of pure lac is called Shellac.

14. USES OF LAC
•Because of its versatile resinous nature , it is
widely used in various commercial purposes.
•Used in paints, polishes, varnishers and
finishers.
•Used in thermoplastic moulding material,sealing
waxes, electrical insulating material,
lithographic ink, photographic records.
•In pottery, toys making.
•In manufacturing glazed paper , optical frames
and crayons.

15. THANK YOU