Mounting

MOUNTING OF WORMS, MOUNTAGES,SPINNING CARE AND HARVEST.


R.VARSHINI
APAC

1. MOUNTING OF WORMS,MOUNTAGES, SPINNING CARE AND HARVESTING SER 451 COMMERCIAL COCOON PRODUCTION[0+10] R.VARSHINI 2017018094

2. Contents

3. INTRODUCTION The life cycle of silkworm can be broadly divided into egg, larvae, pupa and moth . Multivoltine Type 45-50 Days Bivoltine Type 50-55 Days Larval period is the only feeding period. It is a preparatory stage where the animal stores the food material for future life stages and also develops certain organs which can protect the successive stages (pupa) by enclosing it.

4. The larvae develops a pair of silk glands which are modified labial glands , and are capable of utilizing the haemolymph amino acids for the synthesis of silk proteins . These proteins ( sericin, fibroin) are utilized by the mature larvae for spinning the silk cocoons. At the end of fifth instar the larva stops feeding and starts spinning the cocoons by oozing silk from the spinneret and wraps itself for undergoing into pupa stage

5. IDENTIFICATION OF RIPENED WORMS After eating sufficient mulberry leaves in 5 th instar , on 6 th -7 th day, The silkworm loses appetite & stops eating . Skin becomes translucent ; yellowish in colour,raises its head . Begins to look in search of a suitable place worms move towards the periphery of the rearing trays in search of anchorage Feeding worm Matured worm

6. M ounting- Mountages The mature silkworm larvae are then transferred to a suitable place with proper anchor for spinning cocoons, called as M ountages . The process of transferring the mature larvae is called Mounting.

7. Mounting Methods

8. Picking up and Mounting Commonly used by south Indian farmers, picking of individual matured larvae by hand and mounting on the M ounting frames . H elp to produce good quality cocoons .

9. Self Mounting Method L et mature silkworm up into the cocooning frames placed on the rearing bed is called self mounting or natural mounting. Cocooning frames are left on the bed for 4 - 6 hours and mature worms are allowed to crawl up on the mountages due its negative geotropic nature

10. Shoot shaking method- Jobarai method When more than 30% worms are matured ,10 to 12 mulberry shoots with mature silkworm from the shoot rack can be taken out and shaken , so all the larva fall down on the sheet which spread on the floor. Extra leaves , faeces etc.. removed by hand and worms be mounted on the cocooning frames . Saves time and labour without affecting t he cocoon quality .

11. Quality of mountages It should be convenient for mounting with sufficient and uniform cocooning space. Material used should absorb moisture caused due to excretion of urine. Material should be cheap, durable and easily available locally. It should be amenable for disinfection. Easy for cleaning and storage after use. Cocoon harvesting should be easy.

12. TYPES OF MOUNTAGES

13. Traditional B amboo Mountages chandrike Bamboo strips are fixed in a spiral/circular fashion on the bamboo mats . The idea size of the mountage is 1.8 x 1.2 meters and gap between the spirals should be 5 to 6 cms . 40 to 60 larvae per sq. ft. can be mounted . During spinning stage, two mountages placed one behind the other at an inclination of 45, this reduces the number of bad or rejected cocoons.

14. Plastic collapsible mountages ( Netrike ) Standard size 90x60cm (3’ x 2’ft) Can accommodate 300 – 350 larvae

15. Merits Lighter in weight Less space for storage Easy to handle and disinfect Demerits Loses size, shape and corrugation Easily damaged by rodents

16. Rotary Mountages Size 55 cm x 40 cm Each set accommodate 1560 larvae Advantages Uniform size and shape Defective cocoons are less Easy - harvesting -Storage and disinfection Higher reelability and improved reeling parameters

17. Bottle Brush Mountages Made of either Bamboo or Plastic Can accommodate 450 – 500 worms Life span 3 – 4 years for bamboo and 10 years for plastic mountages

18. Merits: Urinated cocoons are minimum Easy to disinfect, mount and harvest Improved cocoon quality and reelability . Demerits: Initial investment is high Not popular among farmers

19. Mulberry Twigs / grass / straw Mulberry, mango and red gram twigs are used. Double cocoons are more.

20. Modified (hybrid) mountages 1 . Vertical fixed type of mountages   Merits: Mounting and harvesting is easy Defective cocoon 2 – 5 % Demerits : More space for mounting

21. Shoot Rearing Rack Rotary Type Mountage   To facilitate accomodation of mountages within the shoot rearing rack itself . Save -75% space -25% labour

22. Thalaghattapura Ribbon chandrike Self-mounting Doesn’t require separate device for harvesting – easy Saves 50% investment on mountage , 60% expenditure on labour Fabrication is easy Easy disinfection Less space for storage

23. CARE DURING SPINNING Environmental Conditions -Temperature : Worms during spinning require a slightly higher temperature than rearing T oo high a temperature will compel the worms to spin in haste and thus waste a lot of silk Too low a temperature, causes delay in the spinning and affects the colour , lustre and texture of cocoons. Also, the cocoons will not be so compact . Too high a temperature make the filament thicker, and too low a temperature, to make it thinner. Violent fluctuation leads to ununiformity Around 24°C is quite ideal for spinning .

24. Relative Humidity: RH at the range of 60 to 70 per cent is ideal . Too much moisture affects the luster of the filament . From the point of view of reeling, drier the air during mounting the better it will be, but too great a dryness debilitates the worms and is to be avoided . Ventilation is an essential point for attention as a good deal of moisture has to be got rid of and there is also a good deal of excreta-solid, liquid and gaseous.

25. CARE DURING SPINNING Mounting room requires moderate, even illumination . Strong light causes crowding of silkworms at one side and finally results in double cocoons or uneven thickness cocoons. Complete darkness will slow down the spinning process resulting in low quality cocoons. Ants crawling on to the mountages are prevented. Spinning worms if disturbed increases floss percentage

26. Syncronisation of spinning Sampoorna is a spinning hormone of plant origin which contains β -ecdysone. Application of this hormone ( 20 ml in 4 liters water on the onset of spinning when 3 - 5 % mature worms are noticed in a batch is required for 100 dfls ) on the last feed will hasten the maturation process and induces synchronised spinning. lt reduces mounting period by 18 - 40 hours. This technique additionally helps to overcome unforeseen shortage of mulberry leaf if any in the final instar and out break of diseases in the f ifth instar .

27. Spinning/ Cocooning After mounting the ripen worms sticks on to the mountages by oozing out the silk fluid which will harden immediately after coming in contact with air and sticks itself to the mountages. It starts to ooze out the silk by continuous movement of its head in a very specific manner to form the silk filament .

28. Larvae moves its head continuously about 70-80 times per minute till the compact shell called cocoon is formed and detaches itself from the last layer of silk of then transforming into pupa. The movement of Head during spinning ∞ Ș In Outer Layer In Middle & Inner Layer

29. The Cocoon will have three layers .   Outer floss- not reelable Middle compact layers   - reelable Inner pelade - not reelable

30. Harvesting MV- Spinning Completes on 3rd to 4th day – harvesting on 5th day. BV- Spinning Completes on 4th to 5th day – harvesting on 6th to 7th day.

31. Harvesting should not be done immediately after pupation . Further, harvesting should be done before the moth emerges out. Too many days delay in harvesting will result in formation of pierced cocoons due to emergence of adult moth

32. Cocoon Harvester: It is made up of iron or wood . It consists of two parts and is usedfor harvesting cocoons from rotary mountages. Cardboard Mountages are inserted into the wooden frame and cocoons are pushed out using the pusher made of the same size as the holes of the Mountages.

33. Thank you