SILKWORM REARING (BLPI-003) Resource Person: Dr. K.Kamatchi Assistant Professor of Zoology Vivekananda College, Tiruvedakam West, Madurai IGNOU - Academic Counsellor Code: GYYPK2432J/001 Vivekananda College, Tiruvedakam West IGNOU - Study Centre - 43016
Sericulture History of the sericulture Central Silk Board and other organizations Morphology and anatomy of silkworm Morphology of mulberry plant Diseases and pests of mulberry . Diseases and pests of silkworm Mulberry cultivation Rearing Facilities Rearing Appliances Rearing Operations Rearing Methods Cocoon Qualities Silk Reeling Silk Twisting Silk Weaving Dyeing Printing
Synopsis Introduction Rearing Facilities Rearing House Rearing Appliances Disinfection Rearing Operations Brushing Feeding Bed Cleaning Spacing Care during moulting Mounting of mature worms for spinning Harvesting of cocoons
REARING FACILITIES Rearing House: Silkworm is domesticated animal. It cannot tolerate seasonal fluctuations. It need an ideal rearing house. It has separate rooms for storing leaves Keeping rearing appliances. Rearing house must be brick-walled Roof – non conductor of heat-RCC roof Cement –plastered Not in water logged area North-south orientation Provision of broad verandah Planting shady trees Double door system
Rearing Appliances Rural based agro industry Appliances – cheap and locally available It differ from place to place CSB devising novel rearing appliances
Appliances used for keeping the worms being reared. Rearing Stand Rearing Trays Ant wells Paraffin Paper Chop Sticks Feathers
Rearing Stand: Locally available wood or bamboo. Height 2.5m Length 1.5m Width 0.65m 10-20 cross bars
Rearing Trays: Bamboo or plastic trays 138 cm diameter 6.5 cm depth
Ant Wells: Placed below the legs of rearing stand Prevent ants – crawling up Water poured CSR&TI give – Raksha rekha Chalk line – base of stand.
Paraffin Paper: Thick craft paper – paraffin wax coat Prevent evaporation of moisture Maintain high humidity Polythene sheets Dried banana leaves
Chop Sticks: Thin sticks of bamboo – 20 cm. Used like a forceps Picking worms Particularly diseased worms
Feather: Bird feathers White ones – preferable Brushing newly hatched larvae Spread the young worms.
Appliances used for feeding: Leaf basket Leaf chamber Chopping board Chopping knife Mats Feeding stand
Leaf Basket: Bamboo baskets – convenient size Collecting and transporting the leaves
Leaf Chamber: Store harvested leaves. Wet gunny cloth is placed. Water sprinkled periodically on cloth To keep leaves fresh.
Chopping board: Rectangular board Soft wood Used to cutting of leaves.
Chopping knife: Broad and sharp blade Cut without any splits
Mats: Below the chopping board Collect cut leaves. Clean paper may used.
Appliances used to support the spinning larvae: Cocoonage or Mountage : Determine both quality and quantity of good cocoons. Weeds, straw and dry twigs Provide convenient space Not promote the formation of double cocoons Malformed cocoons and flimsy cocoons. Provision for drying of liquid excreta Easy mounting and harvesting Cheap, durable, easy to handle Occupy less space, allow free flow of air.
Chandrika : Bamboo spiral mountage – south india West Bengal and other parts of india 1.8m x 1.2m 4 – 5 cm width 1000 worms can be mount.
Types of Mountages : Screen type mountage Plastic mountage Polymer mountage Japanese low cost mountage
Japanese low cost mountage
Rearing Operations: Disinfection Brushing Maintenance of optimum temperature and humidity in the rearing bed Feeding Bed cleaning Spacing Care during moulting Mounting of mature worms for spinning Harvesting of cocoons.
Disinfection: It must be effective against the pathogens. Application must be simple, easy and take minimum time. Harmless to man and domestic animals. Cheap and easily available. Physical methods Chemical methods
Physical methods: Sun drying Disinfection by steaming Disinfection by Hot Air
Sun Drying: Expose the appliances to direct sun light Cheap method Suitable only for tropics Cannot suitable for temperate Also in winter and rainy seasons Some appliances damaged
Disinfection by Steaming: Good sterilizing agent Disinfecting the rearing room Initial cost is high Harmful to bamboo and wood.
Disinfection by Hot Air: It is a good sterilizing method
Chemical methods: Disinfectant may be solid, liquid, gas It should have a broad spectrum activity non- toxic to man and animals. Have a capacity to avoid combination with organic matter Non-corroding and non-standing over the equipment and surface Readily mix with water Have detergent property No offensive odour Available readily in large quantities at a fair price.
Disinfectants are: Chlorine Iodine Phenol Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Formaldehyde Spraying with 2% Formalin Spraying of Bleaching powder Fumigating with formaldehyde gas
Brushing: Hatching – Photoperiodic response Sunshine in the early morning – noon Newly hatched larvae – black and bristly Ants Process of separating them – egg shell Transferring to rearing bed Best time – 10 a.m. Unhatched eggs – return to black box Brushed the next day
Brushing from loose eggs in egg boxes: 75% of eggs – blue egg stage Cover of box removed Thin muslin cloth or fine meshed net placed above Small amount of fresh, chopped mulberry leaves spread over the net Larvae crawled up Feather method Husk method Cloth/paper/net method
Maintenance of Optimum Conditions for Rearing: Productivity and Profitability depends upon healthy and hygienic rearing. Giving quality leaves Optimum environmental conditions Temperature Humidity
Temperature: Larval age Temperature I instar 26 - 28°C II instar 26 - 28°C III instar 24 - 26°C IV instar 24 - 26°C V instar 23 - 24°C
Humidity: Triple role Affects growth of larvae and quality of cocoons Quality of leaves Induces diseases Larval age Humidity optimum I instar 85% II instar 85% III instar 80% IV instar 75% V instar 70%
Feeding: The quality of the cocoons harvested depends – quality of leaves fed during rearing. Satisfy both appetite and nutritional requirements. Summer six feedings / day (7 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., and 11 pm.) Other seasons five feeding enough Give chopped leaves for larvae
Bed cleaning: In the rearing tray after feeding the unconsumed leaves and the feacal matter of the larvae to be removed by this method. Clean with husk Clean with net Combined net and husk method
Spacing: Silkworm developed rapidly from age to age. Increase several times their original weight and size. 15 times – hatching – I instar 4 to 5 times – II and III instar 25 times – IV and V instar Total increase in weight from hatching – V instar 7,000 -10,000 times. So rearing space has to be extended
Moulting : Moulting occurs four times during the larval life. Sensitive period lasting for 15-30 hours. During this time worm does not feed Wriggles out of old skin and come out of new and soft skin. Bed should be dry. Pre- moult – worms shining body with a dark small sized head and move to the periphery of bed. Moult – stop feeding. Post moult – large head, loose and less shiny skin – more appetite.
Mounting: It is the final and most busy operation V instar larva attaining full growth. Let is for spinning – select suitable place Ripe worm Translucent colour Stop feeding – move to the edge of the bed. They transfer to the mountages .
Methods of Mounting: Hand Picking: Ripe worms are picked one by one by hand Collected in a tray and transferred to mountages Some worm to be injured More labours Worms uniformly distributed in mountages . Injured and diseased worms removed. Simultaneous mounting Net method Branch method Free mounting
Process of Spinning: Mature larva passes out its last excreta After emptying its gut, it secretes first silk droplet It is hardens and sticks on the mountage . Anchorage spot. Sericin – secreted by silk gland. 1.5 cm/ second.
Harvesting: Aim of the silkworm rearing is to harvest the cocoons produced and sell them to the reeling agencies. Time of harvest – 3-4 th day of mounting Early harvest injured the pupa. Late harvest – the moth emerge and pierced the cocoon. Cocoons are harvested by hand Remove faccal pellets on them Sorted size, defective cocoons