IntroductionThe word sericulture is derived from the Greek word sericos meaning silk and the English word culture meaning rearing. Sericulture is a unique combination of art and science of raising silkworm which foam a protective covering called cocoon on boiling the cocoon. the silk figment is unwinded and reeled in to the continuous filament called the silk. Sericulture is a science which deals with various aspects of silkworms. Its an agro based cottage industry, the end product of which is silk. Mulberry silk is also called Mori silk whereas, Non mulberry silk is called Vanya silk. Three main branches of Sericulture are: 1. Moriculture (Mulberry cultivation) - Host plant cultivation, mainly Agronomic aspects.2. Silkworm rearing- has two branches- Grainage technology (egg production) and Silkworm rearing (larval stage management)3. Silk Reeling and weaving- Industrial aspects, cocoon onwards.

What is silk?It is a natural protein fibre secreted by silkworms in form a thread about 400-1500m long, spun into a cocoon shell (protection to pupa inside) Silk 2 proteins i.e. Fibroin inner core comprising 75% of silk Sericin - outer gum comprising 25% of silkThese silk proteins are synthesized by silk glands present in silkworms.Besides proteins, silk has small residues of fat, resin, minerals and waxymaterials. Silk is Queen of Textiles. sericulture refer to the conscious mass - scale rearing of silk production.Mulberry silk, Non-mulberry silk are Tasar , Eri. Muga Out of which mulberry silk constituted of 95% of the total silk and other contribute 05%.History of sericultureHistorical evidence shows that silk was discovered in China and that the industry spread from there to other parts of the world.SILK DISCOVERY SECRETEThe Chinese has used silk since the 27th century B.C..During the Roman Empire, silk was sold for its weight in gold. The Chinese domesticated silk worms and fed them with mulberry leaves. They unwound the silkworms' cocoons to produce long strands of silk fiber. Silk is one of the oldest fibers known to man. Its discovery as a weave able fiber is credited to the Lady Xi Ling Shi, the 14-year-old bride of the Emperor Huang Ti, the so-called 'Yellow Emperor' .One day in 2640BC, according to Confucius, she was sitting under a mulberry tree, drinking a cup of tea into which a silk cocoon fell from above. She noticed the delicate fibers start to unravel in the hot liquid and has been credited as the first person to 'reel' or unravel a silk cocoon and use the filament to create a yarn for weaving. Whether or not the legend holds true, it is certain that the earliest surviving references to silk production place it in China and that for nearly 3 millennia, the Chinese had a global monopoly on silk production. The Chinese kept the secret of the beautiful and value added material that, they were producing from the rest of the world for more than 30 centuries. Travellers were searched thoroughly at border crossings and anyone caught trying to smuggle eggs, cocoons or silkworms out of the country were summarily executed. Demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route now known as the 'Silk Road,'. of which mention is made as early as 300BC in the days of the Han Dynasty, taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wools to the East.Silk was exported along the Silk Road (the ancient trade route linking China and the Roman Empire). This trade brought China a great wealth, but the Chinese did not give away the secret on how silk was produced. The Chinese could not keep their monopoly forever. The industry is said to have spread to Tibet where a Chinese princess, carrying silkworm eggs and mulberry tree seeds in her headdress, married the king of Khotan in Tibet. From Tibet the industry spread slowly to India and Persia .According to Western historians, mulberry-tree cultivation spread to India through Tibet during 140 BC and cultivation of mulberry trees, rearing of silkworms began in the areas flanking the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers. According to some Indian scholars silkworms (Bombyx mori) were first domesticated in the foothills of the Himalayas. Evidences in ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that certain kind of wild silks were cultivated in India from time immemorial. When British came to India, the flourishing silk trade exploited and developed silk centres in many parts of the country. The Company exported large quantities of silk produced in West Bengal to England. The Companys monopoly was abolished in 1836 and the entire trade turned over to private enterprise, due to improper organized system the silk industry in West Bengal declined. By the time other silk producing states in the country viz., Jammu & Kashmir, Mysore have developed the industry. COUNTRIES TO LEARN SECRET OF SILKKOREA - In spite of their secrecy, however, the Chinese were destined to lose their monopoly on silk production. Sericulture reached Korea around 200 BC, when waves of Chinese immigrants arrived there.JAPAN - Then the secret of silk came to Japan it was said that during 300 B.C. there was a Japanese General named as semiramus who Conquered Korea. Among his prisoners some were sericulturist whom he took to Japan and started sericulture in Japan.TIBET - The Chinese could not keep their monopoly forever. The industry is said to have spread to Tibet when a Chinese princess, carrying silkworm eggs and mulberry tree seeds in her headdress, married the king of Khotan in Tibet.INDIA - From Tibet the industry spread slowly to India and Persia. According to Western historians, mulberry-tree cultivation spread to India through Tibet during 140 BC and cultivation of mulberry trees, rearing of silkworms began in the areas flanking the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers. According to some Indian scholars silkworms (Bombyxmori) were first domesticated in the foothills of the Himalayas. Evidences in ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that certain kind of wild silks were cultivated in India from time immemorial. When British came to India, the flourishing silk trade exploited and developed silk centers in many parts of the country. The Company exported large quantities of silk produced in West Bengal to England. The Companys monopoly was abolished in 1836 and the entire trade turned over to private enterprise, due to improper organized system the silk industry in West Bengal declined. By the time other silk producing states in the country viz., Jammu & Kashmir, Mysore have developed the industry. About two and half centuries ago silk was introduced into Karnataka by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the State. Today it is the biggest silk producing centre in India. the common people were able to wear garments of silk. Silk was as valuable as gold.Silk route It is also known as silk road .the silk road was a prestigious network of trade route linking the civilization of the east represented by china with the civilization of west represented by Rome. it was the route used by Buddhist priest and also the trader who exchange goods as well as ideas of two great civilization of the time .Chinese silk are exchange for gold . wool , horse , jade and glass of the west and ideas from Buddhism was exchanged for those from Nestorian Christianity . the 6,400 km long silk route (actually a caravan tract) started what is now Sian followed the great wall of china to north west across the Pamir mountain and the takla makan deserts to cross Afghanistan to Antioch in Syria , and from then visa Egypt and the medetrian port to Europe . it was hazardous route. few person travelled the entire route . good where handed staggered progression through middle men the famous Marco polo travelled by silk route and brought silk from china .The silk road was not used after the fall of roman empire until it was revived by Mongols. India was on the first fabled road .Indian caravans laden with luxury goods like spices and indigo traded them for silk from china. the road now partially exist in the form of paved highway connecting Pakistan and sin kiang in china. GEORAPHICAL DISTRUBTION IN INDIA :-1 Karnataka 2 Andhra Pradesh 3 Tamil Nadu 4 West Bengal 5 Jammu & Kashmir Non-TraditionalStates6 Assam 7 Arunachal Pradesh 8 Bihar 9 Chhattisgarh 10 Haryana 11 Himachal Pradesh 12 Jharkhand 13 Kerala 14 Madhya Pradesh 15 Maharashtra 16 Manipur 17 Mizoram 18 Meghalaya 19 Nagaland 20 Orissa 21 Punjab 22 Sikkim 23 Tripura 24 Uttarakhand 25 Uttar Pradesh

Scope and importance of mulberry and non mulberry sericulture in India. Sericulture has been adopted long year ago by Indians. Sericulture require condition suitable for mulberry being a hard perennial plant growing in a wide verities of soil condition and adapted to be cultivate as rain feed crop it is ideally suitable for India with large amount of waste land unstable for other plant .Indian farmer are now increasely turning to mulberry cultivation because of its various scope and importance are.1. Paying occupationSericulture is a highly occupation and the percentage income gain by particular groups involved in sericulture i.e. silkworm rearing , reeling , weavers, twister, and trader is 54.5%, 6.5%, 12.7%, 8.6%, and 17.7% respectivelyThe data shown that the money maximum is earn by the silkworm reares i.e. the rural people of India improve their living style.

2. Highly remunerative in cashSericulture is highly profitable and benifitable crop the comparative data between sericulture and other cash crop shown that the person earn much more money as they earn from any other cash crop.s.noCropAverage income\annum\acre

AGround nutRs, 4, 000/-

BSugarcaneRs , 16, 000/-

CPaddyRs, 10, 000/-

DCottonRs , 4, 500/-

ESericultureRs, 18, 000/-

3. Employment oriented, More than 70 lakh persons are engaged in various sericulture activities in the country. It is estimated that sericulture can generate employment @ 11 man days per kg of raw silk production (in on-farm and off-farm activities) throughout the year. This potential is par-excellence and no other industry generates this kind of employment, especially in rural areas, hence, sericulture is used as a tool for rural reconstruction .in Japan its highly cost and non-avalibity of labour that have leaders to the deduce of sericulture there.One hectare of mulberry creates remunerative employment to 12-13 person throughout the year.4. Less investment is requiredIt is an ideal cottage industry requiring low initial investment i.e villager made simple appliance for rearing ,and reeling , rearing house of simple construction and labour with little training .Govt also provide appliances on subsidies rate Banks and other funding agencies also have many loan scheme for sericutural purposes .5. Gestation period Gestation period is very less .It is an ideal activity for the rural people engaged in agriculture. The farmer can take up sericulture activities because of small gestation period i.e. around 25-28 days . Farmer assured income within month 6.Women folk as sericulture is an art and all of us `know that women does the work of art better than the men and a lot of money. it improves socio economic status of women .about 60% are the women engaged in sericultural activities7. Environment friendly nothing in the sericulture is waste . unfit mulberry twigs can be used as fuel . the litters fertilizer or for biogas production . defective cocoons waste form to silk for spun silk industry . it cause no noise or any other type of pollution and thus causes no harm to ecological balance of earth .8.Easy to operate . sericulture is easy to operate the tool use in it are simple and can be operated by any one will little guidance .it does not require high qualification so it is help full on rising economical condition of ruler area .9 In hilly areas where the crops are not grown sericulture can be done there.10. Ideal programme for weaker section of society

Sericulture can be practiced even with very low land holding. acre of mulberry garden and silkworm rearing can support a family of three without hiring labour. Features such as low gestation, high returns make sericulture an ideal programme for weaker sections of the society. Vast tracts of forest based tasar food plantations available in the country, if judiciously exploited for rearing tasar silkworms, can offer supplementary gainful employment for tribal.10 TRANSFER OF MONEY FROM RICH TO POORSilk is produced in developing countries but consuming in developed countries. Sericulture being a cottage industry is practiced primarily by rural poor people and the final product, the silk is consumed by rich and effluent class of society. Majority of silk goods are purchased by the urban rich and the middle-class and around 57% of the final value of silk fabrics flows back to the primary producers in the rural areas. Sericulture is also an eco-friendly sustainable economic activity and helps to check migration of rural youths to urban areas. best of luck

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Seminar on INTRODUCTION TO SERICULTURE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRUBTION , SCOPE OF MULBERRY AND NON MULBERRY SERICULTURE ,HISTORY AND SILK ROUTESubmitted toDEPARTMENT OF SERICULTUREPOONCH CAMPUS

UNIVERSITY OF JAMMUPresented by MOHD BASHIR (Roll no.09- M.Sc. 1semester, 2012-2014)Guided byTEACHING FACULTY OF DEPARTMENT OF SERICULTURE

Sign. Of the Seminar convener Sign. Of the studentI with my due respect and humble express want to profound gratitude to my teachers- Dr Harjeet Singh, Dr Nirmal Singh, professor Ameet singh and professor Ravneet kour for their valuable guidance that enabled me to complete this script. I am highly thankful to my dear classmates, who through their multi-faceted ways enriched my knowledge and brimmed me with all the information that proved highly beneficial.

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