SILKWORM – REARING

AND SEED PRODUCTION

Presented By:
G.Anu Sreeja
C.Kirthigaa
 SILKWORM
• Larvae or caterpillar : Bombyx mori
• Feed on white mulberry leaves
• Silkworm moths go through four stages of
development – egg, larva, pupa and adult.
TYPES
 MULBERRY SILK - FEED AND THEIR
CONDITIONS
• Feed on Mulberry Leaves
• First age: Top tender leaves
• At later stages lower matured leaves are given
REARING STAGES AND TEMPERATURE
• Undergo 5 stages to prepare silk
STAGES FEEDING MOLTING TEMPERATURE HUMIDITY

1st age 3 days 20-24 hrs 28℃ 80-85%

2nd age 2 ½ days 20-24 hrs 28℃ 80-85%

3rd age 3 days 26 hrs 27℃ 78-80%

4th age 3-4 days 2 days 26℃ 70-75%

5th age 6 days - 26℃ 70-75%

egg
 DISINFECTION
• Lime dusting
SILKWORM SEED
PRODUCTION
• Work carried out
• Seed egg production.
WORK CARRIED OUT BY SSPC,PALAKKAD

FC1 FC2

Double
Hybrid
 ASR-Parameters
• Good rearing shed
• Adopting the technology being advised
• Acrege under mulberry Cultivation
• Experienced under commercial production of
cocoon.
• Separate rearing shed for chawki stage.
 TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

• Assessment with 1 Kg – 70% yield for

purchased dfls
• Less number of melted cocoons
• Number of good cocoons should be between
600-650
• Number of males should be more.
PHOTOPERIOD AND TEMPERATURE
• Male and female moths are kept in separate
room and are maintained at a photoperiod of
10hrs of Light and 14 hrs of Darkness.
• Eggs are maintained at a temperature of
25±1℃ and 85±5% Relative Humidity,
photoperiod of 16 hrs light and 8 hrs of dark
 COCOON

CUTTING

SEX SEPARATION

MALE PUPA FEMALE PUPA

EMERGING OF MOTHS EMERGING OF MOTHS

PAIRING

DEPAIRING

EGG LAYING

WASHING AND PRESERVING

SEX SEPARATION
 Egg Production
• The crossed female moths are then allowed to
lay egg in starch coated craft paper .
• And the sheets are washed and the eggs are
dried and stored under different schedule as
per the requirements.
 Incubation
• Eggs are maintained In Incubation Chamber
at a
Temperature : 25±1℃ and
Relative Humidity :85±5%,
 Photoperiod of 16 hrs light and 8 hrs of
dark
 BLACK BOXING
• Black boxing - the eggs under total dark
conditions for the uniform hatching of eggs
• Done on 8th or 9th day ie)on the onset of
eyespot or blackhead stage .
• And at the day of hatching the covers are
opened and layings are exposed to mild light.
 Egg Packing and Distrubution to
farmers

• The produced eggs are preserved under cold

storage for certain time schedule for
hibernation in Mysore Cold Storage Plant.
Eggs are then supplied to farmers with
definite weightage as 50 Egg =18 gram which
includes 30000 Disease Free Layings (DFLs).
 Conclusion
• FC1 and FC2 is being provided to this centre from Karnataka.
(Separate production for parent races ie. FC1 and FC2) .

• The races are then crossed with each other and the Double
Hybrid eggs are produced and kept under hibernation at
different Schedule and then supplied to different farmers for
commercial purpose.

• Only the Certified Seed Rearers are provided with seed

production eggs.