SUBUNIT: 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO SERICULTURE: SCOPE OF SERICULTURE; ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF SERICULTURE INDUSTRY IN INDIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES. THE SILK ROUTE. 1 Introduction The word Sericulture is derived from Greek word ‘sericos’ meaning silk and ‘culture’ meaning rearing. It includes mulberry cultivation to produce leaf and silkworm rearing for the production of silk. Sericulture is an agro based industry, involving the raising of food plants for silkworm, rearing of silkworm for production of cocoons, reeling and spinning of cocoons for production of yarn etc., for value added benefits such as processing and weaving. Sericulture which includes the scientific method of raising the food plants, production of silkworm eggs, conservation and rearing of silkworm, culminating with the production and disposal of silk cocoons, is labour intensive, export oriented, employment creating an income generating agro based cottage industry providing quick returns in shorter duration and does not involve utilization of sophisticated machinery. The silk is the direct economy and product of sericulture activity. Besides, the utility of cocoons practically nothing gets waste in sericulture, the bi- products such as mulberry shoots serve as firewood and fuel, the left over leaves and excreta as cattle feed, manure and in the production of biogas, reeled out pupae and used male moths as poultry feed and in manufacturing of certain medicines and amino acids, mulberry roots and barks in preparing antihypertension drug etc. Sericulture is a cottage industry par excellence and is one of the most intensive sectors of the Indian economy combining both agriculture and industry, which provides far means of livelihood to a large section of the population i.e., mulberry cultivator, co-operative rearer, silkworm seed producer, farmer cum rearer, reeler, twister, weaver, hand spinners of silkwaste, traders, etc., and is the only cash crop in agriculture sector that gives returns within thirty days. This industry provides employment nearly to three million people in our country. Sericulture plays a major role in rural employment, poverty alleviation and earning foreign exchange. A lot of entrepreneurial opportunities are available in various fields of sericulture. It is practiced in various states viz. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal and states like Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have also started practicing sericulture. The non-mulberry sericulture is practiced in Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. More than six million people are involved in sericulture activities. It is necessary to upgrade the skills of the sericulturists to use the full potentialities of sericulture to produce qualitatively superior cocoons and to earn profitable income. Sericulture provides gainful employment, economic development and improvement in the quality of life to the people in rural area and therefore it plays an important role in anti poverty programme and prevents migration of rural people to urban area in search of employment. Hence, several developing nations like China, India, Brazil, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Egypt, Iran, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Turkey, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Uzbekistan and some of the African and Latin American countries have taken up Sericulture to provide employment to the people in rural area. 2. What is Sericulture? The word ‘Sericulture’ is derived from Greek word “sericos’’ meaning ‘silk’ and the English word ‘‘culture’’ means ‘rearing. Thus sericulture refers to the rearing of silk producing organisms in order to obtain silk from them in controlled environmental conditions. Mulberry sericulture involves the cultivation of mulberry to produce leaf, rearing of silkworm to convert leaf to cocoon, reeling of the cocoon to obtain silk yarn and weaving to convert yarn to fabrics. The process of cultivation of mulberry to produce leaf is called Mori-culture. Sericulture is a unique combination of art and science, which involves the cultivation of food plant to harvest quality leaves, rearing of silkworms for the conversion of leaf protein into silk protein in the form of protective shells called cocoons, softening of the cocoon shell through boiling in order to remove the gummy substance called sericin for unwinding of the thin silk filament from the hard shell by a process called reeling and finally utilization of silk fiber for the preparation of fabric by a process called weaving. So Sericulture is a multistage activity which involves the following components. 3. ORIGIN, HISTORY AND SILK ROUTE Silk production from the insect Silkworm Bombyx mori L. has an interesting history. As per the Chinese records, silk was first discovered by Xilingji (Hsi-ling-chi), wife of China’s 3rd Emperor, Huangdi (Hoang-Ti), in 2640 B.C. It is reported that the Empress while having tea in her garden under a mulberry tree, accidentally dropped a silkworm cocoon into her cup of tea. While trying to take it out, she was surprise to notice that the silk fiber could be loosened and unwound. The Empress could also notice white shiny worms eating leaves on the mulberry tree and encasing themselves inside white shiny cocoons. Later, she collected cocoons and could see that fibers from several cocoons could be twisted together to make a thread that was strong enough to be woven into a cloth. Thereafter, Hsi-ling chi discovered not only the means of raising silk worms, but also the manners of reeling silk and of employing it to make garments. This resulted in the establishment of silk industry in China where the source of silk was kept a top secret for more than 2000 years. Later, sericulture spread throughout China, and silk became a precious commodity, highly sought after by other countries. Demand for this exotic fabric eventually created the lucrative trade route, the historically famous Silk Road or Silk Route named after its most important commodity. This road helped in taking silk westward and bringing gold, silver and wool to the East. With the mulberry silk moth native to China, the Chinese had a monopoly on the world's silk production. After 1200 B.C, China lost their monopoly in silk production as sericulture reached Japan through Korea and then to other countries. Chinese immigrants who had settled in Korea helped in the emergence of silk industry in Korea. During the third century B.C. Semiramus, a general of the Army of Empress Singu-Kongo, invaded and conquered Korea. Among his prisoners were some sericulturists whom he brought back to Japan. They helped in the establishment and growth of sericulture industry in Japan. Another story is that a Chinese princess married an Indian prince. She carried silkworm eggs/mulberry cocoons in her elaborate head dress. She disclosed the secret of raising silkworms thus, silk production spread to India. In 550 A.D. moth eggs and mulberry seeds were smuggled from China by two Nestorian monks, sent by Emperor Justinian-I and silk production began in Byzantium. The technique of sericulture spread throughout the Mediterranean countries during the 7th century AD and then to Africa, Spain and Sicily. During latter part of the 19th century, modern machinery, improved techniques and intensive research helped the growth of sericulture industry in Japan. At present, Japan, China, Korea, Italy, Soviet Union, France, Brazil and India are the chief silk producing countries in the World. 4. Countries to learn secret of silk KOREA: 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 sericulturists 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 head apparel, married the king of Koten 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 (Bombyx mori L.) were first domesticated in the foothills of the Himalayas. Evidences in ancient Sanskrit literature, reveals that certain kinds 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 Company’s 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 and 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. 5. SILK ROUTE Silk from china to other European and western countries spread through the famous road known as Silk Road/route. Silk route was a prestigious network, of trade linking the civilization of east represented by china with the civilization of west represented by Rome. Silk Road is 7000 miles long. Trade of silk grew under the Han Dynasty. The Chinese trade of silk was internally within the Empire. Caravans from the empire’s interior would carry silk to western edges of the region. Often small central Asian tribes attack these caravans to capture the trader’s valuable commodities. Han Dynasty extended its military defenses to central Asia to protect these caravans.