• Prof. Vijayakumar P.

Sericulture has emerged as an important occupation, wherein all the family members can take up this occupation in addition to their regular works. Sericulture plays a major role in rural employment, poverty alleviation and earning foreign exchange. It creates a lot of entrepreneurial opportunities in various fields of sericulture. Sericulture can be practiced even with very low land holding. India is blessed with a congenial climate for sericulture occupation. It can be practiced throughout the year in the tropical zones and seasonal in temperate zones. All the available four types of silk are produced in India. The sericultural practices in some of the states are almost a heritage, interwoven with culture. This course has two blocks viz. Block 1 “Sericulture in India” which deals with the history and the present status of sericulture in the country and Block 2 “Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Sericulture” informs about the different avenues available for the farmers to take up an additional income generating occupation.

• Prof. Vijayakumar P.

Mulberry is the host plant of mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori). It is a hardy, perennial, deep-rooted plant capable of thriving under diverse agro-climatic conditions. Mulberry silk contributes the major production among all the four types of silks. In addition, cultivation of Non-Mulberry host plants for Tasar, Eri and Muga varieties of silkworms are dealt within this course. This course has 4 blocks viz. Block 1: “Mulberry cultivation in South India”, Block 2: “Mulberry cultivation for North, East and North-East India”, Block 3: “Non-mulberry cultivation practices” and Block 4: “Practical Manual”.

• Prof. Vijayakumar P.

India produces four types of silk, viz., Mulberry, Tasar, Eri and Muga. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir are the major traditional producers of mulberry silk. Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra are the major producers of tropical tasar silk. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, etc. are the major producers of muga and eri silks. The larvae of the silk insects (called as silkworms) are fed on the leaves of their food plants which grow and spin a protective covering around them called cocoon before transforming into a resting stage called pupa from which the silk thread is drawn. The process of raising the cocoon crops through feeding and caring the silkworms is known as ‘rearing’. The mulberry and eri silkworm are reared indoor while the others are reared outdoor on their respective food plants. In general, all silk insects pass through the stages of egg, larva, pupa enclosed within a protective cover called cocoon and adult (moths). The adult (moths) mate and lay eggs to continue their generation. This course has 4 blocks viz. Block 1: “Basic Concepts”, Block 2: covers “Incubation and Silkworm Rearing”, Block 3: “Economics of Sericulture” and Block 4: “Practical Manual”.

• Prof. Vijayakumar P.

Silkworm for an assured higher income to make sericulture a successful venture. In this course, the different diseases and pests that attack both the Host Plants as well as the Silkworms are discussed. The Diseases and Pests cause serious damage to the yield, thereby a heavy loss to the farmers. Hence, better understanding of the diseases and pests, its life cycle, damage caused and their controlling measures makes sericulture a profitable practice. The course has three blocks viz. Block 1: “Mulberry Diseases and Pest Management”, Block 2: “Silkworm Diseases and Pest Management” and Block 3: “Non-Mulberry Silkworm Diseases and their Management”.