User:Shalinijagriti

Sericulture.jpg ‎(451 × 339 pixels, file size: 30 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) SERICULTURE PROJECT

Experience teaches us better than the books. I learned this when i myself carried out a sericulture project as a curriculum. The thing which I learnt in the 7th class in books, life cycle of silk worm and pictures of pupa, larvae,cocoon etc, i got to see them in front of my eyes. We cried out the experiment and observed the life stages of silk worm. SERICULTURE Seiculture is nothing but culturing the silkworms for silk. It is the rearing of silkworm throughout its life cycle.The Silkworm, Bombyx mori produces the silk of commercial importance.The caterpillar of a moth forms cocoon which is used to make silk.The Silkworm, Bombyx mori produces the silk of commercial importance. It is the caterpillar of a moth whose cocoon is used to make silk.

STAGES OF LIFE CYCLE

1. OVA/EGG- it is the first stage of life cycle of silkworm.egg is laid by a female silk moth in hundreds and thousands.it is a very small and hard structure, whitish in color. when the egg hatches, larvae come out.

2. LARVAE- It is the stage where the larvae feed upon mulberry leaves and grows. there are 5 instar larva n the life cycle of silkworm. initially the larvae are very small and fragile and need to be handled very carefully. the larva stage lasts for around 27 days.

3. PUPA- the full grown 5th instar starts secreting saliva and protein from its mouth. As the silkworm prepares to pupate, it spins a protective cocoon. this is a resting and non-feeding stage where metamorphic changes take place. cocoon is formed to protect itself from its predators. The larva traps itself inside the cocoon in order to pupate. The color of the cocoon varies, depending upon what the silkworm eats. It can range from white to golden yellow. The second molting occurs inside the cocoon, when the larva turns into a brown pupa. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the pupa to metamorphose into an adult moth.

4. SILK MOTH- silk moth comes out the cocoon withing 10-12 days. before this the cocoons need to be transported to the reeling factories where it go though another process to obtain the silk fibers. the silk moth stays for 7 days within which it mates with a female moth. the male dies immediately after the copulation. the female find a suitable place to lay the eggs and she also dies after laying. the set of effs laid by a single female is called as 'laying'.