Cultivation of Mulberry Plant to feed the silkworm

1. HOST PLANT CULTIVATION
(BLPI-002)
Dr. K.Kamatchi
Assistant Professor of Zoology
Vivekananda College,
Tiruvedakam West, Madurai
IGNOU - Academic Counsellor
Code: GYYPK2432J/001
Vivekananda College, Tiruvedakam West
IGNOU - Study Centre - 43016

2. MORICULTURE
• Mulberry is the host plant of Bombyx mori
• It is hardy, perennial, deep-rooted grow in all climates.
• Varieties - varying – nutritious value and palatability for
the worm.
• Age of the leaf
• Type of cultivation
• Harvesting method
• Duration of storage
• Season
• Fertilizer
• Irrigation schedules
• Affliction for pests and diseases

3. •Family - Moraceae
•Geographic distribution of mulberry plant
•Tropic and temperate region
•Rain fed and irrigated conditions
•Resistant to environmental fluctuations
•Free from pests and diseases

4. Optimum conditions for mulberry growth
• Temperature : 24°C -29°C
• Karnataka – tropical – 21 – 31°C
• West Bengal – temperate – 15 - 37°C
• Cannot sprout – below 13°C – above 38°C
• During growth – 280 – 400 ml – water required for
– synthesis of 1gm of dry matter
• Rainfall - 600 – 2,500mm/year
• Low rain fall - supplemental irrigation
• Elevation – 700m – MSL (Mean Sea Level) – 300 -900m

5. • Humidity – 65 – 80%
• 5 – 10 hrs – day light – temperate
• 9 – 13 hrs – day light – tropics
• Red , loamy, alluvial, black
• Soil should be:
•Fertile
•Porous
•Well – drained
•Good water holding capacity

6. • 6.2 – 6.8 PH
• 5.0 – 9.0 PH – tolerance range
• Alkaline soil – improved – gypsum and
green manure
• Acidic soil – improved – lime and
green manure
• West Bengal and Kashmir – alluvial
soil, nitrogen, humus - deficit
• Karnataka - red loamy, phosphorus,
potassium - deficit
• Other parts – black soil
• Plantation – near to rearing area
• Away from – chemical factories
• Away from – smoke and dust

7. Morphology of mulberry plant:
• Deep rooted
• Highly branched root and shoot system
• Primary, secondary and tertiary branches
• Grows – tree
• For cultivation – middling (or) bush
• Bark – green, gray, brown
• Each note – bud – two accessory buds
• Vegetative bud – Growth of leaves
• Reproductive bud - male, female inflorescence
• Leaves – simple, alternate, stipulate

8. Other uses:
Shade tree – road sides
Making sports goods
Bark – paper pulp – industry
Fruits – jams, pickles

9. Methods of propagation
• Seedling propagation:
• Nursery – shady area – protect – direct
sunlight and excessive temperature
• Soil – ploughing and breaking – clumps
• Add – red and loamy soil and manure to
the seed bed – 0.9m square
• seed extract from the ripened fruits
• March – April – tropical
• May – June – temperate
• No dormancy – fresh seed high
germination percentage

10. • Soaked – water – 24hrs soften – testa – eliminate
unviable seeds (insect infested, unfertilized)
• Seeds – sown – holes – link marked rope - Depth – 25mm
• Maintain temperature - watering
• 10 days – seed germination
• 3 months – first transplantation
• 2 years – final transplantation

11. • Rarely practiced – commercial rearers
• Long gestation period
• Wind pollination – cross
• Research centers – breeding studies

12. Vegetative Propagation
•Desired hereditary characters
•Large numbers – raised – quickly and
economically
•Pest and disease resistant
•Adopted – specific localities
• Cutting
• Grafting
• Layering

13. cutting
• Shoots of mulberry - maturity –
thickness- active, well developed buds
• Tip – very tender
• Pencil – thick branches (10 – 20 mm dia)
• 18 – 20cms – long with three inter nodes
• Placed – nursery (direct to field)
• Watered
• 10 days – root from inter nodes – below
soil
• Shoot from inter nodes – above soil

14. • Temperate – root hormones, growth regulators
• IAA – Indole acetic acid
• IBA – Indole butyric acid
• Rootane, seradix
• Cutting supplied – state (or) central sericulture
departments – farmers
• Care must be taken – transport
• Don’t dry up – wet gunny cloth.

15. Grafting
• Technique of joining the parts of two
plants – unite and grow as one plant.
• Inserting a small branch – rooted plant
• Inserted – scion – desired
• Rooted – stock – indigenous
• Local adaptability of the stock and
superiority of the scion
• Root Grafting
• Shoot Grafting
• Bud Grafting

16. Layering
•Development of roots from a stem while it is
still attached to the mother plant
•Rooted detached
•Grown as new plant - layer

17. Simple layering
• Lower branch
• Bark is removed 2.5 – 3cm – branch
• Branch – contact – soil
• Tip – emerges out

18. Trench layering
• Branch bent horizontally
• Middle – covered – mud and
manure
• New shoots and roots
developed

19. Air layering
• 1 – 2m – bark – removed – erect
branch well decomposed organic
mature – root hormone
• Tied securely – polythene cover
• Water is sprinkled
• 1 – 2 months – root developed

20. Irrigation
• Quality and quantity of leaves – depends – soil water
• Furrow Methods :
• Series of ridges and furrows – row system
• Water allowed to flow
• Economically
• Both wide and closely – spaced plantations
• Less evaporation
• Drain – excess water – rainy seasons

21. Flat bed method:
• Rectangular beds (3.5*2.0m)
• Channels – around the bed
• Water allowed – channels
• Suitable for all soil types
• Little water loss
• Quickly irrigated
• Required labour
• Waste of space and water

22. Basin method
• Tree plantations are
irrigated
• Basin like depression –
excavated

23. Over head sprinkler method:
• Pipelines are drawn – field
• Sprinkled – pipeline – taps
• Uniformly distributed
• Below waste
• Leaves become dust free

24. Micro irrigation methods:
• Closed, inexpensive, low
density, plastic pipelines
• Conveyed directly to
plants

25. Manuring
• Requires 15 elements
• C, H, O, N, P and K major nutrients
• Ca, Mg, S – secondary nutrients
• Fe, Mn, Cu, Mb, B and Cl are the minor
• Two routs – entry
• Roots – soil
• Leaves – C, O
• Available nutrients
• Unavilable nutrients

26. Organic manures
•Imported fertilizers costly
•Pollution and soil erosions
•Organic content – necessary – build up
micro flora
•Improve physical, chemical, biological

27. Bulky organic manure
• Farmyard manure – sericulture, poultry waste compost
• Green manure
Concentrated organic manure
• Oil cakes
• Fish meals

28. Advantages of organic manures
• Water – holding capacity
• Physical condition – air and water
• Biological and chemical – soil
• Dark colour – absorb heat

29. Chemical fertilizers:
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Potassium 350 : 140 : 140 kg NPK/hectare/year – 5
equal done

30. Bio fertilizers:
• Used for adding essential nutrients
• Azotobacter: Free living heterotropic nitrogen fixing
bacterium
• Produce – IAA, gibberellin
• B-vitamins 25 kg /ha / year
• Azospirillium:
• Slighty curved, gram – neg rod – shaped bacterium, aerobic
form N – fixation
• Azolla: symbiotic N – fixing blue green alga
• Decomposte – quickly
• VAM:
• Vesiculcer borescent mycorrhiza fungal – above N
availability

31. Advantages:
• Low cost
• Absence – harmful effects
• Environmental safety
• Repeated inoculations not required
• Growth promotion
Precautions:
• Chemical fertilizer – not – mix
• Before expiry date
• Collect – authentic sources

32. Pruning:
•Periodically some branches of the mulberry
plant are methodically cut off.

33. Pruning Objectives:
• Maintain convenient height for harvest induce
more vegetative growth (foliage)
• Maintain – shape and size
• Adjust – leaf production – leaf requirements
• remove dead and defunct wood
• Provide better aeration
• Expose – better sunlight
• Bottom pruning (or) low – cut pruning - base
• Middle pruning – middle height
• Top pruning (or) high – cut pruning - top

34. Merits of LCP:
• Harvesting and preparation of cutting easy
high rate of harvest
• Damage low pest, disease
Demerits of LCP:
• Shorted, dwarf disease
• Heavy rainy season – leaves soiled easily

35. Merits of HCP:
• Age longer
• Dwarf less
• Less damage - floods
•Demerits of HCP:
•Difficult to harvest
•Pests, diseases – damage
•Rate of harvest high

36. Care at pruning:
Cuts – injurious and care taken
Cuts – clear without crack without any
peels
Sharp, good, ideal implements
Lime washing – prevent entry of
pathogens
fungicides, wax coating, oil application

37. Mulching :
• Inter – row spaces are covered
with cut – straw mats (or)
mulberry twigs
• Conservation of soil moisture
• Maintain soil – loose friable
• Control weed population
• Water holding
• Gradual decomposition – fertility
• Black polythene sheets..

41. Thank you