1. Chinese
Empress
Drinking
tea under a
tree
Silkworm
cocoon
falls into
hot tea
Silk strand
unravels
and larva
exposed

2. • A Chinese tale of the discovery of the silkworm's silk
was by an ancient empress Lei Zu, the wife of the
Emperor.
• She was drinking tea under a tree when a silk cocoon
fell into her tea and the hot tea loosened the long
strand of silk.
• As she picked it out and started to wrap the silk thread
around her finger, she slowly felt a warm sensation.
• When the silk ran out, she saw a small larva. She
realized that this caterpillar larva was the source of the
silk.
• She taught this to the people and it became
widespread.

3. SERICULTURE

4. • Sericulture, or silk farming, is the rearing
of silkworms for the production of raw silk.
• Bombyx mori is the most widely used species of
silkworm and intensively studied.
• Stages of production of silk
• The silk moth lays eggs.
• The eggs hatch, and the larvae feed on mulberry
leaves.
• When the silkworms are about 10,000 times heavier
than when they hatched, they are ready to spin a silk
cocoon.
• The silk is produced in two glands in the silkworm's
head and then forced out in liquid form through
openings called spinnerets.

5. • The silk solidifies when it comes in contact with the
air.
• The silkworm spins approximately 1 mile of filament
and completely encloses itself in a cocoon in about two
or three days.
• Due to quality restrictions, the amount of usable silk in
each cocoon is small. As a result, 5500 silkworms are
required to produce 1 kg of silk.
• The silk at the cocoon stage is known as raw silk. One
thread consists of up to 48 individual silk filaments.

6. • Appearance of silkworm
• Silkworms begin as wormlike larvae with the three distinct body
parts of an insect. After spending time in a cocoon, the silkworm
morphs into a scaly, four-winged moth.
• Moulting
• After hatching from eggs, the worms moult four times before
spinning their cocoons.
• Diet
• Silkworms eat the leaves of the mulberry tree or can exist on an
artificial diet.
• Moriculture is the science of mulberry cultivation to rear
silkworm for silk production.
• Habitat
• Silkworms now depend on silk producers and laboratories to
propagate the species. In their domestication, the moths lost the
ability to fly, so wild populations no longer exist.

7. Click here

8. • When the silk worm forms a covering around itself by
secreting a protein , this is called the cocoon stage.
• It is at this time that the cocoons are delivered to the
factory by the farmer. These factories are called filature
operations.
• There they are sorted by color, size, shape and texture.
They usually range from white and yellow to grayish.
• After the sorting, the cocoons have to be boiled in
water, while they are still intact, for 5 minutes while
they are being turned gently.

9. • They are taken out of the water and a dissecting needle
is used to pick up the strands. A single strand that will
come off easily is wound around a pencil.
• It is unwound in one continuous thread, which are
collected into skeins. The process is called “reeling.”
• Such 3 to 10 or more fine strands are reeled together to
produce the desired diameter of raw silk. This is
known as "reeled silk."
• This silk is reeled into skeins, packed into small
bundles called books and then shipped to silk mills
around the world.

11. • This silk is woven into cloth and sarees. India is the
largest consumer of silk in the world. In India, silk is
worn by people as a symbol of royalty while attending
functions and during festivals.
• Let us watch the process of sericulture in detail.
The Story of Silk.flv

12. • “Silk Road” was the world’s longest trade route
between Eastern China and Mediterranean Sea. Silk,
the most valuable commodity in those times was
transported along this road.
• China was the first to start sericulture and the
cultivation of silk worm spread throughout China
soon.
• Today, China and India are the two main producers,
together manufacturing more than 60% of the world
production each year.

14. Mahatma Gandhi promoted Ahimsa silk or Peace silk for
those who prefer not to wear silk produced by killing
silkworms.

15. Let us do a quick recap!
•
•
•
•
What is sericulture?
What is moriculture?
What is reeling?
What is the “Silk Road”?

16. A few brain teasers for you…..
Which among the following is an animal
fiber?
a. jute
b. cotton
c. polyester
d. Silk
RIGHT ANSWER, GENIUS!

17. a.
b.
c.
d.
Silk is derived from
cocoon
pupa
egg
moth
GOOD WORK !

18. The silkworm is (a) a caterpillar, (b) a
larva. Choose the correct option.
(i) a
(ii) b
(iii) Both a and b
(iv) neither a nor b
EXCELLENT !

19. Which of these is NOT a stage of a
silkworm’s life?
a. larva
b. pupa
c. egg
d. moult
THAT’S RIGHT !

20. Which term is NOT related with silk
industry?
a. sericulture
b. moriculture
c. apiculture
d. reeling
WELL DONE !

21. The scientific name of the silkworm is
a. Morus alba
b. Bombyx mori
c. Caterpillar
d. None of these
BRILLIANT !

22. Did you know?
• A filament from a mulberry cocoon can be more than a
kilometer.
• Silk is stronger than an equivalent strand of steel.
Assignment
• Find the different types of silk produced in India
• Do you think it is right to kill the silk worm for
silk production for humans? Write your views in
150 words

23. THANK YOU