Short notes on mulberry and non mulberry silk varieties

Short notes on mulberry and non mulberry silk varieties

There are several varieties of silk and these are based on the type of silk worm from which it is produced. The following are some of the varieties of silk.

Mulberry silk:

This is produced by the worm Bombyx mori belonging to the family Bombicidiae. This moth is belived to belong to China origi­nally. Presently, it is the major silk moth and is found in all silk producing countires of the world like Japan, India, Korea, Italy, France, Russia etc.

The silk threads produced by this moth is white or yellowish in colour. Tasar silk – This is produced by the worm called the Tasar silk worm. The moth (zoological name- Antheraea paphia) belongs to the family Saturniidae. It is mostly found in India, China and Srilanka. This worm feeds on a number of plants such as oak (Quercus), Sal(Shorea), Fig (Ficus) etc. The cocoon of this month is very big and almost of the size of a hen’s egg. The surface of this cocoon is very hard and the silk threads are brown coloured. Originally the Tasar silk worm was not cultivated. Re­cently however cross breeds have been produced and the tasar silk worm has been domesticated.

Breeding of tasar silk worms is a very difficult process as the moths do not breed in captivity. In our country Bihar, Madhya pradesh, Uttar pradesh and Orissa produce tasar silk.

Muga silk:

This silk is produced from the worm Antheraea assama also belonging to the family Saturniidae. This worm originally belongs to Assam where it is cultivated on a sufficiently large scale. Muga silk is a cottage industry in Assam. The caterpillars of this moth feed on Machilus plant (Machilus bombycina).

Eri silk:

This is produced by the worm Attacus ricinii belonging to the family Satumiidae. This silk is mainly produced in East Asia. The silk worm feeds on leaves of the castor plant (Ricinus communis). The co­coons have the silk threads arranged in an irregular manner hence it has to be spun and cannot be reeled. The silk threads on the cocoon are very loose and glossy. But they are not as durable as mulberry silk.

In our country, Eri silk (also called Arandi silk) is produced in Bihar and Assam.

Oak silk:

This silk is produced from the worm Antheraea pernyi also belong to the family Satumiidae. It is found in China and Japan. This worm produces good quality silk.