Ravi Kumara R.*1 and Sneha M.V.2
1Department of Sericulture Science, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.
2Silviculture and Forest Management Division, Institute of Wood Science & Technology,
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Email: chandraravi.seri4@gmail.com
Received-06.11.2022, Revised-17.11.2022, Accepted-29.11.2022
Abstract: Tasar sericulture is a forest-based “Vanya silk” industry, exclusively suited to the economy and social structure of developing countries because of its low minimum investment, which provides sustainable livelihoods to rural communities. The tasar sericulture holds great promise and needs to be given special attention to promote conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources. Tasar food plants play a major role in tasar silk production. The tropical tasar (Antheraea mylitta Drury) is a polyphagous in nature; it feeds over 51 species of host plants. These plants are classified as primary, secondary, and tertiary food plants based on their feeding preferences/rearing performance. The growth, development, and economic characteristics of silkworms are influenced to a great extent by the variety of food plants and the nutritive content of their foliage. Therefore, the primary objectives of the host plant breeding are to increase the leaf yield and quality with a fast-growing nature, along with drought tolerance, in addition to insect pest and disease resistance. The improvement of host plants through the collection, characterization, and evaluation of new germplasm accessions and the utilization of them in breeding programmes will help in improving the genetic base of the currently available host plants. Thus, the purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the primary host plants (Arjuna, Asan, Sal, and Queen’s crape myrtle) of the tropical tasar silkworm, including plant description, genetic resources, genetics, and breeding methods for improving higher foliage productivity for higher silk production.
Keywords: Arjuna, Asan, Host plant breeding, Queen’s crepe myrtle, Sal, Tasar silkworm
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