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CHINA IS THE ORIGIN OF SERICULTURE.

HISTORY

CHINESE LADY NAMED HSI-LING-SHIH INVENTED MYSTERY OF SILKWORM COCOONS ACCIDENTALY. IT IS SAID THAT SILK IS DISCOVERED BEFORE 3000 B.C. ART OF SILK PRODUCTION WAS A SECRET UPTO 200 B.C. ( FOR ABOUT 2800 YEARS ) TRADING OF SILK WAS THROUGH THE SILK ROAD AT THAT TIME. BY ABOUT 300 AD SERICULTURE HAD SPREAD TO INDIA FROM KOREA. IN 1857, WORLD SERICULTURE INDUSTRY SUFFERED FROM PEBRINE DISEASE. THIS ALMOST DESTROYED EUROPIAN SERICULTURE INDUSTRY.

Silk was exported along the Silk Road (the ancient trade route linking China and the Roman Empire). This trade brought China a great wealth, but the Chinese did not give away the secret on how silk was produced

Though India is the second largest silk producer in the World after China, it accounts for just 5% of the global silk market, since the bulk of Indian silk thread and silk cloth are consumed domestically.

Germany is the largest consumer of Indian silk.

The sericulture industry is landbased as silk worm rearing involves over 700,000 farm families and is concentrated in the three Southern states of Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. (The states of Assam and West Bengal are also involved in the industry to a certain extent). It is the only one cash crop in agriculture sector that gives returns within 30 days According to some Indian scholars silkworms (Bombyx mori) were first domesticated in the foothills of the Himalayas. Evidences in ancient Sanskrit literature reveals that certain kind of wild silks were cultivated in India from time immemorial.

WORLD RAW SILK PRODUCTION STATISTICS (in MT)

CONTRY

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

% SHARE

CHINA
INDIA JAPAN BRAZIL KOREA UZBEKISTAN THAILAND

64567
17531 431 1485 157 1260 1510

68600
16319 394 1607 154 1260 1510

94600
15742 287 1563 150 950 1500

102560
16500 263 1512 150 950 1420

105360
17305 150 1285 150 950 1420

130000
18475 150 1387 150 950 1080

10842 0
18320 150 1220 150 950 760

82.62
13.96 0.11 0.93 0.11 0.72 0.58

VIETNAM OTHERS
TOTAL

2035 1692
90488

2200 3814
95858

750 1500
117042

750 1500
125605

750 1500
128870

750 1000
153942

750 500
13122 0

0.57 0.38
_

PRODUCTION OF RAW SILK IN INDIA

YEAR 2001-02 2002-03

MULB SILK 15842 14617

VANYA SILK 1509 1702

TOTAL
20000

17351 16319

18000 16000 14000 12000

2003-04
2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

13970
14620 15445 16525

1772
1880 1860 1950

15742
16500 17305 18475

10000 8000 6000 4000

2000
0

2007-08
2008-09(P)

16245
15600

2075
2760

18320
18360
MULB SILK VANYA SILK

Raw silk Export in INDIA

Year 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09(P) (Figure in Rs. Crore)* 1060.16 1250.55 1755.55 2421.98 2359.56 2294.05 2779.19 2879.56 3194.20 3338.35 2727.87 2370.61
P : Provisional data for April to December period * Including silk carpets and silk RMG.

SOURCE:-Central Silk Board Updated on: 13-05-09

18 December 2013

Common name

Scientific name

family

Main host

Mulbery silk worm

Eri silk worm (domesticated)

Bombyx mori
Phylosamia ricini

bombycidae
saturnidae saturnidae

mulberry
castor castor

Eri silk worm (wild) Pylosamia synthia

Chiness tassar silk worm (wild)

Antheraea perni

saturnidae
saturnidae

Oak & other allied species

Oak & other allied species terminalia Som(michillis bombicina)
18 December 2013

Japaness tassar silk Antheraea worm(wild) yamamai Indian tassar silk worm (wild) Muga silk worm
8

Antheraea mylitta Antheraea assama

saturnidae saturnidae

Scientific classification Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Genus: Species: Animalia Arthropoda Insecta Lepidoptera Bombycidae Bombyx B. mori Binomial name Bombyx mori

Host plant is mulbery plant

18 December 2013

THE YARN OF SILK.

Silk fibre Silk is protein fibre It consists of solidified viscous fluid excreted from the glands of silk worm When the silk worm is matured it consists large number of these glands . The liquid comes out from each gland in the form of fine stream As soon as it comes in contact with air it is solidified in the form of fine filament. The filaments are wrapped in the oval shape due to spinning of the silk worm during the excretion of the fluid . This is known as silk cacoon in which silk silk worm eventually get enclosed

Silk cocoon
One Coccon may contain 300 meters of silk multi filament 1000 cocoons may be required to get 100 gm of silk filament yarn. The spinning of cocoon takes 304 days When it is complete the silk worm get converted into pupa which remains inside the cocoon The silk filament is surrounded by ntural gum known as silk gum Both silk and gum are proteins Seracin Silk gum protein Fibroin Silk fibre protein Seracin is more amorphous and easily attacked by chemicals

Silk Varieties
Mulberry silk Tussar silk Eri Muga Category Cultivated silk (Mulberry) Wild silk (Tussar, Eri, Muga) Indian states Karnataka, Madya pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand Countries China, India, Japan, Thialand Most expensive fibre Queen fibre Luxurious feel and shine

Silk composition
Mulberry silk Fibroin 70-75% Sericine 25-30% Waxy substances 2-3% Natural colours 1-1.5% Mineral matter 0.5-1% Added impurities Lubricants and softener used during weaving and oil stains

TYPES OF SILK FABRIC

Chiffon

Often the lightest weight and most diaphanous of the silks, Chiffon is also the most see-through. It creates the "billows" of fabric that add dimension to garments, but generally requires some kind of lining or backing unless it's used for scarves.
China Silk China silk is a lightweight, sheer, plain-weave fabric. It's sometimes referred to as habutai, or habotai, or pongee. It is one of the less expensive and more commonly available silk fabrics. Habotai can often be found as light as 5 mm and as heavy as 12 mm. Most of our scarves are made of 8 mm Habotai. When purchasing for clothing construction, or purchasing ready-made clothing, this fabric is not recommended for fitted garment styles because the seams will tear from the stress.

Crepe de Chine Crepe de chine is a lightweight fabric made by twisting some fibers clockwise and others counterclockwise. The twisted fibers are then woven in a plain-weave fabric, but it's the twisted fibers, not the weave, that gives crepe its distinctive "pebbly" look and feel rather than a shiny luster. Both sides of the fabric look and feel the same. Our drawstring pouches and some of our larger scarves are made of Crepe de Chine, often in the 12mm to 15mm range. When purchasing ready-made clothing or considering this fabric for sewing, avoid using it in tailored styles because the fabric is too soft to hold a structured shape.

Charmeuse

Generally, when we think of traditional silk, this is the fabric we have in mind. The back of the fabric is a flattened crepe while the front is a shimmery satin weave. Charmeuse has even more drape than crepe de chine and works well for scarves, blouses and lingerie. Occasionally we will offer scarves in Charmeuse.
Jacquard

Jacquard silks offer various woven patterns, using matte and reflective threads to create a light and dark effect in the fabric. This effect is similar to brocade, although the Jacquard is originally created in one color. These are generally heavier weight and more densely woven. Patterns are often florals and paisleys. This added dimension (pattern) makes this fabric perfect for abstract for free-form dyeing. Our Envelope Pouches are made from Jacquard, as are some of our Cell Phone and Glass Cases.

Douppioni

Douppioni is a plain-weave fabric with slubbed ribs. It has a stiff, taffeta-like hand and is usually dyed in bright co Douppioni is often made into elegant evening gowns or semi-fitted vests and garments.

It's often recommended that douppioni be drycleaned to resist abrasions. However, as with most silk, you can generally wash douppioni with positive results. Just be sure to serge the raw edges first to prevent raveling. Washing will make the fabric lose some of its stiffness, which may be your preference, and the color will soften as the excess dye is washed away.

Noil

Silk noil is made from the short fibers left after combing and carding so it doesn't shine like many other silk fabrics. Noil looks similar to cotton, but has the soft feel of silk against the skin. It also drapes better than cotton and resists wrinkling, so it's the perfect choice when traveling. It can be machine washed on gentle and dried on low, but this will cause a faded, "weathered" look. If you prefer bright colors, dry-clean or hand wash.
Raw silk

Raw silk is any silk yarn or fabric that hasn't had the sericin - the natural "gum" that protects the fiber - removed. The fabric is stiff and dull and the sericin tends to attract dirt and odors.

Tussah

Tussah silk, often called shantung, is made from the cocoons of wild tussah silk worms who eat oak and juniper leaves their "natural" food. Because the worm isn't grown in a controlled environment, the moth hatches from the cocoon thus interrupting the filament length and making the fibers short and coarse instead of long and lustrous. Tussah silk is difficult to dye and to most often available in its natural color, a creamy tan. Because of its irregular slubs and the fact that it ravels easily, tussah should be dry-cleaned. It is a good choice for traveling as it doesn't wrinkle easily.
Shantung

Once made from hand-reeled tussah silk, today's shantung is usually made with cultivated silk warp yarns and heavier douppioni filling yarns. Depending on the filling yarn, shantung may be lustrous or dull. It has a firm, semi-crisp hand and tends to ravel, so avoid close-fitting styles.

Silk is obtained from silkworms. The rearing of silkworms for obtaining silk is called sericulture.

b) Life history of silk moth :The female silk moth lays eggs which hatch into larvae called caterpillars or silk worms. The larva feeds on mulberry leaves and grows in size. Then it secretes fibers made of protein and weaves the fibres around itself completely and forms pupa. This covering is called cocoon. The pupa then develops into a young silk moth. Silk yarn (thread) is obtained from the cocoon of the silk moth. The most common silk moth is the mulberry silk moth.

Silk moths

Male

Female

Mulberry tree

5) From cocoon to silk :Silk moths are reared and their cocoons are collected to get silk yarns (threads). a) Rearing of silkworms :- The female silk moth lays eggs. The eggs are warmed to a suitable temperature.The eggs hatch into larvae called caterpiller or silk worms. The silkworms are kept in bamboo trays and feeds on mulberry leaves and grows in size. After 30 to 40 days the silk worms stop eating and begins to spin cocoons. Inside the cocoon the silk worm develops into silk moth. b) Processing of silk :- The cocoons are collected and kept in sunlight or boiled or exposed to steam. The silk fibres separate out. The process of taking out the fibres from the cocoons is called reeling. Reeling is done by machines. The silk fibres are then spun into threads and woven into silk cloth.