ABSTRACT
The tropical tasar silkworm growing area forms a distinct belt of humid and dense forests of Terminalia arjuna and T. tomentosa, sprawling over the central and southern plateau of India, covering the traditional states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha and touching the fringes of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Primary and predominant food plants of tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta, are arjun (Terminalia arjuna), sal (T. tomentosa), saj (Shorea robusta), T. crenulata, and ber (Zizyphus jujuba). Tropical tasar silkworms yield silk called vanya silk or, more precisely, tasar silk. The total vanya silk production increased to 9879 MT in 2021, of which 33% was tasar silk compared with 64% and 3% eri and muga silks, respectively. Tasar silk production decreased in the country during 2020–2021 due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tasar silk is rugged in appearance and texture and lustrous with a natural amber colour. The tasar silk insect passes through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Since the silkworms are reared under natural field conditions, the life stages are influenced by the climatic conditions. There exist bivoltine and trivoltine tasar silk eco-races that complete two or three cycles in a year, respectively, and their cocoons undergo hibernation for seven to eight months and four to five months, respectively. At the onset of monsoon, the adult emerges, and immediately after three to four days of mating, the female lays eggs; then, the eggs hatch, and a new cycle begins. The monsoon cycle is short, and the cocoons obtained from the first cycle are used for grainage to obtain second and third crop cycles. The third cycle is longer and produces large and good-quality cocoons that are sold in the cocoon market. Tasar silkworm rearing is the main occupation of tribal populations living outside the buffer zone and in deep forests. They are mostly dependent on the allocation of forest land for the rearing of silkworms to earn their livelihoods. The cocoons are also directly purchased by government agencies to obtain eggs for subsequent generations. Cocoon producers reel the cocoons using traditional methods or using machines at the reeling centres. The raw silk yarn is then sold either to handloom weavers or to the industries. The silk yarn is then twisted, dyed and processed for fabric weaving using handloom or power looms.
