Breeding for mulberry improvement: A review

Abstract

Sericulture, the art of raising silkworms, plays a great role for livelihood support in parts of southern Karnataka, particularly in the districts of Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Mysore, and Ramanagaram, as well as in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Assam. Among all the species of silkworm, Bombyx mori is the most commercially raised silkworm for raw silk production which depends on mulberry as a host plant. Mulberry is a perennial plant that grows quickly with deep root system and produces a lot of biomasses. In addition to its usage in sericulture, the leaf extract is recognized to have significant therapeutic effects. Yield of mulberry leaves is contributed by three key elements such as superior variety, package of practices and integrated pest control. Although many mulberry genotypes can be grown commercially, there is a need to produce mulberry varieties that are suitable for a given region and for both rainfed and irrigated environments. The development of genotypes with inherent resistance to pests and diseases is essential, as chemical control is not practicable. The genetic improvement methods include conventional breeding through hybridization and selection, mutagenesis, molecular approaches including markers, and genetic engineering. Development of improved varieties of mulberry is the key to support sericulture farmers.