Key Health Challenges in Sericulture and How to Manage Them
We all love to wear clothes that are comfortable for us and does look great in terms of both design and fitting. One of the fabrics which are associated with being the best fabric for making clothes is silk. All the clothes that are intimate contact with your body, such as your garments are made from silk to give you the best level of comfort all day. But we use silk not only in our clothes but in other areas as well. Today we are going to discuss the method called sericulture which provides us with silk. On the other hand, we will also shed some light on the health problems that are related to sericulture method of farming.
The Complete Process of Sericulture
In simple words, you can say sericulture is farming of silk, if you want to produce silk, you first need to raise silkworms. Yes, just like sheep gives us wool we get silk from silkworms. The complete step by step process of how you get silk from silk form is written down below.
First, you get to farm silk moth, preferably, female silk moth as they comfortably lay hundreds of eggs each time.
After that, once the eggs are laid, you need to carefully store them in a cloth or a paper whatever suits your requirement and put them under proper hygiene and appropriate conditions such as temperature and humidity.
Now once the larvas are big enough, you need to place them on plants such as Mulberry so that they can eat its leaves.
These larvas will now be grown into silkworms which then molts, like spider the silkworm will push out silk fibre from himself to make the net stronger
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The worm distributes its saliva by moving his head information of ‘8.’
When the saliva of silkworm comes in contact with air, it solidifies itself to form what you called a silk thread.
Within 2-3 days the silkworm encloses itself in a cocoon made from silk fibre which is approximately more than 1Km. It makes the filament by spinning around itself.
Once the formation of cocoon takes place and farmer sees no addition in fibre, he takes off the cocoon from the leaves and places them in the boiling water.
As a result, the silk fibre gets cleaned and becomes disinfected, and the worm living inside of it dies.
To take the silk out from cocoon farmers brushes out the undamaged cocoon to find the endpoint of the filament.
The silk filaments which were then extracted would be then be reeled and ready for use.
Note:- Every 2500 silkworms will produce only 1.23 kgs of silk in 2-3 days and the worms have to be replaced to extract the silk from their cocoons.
Why Is Sericulture Important?
The method of producing silk in the farm is called sericulture, and it uses various natural resources to produce silk in a massive amount. Some of them are mulberry and silkworm rearing, also, once the cocoon is successfully formed, a farmer needs to do step by step post cocoon activities to extract the silk filament from the cocoon. In many countries, sericulture is the backbone to improve the economy of the country, as thousands of people are employed to its production cycle.
In rural areas people, it plays a vital role to provide people with a poverty programme. And they are making sure the individual doesn’t migrate from rural to urban regions. As a result, we see so many Asian countries like China, India, Thailand, Shri Lanka all these developing countries take sericulture seriously to provide employment opportunities to the people in a rural area.
Benefits of Sericulture
Not only does the sericulture provides us with silk, but it does have some by-products which can be used in a lot of ways. For example, the mulberry fruit is quite rich when it comes to having natural minerals and vitamins. In addition to this, several herbal medicines are being made from the roots and the branches of this tree.
Furthermore, the mulberry trees provide rural people with timber which is an excellent resistant to termites, so it is used for making sports equipment and toys for kids. The leaves on which silkworms make their cacoon are dried up and then used as a fueling agent to light up the fire for cooking and other activities.
Likewise, the silkworm pupae have a considerable amount of oil content, and the oil is used for manufacturing cosmetic materials and goods. Even after all this, some pupae remains it can be used as a feeder in poultry farms and fisheries as it contains protein which is suitable for both men and animals.
Health Problems Related To Sericulture
Sericulture uses various techniques which can be harmful to farmers, one by-product which is released during the rearing process is carbon monoxide that can cause skin allergies, irritation and respiratory problems.
Most of these farms run in rural areas where no strict rules for hygienic farming are followed. On the other hand, silkworms demand cleanness to multiply in high numbers. Due to unhygienic conditions, silkworms can have Grasseire and Flacheire as a disease.
Lastly, Formalin is used to disinfect the cocoon before starting the rearing process. Being carcinogen, Formalin can cause eye and nasal irritation.
FAQs on Sericulture and Health Problems Explained
1. What exactly is sericulture and why is it considered a part of the agricultural sector?
Sericulture is the scientific process of cultivating silkworms for the production of raw silk. It is considered an agro-based industry because it involves two distinct agricultural activities: first, growing mulberry plants to feed the silkworms, and second, the rearing of the worms themselves to harvest their cocoons. The entire process connects farming with fibre production.
2. What are the main steps involved in the process of sericulture, from farm to fibre?
The sericulture process involves several key stages:
- Mulberry Cultivation: Farmers grow mulberry plants, as the leaves are the sole food source for silkworms.
- Silkworm Rearing: Female silk moths lay eggs, which are hatched under controlled temperature and humidity. The larvae (caterpillars or silkworms) are then fed mulberry leaves for about 25-30 days until they are ready to spin their cocoons.
- Cocoon Harvesting and Reeling: Once the cocoons are formed, they are collected. To obtain a continuous silk thread, the cocoons are boiled or steamed. This process unfortunately kills the pupa inside but allows the single, long silk filament to be unwound, a step known as reeling.
3. What are the primary health problems and hazards faced by workers in the sericulture industry?
Workers in sericulture are exposed to several occupational health risks. The most common issues include:
- Respiratory Problems: Inhaling vapours and fumes from boiling cocoons can lead to respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis. Poor ventilation in rearing houses also contributes to this.
- Skin Infections: Constant handling of silkworms, their waste, and dipping hands in hot water during reeling can cause skin allergies, blisters, and infections.
- Musculoskeletal Issues: Standing or sitting in one position for long hours while sorting cocoons or reeling silk often leads to back pain, arthritis, and other joint problems.
- Hearing Damage: The noise from spinning and reeling machinery in factories can cause hearing impairment over time.
4. How do the health risks in the initial sericulture stage (worm rearing) differ from those in the final silk weaving stage?
The health risks are quite different at each stage. In sericulture (rearing and reeling), the hazards are primarily biological and process-related. Workers deal with live organisms, their waste, and the steam from boiling cocoons, leading to respiratory and skin infections. In contrast, the silk weaving industry involves more mechanical and chemical hazards. Workers are exposed to fibre dust from looms, loud noises, and potentially harmful chemical dyes used for colouring the fabric, which can cause different types of allergies and respiratory issues.
5. Why is managing the health of the silkworms themselves just as important as protecting the human workers?
Managing silkworm health is critical for the economic viability of sericulture. Silkworms are highly susceptible to diseases like Pebrine (a protozoan disease) and Flacherie (a bacterial infection). Because they are reared in large, dense populations, these diseases can spread rapidly and wipe out an entire crop of silkworms in a very short time. An epidemic can lead to zero cocoon production, resulting in a total financial loss for the farmer. Therefore, maintaining strict hygiene and monitoring for disease is fundamental to a successful harvest.
6. Beyond health concerns, what other major challenges can affect the growth of sericulture?
While health problems are a significant concern, the sericulture industry faces other challenges as well. These include economic instability from fluctuating silk prices, high dependency on the success of mulberry crops which are vulnerable to climate change, and stiff competition from cheaper, more durable artificial fibres like nylon and rayon. Additionally, a lack of modern technology and skilled labour in some regions can hinder production efficiency and quality.
7. Can the health risks associated with sericulture be effectively minimised?
Yes, many of the health risks in sericulture can be significantly reduced with proper safety measures. Key preventive steps include using personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves, ensuring rearing and reeling houses are well-ventilated to disperse fumes, and using ergonomically designed workstations to reduce physical strain. Regular health check-ups and awareness programs for workers can also play a vital role in minimising occupational hazards.
