Iran produces over
900,000 mulberry cuttings to increase raw silk cocoon output

Some 922,000 mulberry
cuttings have been produced to cultivate silkworms and increase the output of
raw silk cocoons, according to the head of Iran Sericulture Expansion Center
affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry.

“This year, nearly
922,000 mulberry cuttings have been produced to harvest modified mulberry that
provide leaves upon which the worms feed and produce silkworm eggs,” Adeel
Sarvi Zargar said.

The cuttings have been
produced by mulberry plantations in the northern provinces of Gilan,
Mazandaran, and Golestan as well as Razavi Khorasan and Northern Khorasan.

The mulberry tree is the
only food source for the silkworm, and this worm is only able to produce cocoons
by consuming the leaves of this tree. Silk threads are produced from the cocoon
and the resulting fabric has many benefits because of its softness and
delicacy. This makes the cultivation of mulberry trees essential to
sericulture.

In addition to leaves,
the mulberry tree has fruits that contain sugar. These fruits are served both
dry and fresh. It is worth mentioning that the cultivation of this tree through
the germination of its seeds is not ideal and usually the seedling does not
possess the characteristics of the original plant. Unfortunately, most of the
mulberry trees in Iran are cultivated through seed germination.

In general, there are two
types of mulberries, white and black. Black mulberry trees are not suitable for
raising silkworms, but their seeds are used to graft seedlings of modified
species. As a result of this process, modified trees are cultivated that can
grow leaves several times a year for sericulture.