Sericulture, or silk farming is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx moth( the caterpillar of the domesticated silk moth) is the most widely used and intensively studied silk moth. Silk was believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic period. Sericulture has become an important cottage industry in countries such as Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual production. Silkworms complete their life cycle in 4 different stages. The eggs, Larva, Pupa(Cocoon) and Adult.
A single cocoon yields 1000 feet of unbroken silk fiber. 454 gm silk is obtained from about 25000 cocoons. About 23 million kg of silk is produced every year in the world. For obtaining the commercial silk, the cocoon are treated with hot water or placed in hot oven to kill the pupa inside. The silk is unwounded from the cocoons and twisted into thread. Silk is used to prepare parachute, special type of tyre for cars, the outer cover of telephone wire, bulletproof vest etc.
