Contents: Introduction, Cultivation of Mulberry for Seed Crop, Silkworm and its Races, Disinfection and Hygiene, Seed Production, Oviposition and Egg Preservation, Diapause and Hatching, Seed Crop Rearing, Hybrid Vigour and Heritability, Silkworm Diseases and Pests.

This book is the first comprehensive compilation of current knowledge on mulberry (Morus L.) covering botany, cytogenetics, biodiversity, genetics and breeding, tissue culture and genetic transformation, biotic and abiotic stresses, molecular mapping, QTL identification, whole genome sequencing and elucidation on functional genomics. As mulberry is one of the most economically important trees in Asian countries, it has attracted the attention of both academicians as well as industrialists. Being highly heterozygous due to long juvenile life coupled cross pollination among species, the genetics of this important crop species is yet to be unravelled. Nonetheless, the recent success of sequencing the genomes of haploid and diploid domesticated species has ushered in an era of intense molecular and genetic research to understand this crop well for its better utilization for mankind. In this book, efforts have been made to bring together key information on origin and distribution, taxonomy, morphological features, economic importance, abiotic stress responses, disease and pest resilience, current breeding strategies and their constraints, progress and prospects of gene mapping, elucidation of genes controlling metabolic and physiological pathways, and their utilization in crop improvement which are elaborated in about 250 pages over 13 chapters authored by globally leading experts on the species presented. This book is useful to the sericulture community in the world in general and students, teachers, and scientists in the academia for forage and fruit production, genetics, breeding, pathology, entomology, physiology, molecular genetics, in vitro culture and genetic engineering, and structural and functional genomics. This book is also useful to seed and biofuel industries.

Great progress has been made in the past decade in the field of sericulture research. Sericulture technique covering various aspects has also advanced greatly. Like agriculture, sericulture, as an industry, requires greater development in research and technology aimed at increased production. This text covers the complete range of subjects with current data relating to mulberry and silkworm. Particular emphasis has been laid on the basic aspects of stable crop of silkworm and various preventive measures against adverse factors. Topics covered include the sericulture industry and its future; mulberry cultivation; silkworm and its strains; silkworm eggs; morphology, physiology, ecology and genetics of the silkworm; diseases of silkworms; rearing of silkworms; cocoon; silkmoth and egg production; and utility of byproducts.

Despite being the biggest group of organisms inhabiting Earth in both diversity and sheer numbers, insects are barely commercialized. Most of the standard textbooks of applied entomology talk about insect pest management, and when it comes to commercial aspects of insects, only apiculture, sericulture, and lac culture are talked about. This book will help bring other commercial uses of insects and their economic potential to the fore. This will generate interest in further research on the commercial potential of insects, thereby harnessing a much-found resource. The book has the following salient features: 1. Encompasses all major aspects of beneficial and commercial insects. 2. Deals with edible insects and mass culture of natural enemies and beneficial insects. 3. Emphasis on the mass cultivation of beneficial insects for obtaining yields. 4. Discusses stingless bees and their products. 5. Helps to solve the problem of food scarcity and improve food security.