Silk from cashew pest can boost income

Cashew farmers can boost their income by supplying Cricula trifenestrata, a minor pest found in plantations, for silk production, according to the Kerala Agricultural University.

Cricula trifenestrata, a moth, is an occasional defoliator of cashew.

A team of scientists with the KAU's Cashew Research Station at Madakkathara, led by Gavas Rajesh, has found that the moths are found

in large numbers in cashew plantations in Kannur district.

Prelimimary tests conducted by the Silk Mark Organisation of India and the Central Silk Board reveal that silk threads made from cocoons of Cricula trifenestrata are of a high quality, scientists say.

Moth larvae, or caterpillars, make cocoons. The caterpillars are dark grey with red oral claspers. Their segments are separated by dark

brown rings, and they grow to a length of 5 cm. On completing the larval phase, the caterpillar makes a cocoon of golden yellow silk.

The cocoon is found on the stem, branches or leaves of cashew trees. The moth lays its eggs in a neat row along the outer edge of the

cashew leaf.

Wild silks are referred to in the country as ‘Vanya' silks. Tasar, Muga and Eri are the popular Vanya varieties. “Cricula too can be a Vanya silk source,” Dr. Rajesh says.

He and Gregory Zacharia had won the Best Presentation Award at the First International Symposium on Cashew held in Madurai recently by the International Society for Horticultural Sciences and the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/kerala/article2850960.ece