Silk is a highly valued natural fibre which is increasing in demand around the world.
Following the positive assessment for Australia to develop a commercial silk industry (Dingle, RIRDC Publication No 00/56), this project assessed the quality of the silkworm and mulberry plant resources available in sub-tropical Australia and developed improved silkworm varieties, methods that enabled year-round availability of silkworms and mulberry leaves and improved mulberry harvesting machinery.
The report reviews information already known about sericulture and moriculture and provides details of the methods that were used in the research and development work. The project was successful in identifying more productive varieties of silkworm and mulberry, in developing a Bt tolerant strain of silkworm and in developing methods of hatching silkworm eggs at any time of the year and of efficiently growing, harvesting and preserving mulberry leaves.