My prime question through (and perhaps to many others who have no idea about sericulture) was, "why mulberry leaves only"?  The leaves of the mulberry are the only food for silkworms.  To satisfy my quest for knowledge in sericulture and to prove my worth to my new colleagues who are pioneers in sericulture, I read and read books on sericulture.  Then I gradually learned its ins and outs.  In my readings, the compositions of mulberry leaves are very special to silkworms.  The protein contents stimulate their silk glands to produce the silk.  This would be enough answer for me not considering the physiological and other complicated metabolic processes that intricately answer my query.

Mulberry leaves are traditionally used as food for silkworms.  Not until China and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) based in Rome had intensified their researches as forage for ruminants.  Results for their researches show that mulberry leaves have high protein, good essential amino acids, have low fiber content and with high palatability and digestibility (70-90%).  Mineral content is high and no anti-nutritional factors or toxic compounds have been identified.  In terms of digestible nutrients, mulberry produces more than most traditional forages.  From these results, it is inferred that mulberry leaves can be used as supplements replacing concentrates for dairy cattle, as the main feed for goats, sheep and rabbits and as ingredients in monogastric diets.

SRDI has opened its door to the use of mulberry leaves as forage.  And why not, its perennial problem is on stray animals like goat and cows that devour the Institute's mulberries with much gusto!  So aside from producing silk threads,  it is worthwhile to note then that diversifying  into sericulture-related activities could be beneficial to the agriculture sector,  especially to small, medium and large-scale entrepreneurs who are into raising ruminants.

As a matter of fact, a young entrepreneur, Jeffrey Lim, who owns the JSJ Goat farm, a breeding farm of Anglo-Nubian and Boer goats in Gerona, Tarlac read the June-August (2005) issues of this magazine featuring an article on sericulture.  He visited the institute last August 5, 2005.  His intention really was not to engage in sericulture but on mulberry as forage.  He knew mulberry was good for his goats and was searching for his source of mulberry cuttings.  We was glad with the information provided by this magazine.  He then ordered 5,000 mulberry saplings good for ¼ ha of land as his initial plantation.  With the fear that his interest on mulberries will subside,  I called him a week after his visit and offered him cuttings instead because saplings at the institute will only be available after 3-4 months.  On September 1, 2005, he picked-up his cuttings and was given a demonstration on sapling production if he intends to prepare such and the proper way of directly planting the cuttings in the field.  He was also given the usual round to the institute's rearing houses where he witnessed actual rearing of mature silkworm larvae.

Furthermore, the National Economic Development Authority in Region I (NEDA-I) even asked the institute's data on the areas, preferably marginal lands, in the region suitable for mulberry as source of forage.  Also, the NEDA director general emphasized the importance of mulberry leaves considering the nutritional value, which may be used as substitute for expensive concentrates.  Its potential as forage is now gradually emerging.

By Elizabeth P. Obra, DMMMSU, Bacnotan, La Union

BEFORE I WAS ACCEPTED as associate researcher of the Sericulture Research and Development Institute (SRDI) based at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Bacnotan, La Union.  I had a limited knowledge on sericulture.  And each day that I enter the institute's door, I became fascinated with the wonders of how these species of crawling organisms undergo metamorphosis to form the cocoons, which are processed into thread, and eventually into silk fabric, the queen of textiles.

Farmers in sericulture could augment their income by producing mulberry cuttings and samplings.  Instead of throwing away the branches from which the leaves have been taken for silkworm rearing, these could be prepared into cuttings and saplings that can be sold to future seri-farmers, as well as individuals who wish to establish mulberry plantations for forage purposes.  Production costs of a pencil-size mulberry cutting and 3-4 month old sapling are P0.15 and P1.56, respectively.  Selling price (pick-up) are P0.25 per cutting and P2 per sapling.

Studies at SRDI reveal that with proper maintenance, an approximately one-year old mulberry plant yields an average of 20 cuttings.  A ¼ ha land with 4,000 mulberry plants can produce 80,000 cuttings.  Pruning could be done twice to produce the cuttings in one year.  Therefore, 160,000 cuttings could be prepared.  A gross sales of P40,000 in a year maybe generated, less the production costs, P24,000 the net income will be P16,000, not a bad additional income for a year.  Sapling production could generate net income of approximately P70,400 (assuming that all 160,000 prepared cuttings had survived to become saplings.)

At SRDI, mulberry as forage brings new opportunities for research and income generating project.  For livestock raisers, they my try mulberry leaves as forage.  For your cutting and sapling requirements, please contact the director of SRDI at telefax no.    (072-242-5633).