New silkworm hybrids boost RP silk industry

Silkworm

The Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) has developed 10 new silkworm hybrids that would help the country's textile industry produce more quality silk fabrics and thus help it gain competitiveness in the global market.

PTRI is a government agency under the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) headed by Secretary Estrella Alabastro.

The PTRI's silkworm germplasm bank, the largest and oldest in the country, now has a total of 140 silkworm hybrids, seven of which are already in use. It said 10 more hybrids have been found to be commercially viable and ready for use.

"PTRI's silkworm genetic resources consist of a wide pool of bivoltine and sex-limited breeds producing white and yellow cocoons. Through PTRI's silkworm breeding and egg production research and development (R & D), the country's silk industry is assured of a stable supply of quality and adaptable silkworm hybrids," the institute said.

"Better silkworm hybrids that will be acclimatized to various Philippine conditions will further be done by the two PTRI Technology Centers located in Benguet and Misamis Oriental," it added.

For the past five years, Western Visayas and Luzon, particularly the Cordillera Administrative Region or CAR, Region I (Ilocos) and Region IV (Southern Luzon), have become the country's top producers of silk using PTRI's silkworm hybrids.

Silkworm egg is considered as the backbone of the silk industry since this material serves as seed for cocoon production and eventual raw silk/silk yarn production.

Silkworm cocoon

From 1992 to 2003, the Department of Agriculture's Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA) accounted for 41.26 percent of PTRI's silkworm egg distribution.

The Sericulture Research and Development Institute of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University accounted for 10.05 percent.

Just recently, PTRI served almost 100 percent of FIDA's silkworm egg requirement for its farmer cooperators.

PTRI also has a silk industry development program which aims to encourage farmers with large tracts of idle lands to develop them into sericulture model farms.

Sericulture is the production of raw silk by raising silkworms. The cultivation of silkworms began in China some 5,000 years ago.

At present, the silk industry accounts for $ 200 million to $ 500 million earnings annually.

A silkworm cocoon is made of a single thread or about 914 meters long. About 3,000 cocoons are needed to make a pound of silk.

At PTRI, silk is blended with natural fibers like abaca and banana in producing textile garments.