Recent advances in muga sericulture: rearing innovations, post-cocoon technologies, and climate-resilient approaches

Abstract

Muga silk, produced by the endemic silkworm Antheraea assamensis Helfer, is one of India’s most culturally valued and economically important wild silks, admired for its natural golden sheen and durability. Despite its heritage and livelihood significance, the sector continues to face challenges such as outdoor rearing, climate variability, host-plant stress, and disease outbreaks, while mechanization and standardized post-cocoon processing lag behind mulberry silk. Advances in rearing practices, including semi-controlled rearing, chawki houses, and molecular diagnostics for pebrine, have helped reduce mortality and improve crop stability. Post-cocoon developments like hot-air stifling, multi-end reeling, and eco-friendly finishing treatments have enhanced yarn recovery, uniformity, and value addition. Climate resilience efforts, such as improved host-plant propagation techniques, pollution-tolerance indices, and ecological niche modeling, offer strategies to mitigate environmental stress. However, gaps remain in mechanization adoption, genomic resources for Antheraea assamensis, and extension and policy support. Future priorities include mechanization trials validated under field conditions, functional genomics and breeding, integrated plant–insect research, socio-technical adoption studies, and stronger pathogen surveillance. Collectively, these directions highlight the pathway toward a more sustainable, scientifically advanced, and climate-resilient muga sericulture sector.