Silkworm Production with Dedicated Feed Instead of Mulberry Leaves... Rural Development Administration: "Transforming Sericulture into an Advanced Bioindustry"

Development of the "Silkworm Smart Production System Based on Dedicated Feed"
Integration of Breeding Automation Devices, Dedicated Feed, and Feed-Customized Variety Breeding Technologies

The Rural Development Administration has developed a production system based on dedicated feed to increase silkworm productivity. By switching from mulberry leaves, which are difficult to harvest year-round, to dedicated feed that can be supplied stably regardless of the season, productivity can be significantly improved.

On the 29th, the Rural Development Administration announced that it has developed the "Silkworm Smart Production System Based on Dedicated Feed," which integrates technologies such as automated breeding devices, dedicated feed, and the development of feed-customized silkworm varieties.

Seong Jehun, Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences at the Rural Development Administration, explained the "Silkworm Smart Production System Based on Dedicated Feed" on the 29th at the Government Complex Sejong. Rural Development Administration

The domestic sericulture industry has faced difficulties due to the seasonal dependence on mulberry leaf breeding, the aging rural population leading to a labor shortage, and the shrinking area for mulberry cultivation. As a result, the number of sericulture farms has decreased by 38% over the past six years. However, the amount of silkworms raised per household has increased, showing a clear trend toward specialization and scaling up.

Seong Jehoon, Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences at the Rural Development Administration, explained, "Red silkworms made from mature silkworms have scientifically proven benefits, including the prevention of dementia, improvement of fatty liver, and enhancement of immunity, which is leading to rising demand. However, it is difficult to continuously meet this demand with the current production methods, which is why we have developed this smart production system."

The silkworm breeding automation device consists of three components: the automatic supply of breeding boxes, automatic feeding of dedicated feed, and automatic removal of breeding by-products. Previously, tasks such as harvesting and feeding mulberry leaves and removing by-products had to be carried out manually several times a day. With this device, these repetitive tasks can be handled automatically. The automation device will undergo field testing in 2027 and is scheduled for full-scale distribution as part of a new technology pilot project in 2028.

To operate the automation device throughout the year, it is essential to have feed that can be supplied stably regardless of the season, instead of mulberry leaves, which are difficult to harvest year-round. As the cultivation area for mulberry used for feed in Korea continues to decrease, it is difficult to maintain a stable feed supply using only mulberry leaves.

The dedicated feed developed this time is based on mulberry leaf powder and blended with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, tailored to the silkworm's growth stages. Silkworms raised with the dedicated feed showed results that were similar to or even better than those raised with mulberry leaves in terms of key traits such as the weight of mature silkworms. This confirms that it is possible to produce silkworms of suitable quality for red silkworm production even without mulberry leaves.

In particular, the Rural Development Administration expects that the dedicated feed can be flexibly used either together with the automation device or on its own, depending on the farm’s conditions, and that this will greatly enhance farm productivity.

To maximize the effectiveness of the automation device and dedicated feed, a customized silkworm variety that excels at consuming dedicated feed is necessary. The Rural Development Administration has selected and bred 10 superior lines suitable for breeding with dedicated feed. Among them, one experimental variety was selected that has a breeding period about three days shorter than existing varieties and has a higher protein content. This shorter breeding period increases the annual breeding cycle, and the higher protein content ensures quality as a functional health food ingredient. This variety will complete development this year, with silkworm egg multiplication planned for 2027, and distribution to farms scheduled for 2028.

Director Seong stated, "The automation device, dedicated feed, and customized varieties developed this time are not independent technologies, but are all connected through the 'Silkworm Smart Production System Based on Dedicated Feed.' Based on this, we aim to transform the traditional sericulture industry into an advanced bioindustry and foster it as a future growth industry that young farmers can participate in."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.