Automobile Exhaust Pollution:An Imperceptible Threat to Sericulture in Kashmir, India

Sericulture is an art as well as science of rearing of silkworms to produce fibre that has fascinated man over millennia. Although there are various species of silkworm that have been commercialized, Bombyx mori L. is the most commonly used and intensively studied. Sericulture in Kashmir has a glorious past, which is evident from the contexts of various religious and historical manuscripts like Rajatarangini of Kalhana, Ramayana and Mahabharata. Sericulture in Kashmir has played a pivotal role in the economy as it provides a source of livelihood to a sizeable section of the society. Owing to the highly conducive climatic conditions, Jammu and Kashmir is famous for the production of bivoltine silk of optimum quality.