SRINAGAR: In a significant breakthrough for temperate sericulture in India, the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSB–CSR and TI), Pampore, has developed and released the country’s first mulberry variety specifically designed for commercial cultivation in temperate and cooler climatic conditions.
Named CPP-01 (PPR-1), the variety was formally dedicated to the nation by Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh at a function in Bengaluru on September 20, organised to commemorate the 77th Foundation Day of the Central Silk Board.
The development is expected to address longstanding challenges in mulberry cultivation in Kashmir and other temperate sericulture regions of North India, particularly those related to vegetative propagation, post-winter sprouting and timely availability of quality mulberry foliage for silkworm rearing.
Developed through a sustained mulberry breeding, characterisation, selection and field-evaluation programme supported by the Central Silk Board under the Ministry of Textiles, CPP-01 (PPR-1) has been tailored to the specific agro-climatic requirements of temperate and cooler regions.
The variety has demonstrated good rooting ability, early sprouting following winter dormancy, favourable leaf nutritional quality and improved leaf yield. It is also suited to high-bush and tree-type mulberry cultivation systems commonly practised in several sericulture regions of North India.
One of its most significant advantages is its rooting success of more than 90 per cent through stem cuttings, a characteristic that could substantially simplify the production of planting material and improve the efficiency of mulberry propagation.
The development assumes particular importance in Kashmir, where Goshoerami, an exotic mulberry variety introduced from Japan during the 1970s, has remained a leading variety for temperate sericulture. However, its relatively poor rooting ability through stem cuttings and delayed sprouting after winter dormancy have made vegetative propagation cumbersome and time-consuming.
These limitations can also delay the availability of quality mulberry foliage during spring, affecting the timely initiation of silkworm rearing.
In contrast, CPP-01 (PPR-1) has demonstrated earlier post-winter sprouting than Goshoerami, potentially enabling earlier foliage establishment and better synchronisation of mulberry leaf availability with spring silkworm rearing.
The combination of improved rooting, early sprouting and favourable leaf production is expected to strengthen the mulberry-based production system in temperate regions, while making the cultivation process more efficient for sericulture farmers.
The institute said the development of a commercial mulberry variety involves a long-term scientific process, including successive stages of breeding, characterisation, selection, field evaluation and multi-location testing.
The research programme involved contributions from scientists and teams at different stages. Dr Shamim Baksh, Scientist and Breeder, initiated the breeding work and laid the foundation for the variety’s development.
Dr Aftab Ahmad Shabnam and his team subsequently contributed to its characterisation, evaluation and selection through successive field assessments, leading to its recognition at the regional level.
The variety was later subjected to national-level evaluation by Dr Pawan Saini and his team under the All India Co-ordinated Experimental Trials for Mulberry (AICEM-IV), contributing to its wider scientific assessment.
The institute acknowledged the contributions of all researchers and teams involved in the development and evaluation of CPP-01 (PPR-1), describing the release as the outcome of sustained scientific efforts.
With its climate-specific traits and commercial cultivation potential, the new variety marks a significant step towards strengthening temperate sericulture in Kashmir and other cooler regions of North India, where the availability of suitable mulberry varieties remains central to improving leaf production and supporting silkworm rearing.
