Mulberry

Mulberry is grown for its leaves and its fruit. In sericulture, mulberry is cultivated intensively, often as low bushes or coppiced trees, and pruned repeatedly to yield abundant tender leaves for feeding silkworms. Fruit production, by contrast, favors tree forms of fruiting types such as black mulberry.

Beyond silk and fruit, mulberry leaves are used as livestock fodder, and the tree serves in agroforestry, shade, and soil-conservation roles. Its fast growth and tolerance of pruning make it well suited to repeated leaf harvest.

Family

Moraceae (fig and mulberry family)

Genus

Morus

Principal species

Morus alba (white, for silkworm rearing), M. nigra (black, for fruit), and M. rubra (red)

Growth habit

Fast-growing deciduous tree or shrub that tolerates heavy pruning and coppicing; bears aggregate berries

White mulberry originated in eastern Asia and has been cultivated for silk production in China for thousands of years, spreading with sericulture across Asia and into Europe. Black mulberry is associated with western Asia, and red mulberry with North America. Mulberry is now grown widely for silk, fruit, and fodder.

Statistics on cultivated area for fruit and for sericulture are compiled by FAO and national agencies and should be consulted directly for current figures.

Mulberry is highly adaptable, growing across temperate, subtropical, and tropical climates. Temperate types are deciduous and winter-hardy, while in warm climates growth and leaf production can continue over a longer season, supporting multiple silkworm rearings per year.

Leaf yield and quality, which are critical for silkworm rearing, depend on temperature, moisture, and management, and are favored by warm, moist growing conditions.

Mulberry grows on a wide range of soils but is most productive on deep, fertile, well-drained loams and alluvial soils with good moisture-holding capacity. It tolerates a range of pH but is sensitive to prolonged waterlogging.

Mulberry is propagated readily from cuttings and also by grafting for fruiting types. For sericulture, plants are established at high density and trained as bushes or coppiced trees, then pruned on a regular cycle to stimulate the flush of tender leaves used for feeding.

• Propagation from cuttings, with grafting used for selected fruiting cultivars
• Training as bushes or coppice for intensive leaf production in sericulture
• Regular pruning to stimulate tender, high-quality leaf flushes
• Weed, moisture, and nutrient management to sustain repeated leaf harvests

Intensive leaf harvesting removes substantial nutrients, so mulberry grown for sericulture has significant nitrogen demand to sustain leaf production and quality, alongside phosphorus and potassium. Organic matter is widely used to maintain fertility.

Mulberry grown intensively for leaf benefits from consistent moisture to maintain rapid regrowth after each harvest, and irrigation is common in sericulture regions with a dry season. Fruit-oriented and fodder plantings are often grown under rain-fed conditions.

Powdery mildew, leaf spots, and root rots affect mulberry, and leaf diseases are of particular concern in sericulture because leaf quality directly affects silkworm health. Good sanitation and pruning help manage foliar disease.

Aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, thrips, and mites infest the foliage. In sericulture, pest and disease management is complicated by the need to avoid residues that could harm silkworms, so cultural methods and careful, silkworm-safe practices are emphasized.

For sericulture, mulberry leaves are harvested by picking leaves or cutting leafy shoots on a schedule matched to silkworm rearing cycles. Fruit is harvested when fully colored and ripe; because the soft berries are highly perishable and stain readily, they are handled gently and used or processed quickly.

• Leaves as the essential food of silkworms, underpinning silk production
• Berries eaten fresh and made into juices, preserves, and dried fruit
• Leaves and prunings used as nutritious livestock fodder
• Tree used in agroforestry, shade, windbreaks, and soil conservation