Elucidation of Source - Sink Relationship in Mulberry (Morus spp.)

Sericulture is essentially an agro-based industry, and it has been practiced for ages, particularly in China and India. However, the industry has taken a back seat due to stiff competition with other agricultural crops. In order to make sericulture more remunerative and withstand this competition, value addition through fruit processing is a viable option. The fruit-bearing cultivars of mulberry can be effectively manipulated to sustain silkworm rearing while being simultaneously used to yield quality mulberry fruit. This will be a key factor in boosting the income of silkworm rearers and will transform sericulture from a household occupation to a vibrant commercial activity, opening a new vista of opportunities to the farmer community. The first step towards achieving this crop diversification is to understand the phenology and interaction between sources and sink in mulberry. By elucidating the flow of assimilates between sources (photosynthetic tissues) and sinks (non-photosynthetic tissues), the present article is an attempt to illuminate how this phenomenon can be harnessed to make sericulture a profitable practice.