Book

Description

Animal geneticists have identified elements within  genes that can enhance animal growth, health, and ability to utilize nutrients. Silkworm,  Bombyx mori, is one of the most significant insects in silk production as well as in biological  studies. The aim of silkworm breeding is to gradually improve economically valuable traits to  increase the profits of the sericulture industry. Mulberry (Morus L.) is one of the economically  important trees that have a long history of extensive cultivation in Asia. Mulberry leaf is the  sole food for the silkworm Bombyx mori; hence, the sustainability of the sericulture industry  is dependent on the continuous supply of nutritious mulberry leaf. Genetic improvement of mulberry for leaf yield, leaf nutritional contents, and adaptability has great socio-economic importance because sericulture is the backbone of the rural economy in several Asian countries.  Much effort has been made on germplasm collection, characterization, and varietal  development through conventional methods. However, the complexity of important agronomic  traits, the substantial lag time between germination and sexual maturity, the absence of inbred  lines, and the outbreeding nature of mulberry delay the genetic improvement via conventional  breeding techniques. In this postgenomic era, having the next generation sequencing facilities  in its fold.