Economical and Environmental Importance of Mulberry: A Review

Abstract

Mulberry is a very hardy and fast growing perennial plant belonging to the genus Morus of the family Moraceae. The leaf of mulberry is solely used for feeding and rearing of the silkworm, Bombyx mori for the production of silk yarn. It is estimated that mulberry silk contributes around 90 % of the total global raw silk production and it is a very attractive economic activities mostly to the rural people. In addition to the utilization of mulberry leaves as silkworm feed, it is being used for many other purposes also. For example, the mulberry fruit due to its high nutritive value and delicious taste is getting importance as valuable foodstuff. The mulberry bark and wood are also useful for manufacturing of paper and sports goods items. Recently, evaluation of several pharmacological compounds of medicinal importance present in mulberry plant opens up new avenues of research in the medical science. This paper reviews the economical as well as environmental importance of mulberry taking into account several aspects of its role as animal feed, foodstuff, phytomedicine and remediation of polluted soils and atmosphere etc. Finally, an outline of environmental friendly ecological model combining sericulture with animal husbandry recycling the waste resources has been proposed from economic point of view.