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SP24-42
Adding Value to Cassava through Raising Cassava Silkworm
with Cassava Leaves
Song Xianjun*, Mo Xianhui, Luo Qun, Yang Qibao and An Chunmei
Guangxi Sericulture Technology Extension Station, Nanning 530007, China
*Email address: [email protected], Cell phone: 14795569660
Cassava silkworm, also known as eri-silkworm (Philosamia cynthia ricini Boisduval), is
non-diapause multivoltine holometabolic insects,Lepidoptera Saturniidae. In 1956, the
technician Dengqi Hui worked in the Agricultural bureau and the farmer Mo Baoliang from
Cenxi County of Guangxi Province in China, co-worked and successfully raised eri-silkworm
with cassava leaves. Since then, people in Guangxi called the eri-silkworm as the cassava
silkworm. The suitable developmental temperature of cassava silkworm is 22-2°C, egg stage
lasting 8-10 days, larval stage 17-20 days, pupa stage 15-18 days, moth stage 7-10 days. Its
short production cycle, less investment, quick returns are advantages of raising cassava
silkworm. Raising cassava silkworm is an effective way to get rid of poverty in rural areas.
Raising cassava silkworm has good economic benefit, Cassava silkworm cocoon can be as
silk spinning materials, e.g., Cassava silkworm pupa and larval contain rich proteins,
polyunsaturated fats, multi-essential amino acids and can be used health products. They
also can produce Chinese caterpillar fungus and has high value; Moth can also be used
health production, especially increase a erotic capacities; Egg can be used to breeding
parasitic wasps which can be used as tool for biological pest control; The extraction of
chlorophyll from cassava silkworm excrement is very value, fish and other animals, such as
cattle, can be fed on the cassava silkworm droppings, the excrement also can produce
marsh gas as clean energy source for farmers.
The golden age of raising cassava silkworm is 1964 and 1965, 1,130,000 and 1,180,000
boxes eggs (every box has 10000 cassava silkworm eggs) were respectively raised in these
two years. The farmers in 64 Counties of whole Guangxi 82 cunties raised cassava
silkworm, it has played a huge role to solve the problem of poverty that the farmers breedi
Silkworm cassava. In that era of extreme poverty, such as paying tuition for children,
buying the necessaries of life. At present, the main purpose of rearing cassava silkworm in
Guangxi is as food with mature larvae. The mature larvae in market was about 40 RMB
each per kilogram, every box egg which can produce 35 kilogram of larvae, 15 boxes of
cassava silkworm egg can be raised by the amount of per hectare cassava leaves, which can
increase farmers income more than 15000 RMB. The farmers have great enthusiasm to
raise the cassava silkworm in some areas in chongzuo prefecture of guangxi province. The
area of planting cassava is about 25 0000 hectares of in Guangxi, and raising Cassava
silkworm has great development potential in Guangxi in future.