Assessment of Leaf Harvesting Methods on Physiological Indices and Yield of Mulberry in Kashmir

Abstract

The productivity and profitability of sericulture mainly depend on maximising leaf yield per unit area at an economically viable cost. Mulberry (Morus spp.) is the only food source for the silkworm (Bombyx mori L.). The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of different autumn leaf-harvesting methods on physiological indices and yield of mulberry under Kashmir conditions. The investigation was conducted at the College of Temperate Sericulture, Mirgund, SKUAST-K, to evaluate the effects of different autumn leaf-harvesting methods on subsequent spring leaf yield and yield-attributing parameters in mulberry. The physiological and yield parameters recorded during spring showed significant differences among treatments. Among the treatments, T6 (25% branch cutting by length) produced comparatively better spring leaf yield and remained at par with the control, in which no leaf was plucked during the previous year. In contrast, T2 (100% leaf plucking during the previous autumn) recorded the highest frost damage (33%), compared with 2% in T7, and showed only 59% sprouting, compared with 84% in T7. During spring, leaf yield in T2 was 1.03 kg per plant, whereas T6 recorded 2.87 kg per plant. Although annual yield in T2 (4.53 kg per plant) was at par with T7, T6, T5 and T3, its spring yield, which represents the main crop at the farmers’ level, was very low. Overall, T6 outperformed the treatments in which the second flush was harvested during autumn through either defoliation or branch cutting, particularly in terms of leaf yield per plant.