Dr. Bernard MAUCHAMP
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Unité Nationale Séricicole
25 Quai J.J. Rousseau, 69350 La Mulatière, France
E-mail: <[email protected]>
Paper contributed to Expert Consultation on Promotion of Global Exchange of Sericulture Germplasm;Bangkok, Thailand, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Rome.
History of Sericulture in France is recent, compared to this one of Sericulture in Asiatic countries. First documents related to the introduction of silkworm eggs in France is dated from 1361. The major rise of Sericulture, i.e. the promotion of silkworm rearing to produce silk thread, started during the XVIth century under the impulsion of the King Henri IV. At this period mulberry trees and eggs (seeds) of silkworms were introduced maily from Italy. Plantation of mulberry trees was promoted in several regions of France, mainly in Tourraine and South-east of France.but also in dispersed smaller area.
As mulberry trees, were well established, silkkworms rearing showed an increasing evolution. Coccon production, became a financial resource in several open countries. Sericulture grown up, and became a well organized activity; conditions to obtain the best results were improved in the different regions. Progressively, several varieties of mulberry trees were either selected, or imported from others countries. The same facts occured in regard to the silkworms, strains of silkworms were imported or locally produced. The different strains were crossed to get more performant hybrids.. By this fact numerous strains were obtained and locally reared. This lasted until the middle part of the XIXth century, as the Sericulture start to decline. The major reason of this decline was the terrific pebrine disease combined with the country exodus.
Progressively, silk production was, through silkworm rearing and cocoon production, substituted by raw silk importation from foreign countries, mainly from Asiatic countries. Silkworm rearing was forsaken by local producers, leading to the lost of numerous local strains, then to the abandonment of mulberry plantations. It was only recently (middle of the XXth century) that several people considered the interest of these genetic resources and tried to protect these resources. Local initiatives contributed to protect the remaining genetic resources, without any scientific programme to valorized them.
Conservation status of genetic resources of Morus species in France.
Mulberry is not an aboriginal plant and has been introduced in France for development of Sericulture. Others utilization of mulberry were attempted without great success (ornemental, fruit production, wood).Due to the decline of silk production through silkworm rearing, few efforts were consented to get conservation approach in position. So far, mulberry collections existing now in France, were created due to the wish of few people to prevent the disappearance of these trees. Three collections are present in France: Porquerolles, Saint Christol-lès-Alès and La Mulatière (Lyon)., the content of them being quite the same.
These collections can be considered exclusively as reserve collections of a small number of varieties and cultivars compared to those existing in the world (over 2000).
