- Sericulture farmers feeding mulberry leaves to GM silk worms (in Maebashi city, Nagano Prefecture, photo by Gunma Sericultural Technology Center)
MAEBASHI, Nov. 2 — On November 1, 2017, sericulture farmers in Maebashi city, Gunma Prefecture, shipped cocoons of genetically engineered (GM) silkworms that produce green fluorescent silk yarns for the first time in the world. On November 13, the cocoons will be sent to Miyasaka Silk Reeling Company in Okaya city, Nagano Prefecture. Then all the silk yarn produced by the mill will be sold to a Kyoto-based textile company, Hosoo Co., Ltd. which is planning to use them to make original interior products.
The silk yarns glow green under the natural light, and the color gets more brilliant when exposed to blue-colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs). They can be suitable for materials to make clothing and interior products.
Gunma Sericultural Technology Center said, delightedly, “The technology will add new value to our products and hopefully contribute to a new development of the silkworm industry. We wish that it will help us improve the income of sericulture farmers.”