Mulberry belongs to the family Moraceae, tribe Moreae, genus Morus and species Morus alba L. - white mulberry. Mulberry genus Morus grown as a perennial tree or shrub is an economically important plant used for Sericulture and it is the sole food plant for the domesticated Silkworm Bombyx mori L. Due to the presence of attractant, biting factor and swallowing factors, Silkworm is attracted towards mulberry. Morus which is widely distributed in Asia, Europe, North and South America and Africa is cultivated exclusively in East, Central and South Asia for silk production. People of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, North Eastern states and other parts of India much depend on Sericulture activities where only mulberry and its varieties are grown for the purpose of Silkworm rearing. In India, the genus Morus is represented by four species viz., M. indica, M. alba, M. serrata and M. Laevigata. The natural distribution of the genus has considerably changed because of its extensive cultivation for silkworm rearing. There are more than 70 countries which produce silk, among which China, India, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Thailand, and Bangladesh are the leaders. Mulberry leaves are also used as animal fodder and the fruits are used for making various confectionery products such as jam, marmalade, pulp and paste. Although, the maximum utilization of mulberry is in Asia, this does not mean that mulberry is restricted only to Asian countries. Mulberry is present on almost all continents and is used for various purposes, including its ornamental value in gardening and landscaping. Although, more than 68 species have been widely recognized, the taxonomy of mulberry is still a matter of great dispute and intense research due to the high rate of natural hybridization among the species. Hence, a large number of the so-called species are hybrids and their true taxonomic identity is difficult to deduce properly. To complicate things further, different ploidy levels ranging from diploids with 28 chromosomes to docosaploid with 308 chromosomes are very common among most species. Out of these 68 species, only a few, mostly belonging to white mulberry (Morus alba), are used for sericulture while a few other species such as red mulberry (Morus rubra) and black mulberry (Morus nigra) are used for fruits. Silk production still is a large, profitable industry for several countries, notably Italy, Turkey, India, and China. Indeed, mulberry production cannot be extricated from silk production and trade—silkworms feast on mulberry leaves. The tree’s introduction to other nations invariably stemmed from the country’s desire to produce its own silk garments, rather than pay for expensive imports. Even the Virginian colonists attempted to cultivate the trees as early as 1623. Though their efforts failed, the colonists opted to sell tobacco to Europeans in exchange for silk. Initially, India imported much of its silk from China, as evident by its earliest name, “Chinsukh.” Assam produced a type of wild silk, although these worms thrived on castor leaves. The ancient treatise, Arthashastra (a publication likely produced between the 7th century BC and 2nd century BC) mentions Assam’s bourgeoning silk trade. By the Ahom period (1223-1819), India’s silk industry was thriving. The country’s current mulberry silk production is largely concentrated in the south. In this review article on Origin, Taxonomy, Botanical Description, Genetic Diversity, and Breeding of Mulberry are discussed.
