Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Importance of sericulture. 3. Pre-cocoon sector. 4. Sericulture and rural economy. 5. Rearing of silkworms. 6. Sericulture and silk industry. 7. Characteristics of the cocoon. 8. Cocoon quality and classification. 9. Cocoon drying, storage and sorting. 10. Cocoon cooking. 11. Raw silk reeling. 12. Utilization of by- products. 13. Reeling water. 14. Raw silk testing. 15. Silkworm seed production. 16. Sericulture in India.