Lac Culture
Lac is a natural resinous secreted by insects called lac insects. Lac culture definition is the
scientific management and rearing of lac insects for high-quality lac to be used for commercial
purposes are called lac culture. Management involves the selection of host plants, inoculation
of plants with lac insects, rearing of lac insects, pest management and harvesting and
processing of lac.
History of Lac Culture
Indians have been using lac for ages. The epic Mahabharata mentions the detail of the
famous ‘Lakshagruha’, a house built of lac, which was built to burn the Pandavas. So, one can
assume that Indians know the inflammable nature of lac and its other uses too. Other than this,
Indians have been using lac for making toys and ornaments. Evidence also suggests the use of
Lac by ancient Romans and Greek people. The scientific study of lac was started by Father
Tachard in 1709.1709. The name Laccifer lacca was finalized after many changes.
Systematic Position of Lac Insect
The lac insect is classified as follows:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order Hemiptera
Superfamily — Coccoidea
Family — Kerriidae
Genus — Laccifer
Species — lacca
So, the binomial name of lac insects is Laccifer lacca.
Host Plants of Lac Insects
Lac insect is an ectoparasite and feeds on the plant sap sucked from the tender shoot of the
plant. So, they can be reared on specific trees only, and these trees/plants are called host plants.
The lac culturist must know the host plants and which plants suit the geographic conditions of
the place. The lac management includes the rearing of healthy host plants in a stage that is
suitable for the lac insects to suck the sap. The host plants of lac insects are:
Vernacular Name Scientific Name
Kusum Schleichera trijuga/oleosa
Palas Butea frondosa or Butea monosperma
Ber (plum) Zizyphus jujuba
Babul Acacia arabica
Khair (Ranjeeni) Acacia catechu
Arhar Cajanus indicus
Lac Culture Life Cycle of Insects
A lac culturist must have knowledge of the life cycle of lac insects and must be able to identify
the stage at which lac is produced maximum and to be harvested. The lac insects show very
distinct morphological differences and sexual dimorphism. The life cycle of lac insect
has 44 stages as-
1. Eggs
2. Larva
3. Pupa
4. Adult
The phases of the lac culture life cycle of insects are as follows:
1. Fertilisation: the male adult walks over the female incrustations and inserts itself into
the female cells, where it fertilizes the female.
2. Egg-laying: After fertilization, the female grows rapidly till it becomes capable of egg-
laying. A single female lays an average of 200200 to 500500 eggs after fertilization and
deposits inside the incubating chambers of the female cell.
3. Egg Hatching: After 6 weeks, the eggs are hatched into first instar larvae. The mass
movement of these larvae in search of a suitable place to suck plant sap is
called swarming.
4. Pupa: A larva is a sluggish and continuous feeder. It encases itself and the twig by
secreting a resinous secretion from the body. The secretion hardens upon contact with
air and is called a lac cell. Inside the lac cell, the larva undergoes three moultings.
During moulting, male and females lose some body parts.
5. Adults: Male larvae develop into male adult insects and are without any mouthparts
and thus do not feed. One adult male insect can fertilize several females, and soon after
fertilization, it dies. The adult female is smaller in size than the male and is without
legs and wings. The female larvae never move out of the cell once they settle down
after swarming.
Lac Secretion and Composition
Lac is the only known commercial resin of animal origin. It is a resinous material secreted by
the lac insects. Special glands called lac glands are present in the skin of the larvae and the
adults. Lac is a mixture of several substances, but resin is the main constituent. It is thought to
be a polyester of a straight chain of complex fatty acids containing 1414 to 1818 carbon atoms.
The approximate percentage of different constituents of lac is
resin 6868 to 90%,90%, dye 22 to 10%,10%, wax 55 to 6%,6%, mineral
matter 33 to 7%,7%, albuminous matter 55 to 10%10% and water 22 to 3%.3%. It also
contains sugar, proteins, soluble salts, debris of lac insect and some woody material.
Culture Technique of Lac Insect
Culturing of lac begins when the farmer inoculates a plant with a female cell where eggs are
ready to hatch. As soon as the eggs hatch and first instar larvae emerge, they infest the host
plant by a process called swarming. After finding the spots for feeding, the larvae start
secreting the resinous material around their body. This material appears shiny in the beginning
and hardens when it comes in contact with air. The lac casing is thus around the body of the
larva and the twig on which it is feeding. Many lac cells of nearby larvae fuse together, and a
lac incrustation is formed. This is the lac that a lac culturist is interested in.
The culture technique of lac insect involves the following steps:
1. Inoculation: inoculation means the introduction of lac insects to the host plant.
Inoculation can be natural (without any human intervention) or artificial.
2. Cultivation of host plants: since the larvae of lac insects suck the plant sap from the
tender shoots of host plants, proper cultivation and pruning become important in lac
culture.
3. Lac Crop: the life cycle of lac insects of 66 months and hence two crops in a year are
regular. There can be four lac crops as lac insects behave differently on Kusum and
non-Kusum host plants.
4. Harvesting and Extraction of Lac:
The twigs with thick encrustations are cut and removed from the site. This
is stick lac.
Then the lac cells are scraped from the twig, and the lac is the granular lac. If
the cutting and scraping are done before swarming, it is ‘Ari lac’, and if it is
done after swarming, it is ‘Phunki lac’.
The scraped lac is washed thoroughly with water. Drying and bleaching of lac
are done by exposing it to sunlight.
Lac granules are melted in a pot over an open charcoal fire.
The molten lac is then spread in the form of sheets. The sheets are dried, broken
into pieces and sold in the market as flakes.
Types of Lac
Depending on the host plant, lac is of two types:
1. Kusumi Lac: insects are reared on Kusum plants, and lac is harvested from these
plants.
2. Ranjeeni Lac: when the lac insects are reared on non-Kusum plants, the lac is known
as Ranjeeni lac.
Lac Culture Uses
Lac is used for making toys, bracelets or bangles, for filling the ornament, sealing wax,
gramophone records etc. It is also used in making the grinding stones, for manufacturing
varnishes and paints, for silvering the back of a mirror, for encasing cable wires (due to
insulating property of lac) etc. During the washing of scraped lac, a dye is left behind in the
water which is then used for dying purposes. Some examples of by-products of lac are nail
polish, lithographic ink, shoe polish etc.
Position of Lac Culture
1. Globally lac is produced in many countries like India, Thailand, Myanmar, China,
Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos.
2. India and Thailand are the major producers, producing an average of 17001700 tonnes
annually, followed by China.
3. Until 1950,1950, India held the monopoly in lac production, accounting for
almost 85%85% of the global production.
4. In a later period, Thailand became one of the major competitors.
5. Now India’s contribution to global lac production is about 70%.70%.
6. Roughly 200200 million rupees is the net export of lac from India
7. 3−43−4 million people, including tribals, are engaged in lac culture in India
8. In India, Bihar is the highest producer of lac.
9. Other states like Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and Odisha also
produce lac.
10. Some pockets of lac cultivation also exist in Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Karnataka, Gujarat, and Mirzapur and Sonebhdra districts of Uttar Pradesh
Problems of Lac Culture
Unavailable technology
Insufficient scientific knowledge
Insufficient skilful labour
Unfavourable climate and environmental factor
Diseases and pest attack randomly
Low market demand
Chemical synthesis invented
Low yield lacks species
Prospect of Lac culture in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, seedlac is grown two different times. One time is June–July, and the
harvesting period is the month of October–November. Another time is October–November
and harvesting in June–July. Twig is needed, and for this season, the host plant is to be
pruned two times to obtain more lac. February–March and May–June. Immediate after
pruning, nitrogenous fertilizer has to be applied around the host plant, making the host plant
succulent and suitable for lac insect to suck.
Uses of Shellac
It was used in ancient times as a wood finish, skin cosmetic, and dye for wool
and silk.
Lac for dye has been somewhat replaced by the emergence of synthetic dyes
though it remains in use, and some juices, carbonated drinks, wine, jam,
sauce, and candy are colored using it.
Lac is used in folk medicine as a hepatoprotective and antiobesity drug.
It is used in violin and other varnish and is soluble in alcohol.
Nail polish, lipstick, gala, Jewellery shop, toys, etc., are prepared from lac.
Summary
A lesser-known but economically sustainable part of animal husbandry, lac culture makes a
worth-attention topic of applied zoology. A small insect of the order Hemiptera, lac insect, is
reared for the resinous material that it secretes during its life cycle. Larva and pupa are the
main stages that produce lac. Lac is the only known commercial resin of animal origin.
Scientific management of lac insect, which includes rearing of insect and its host plants, pest
management and cultivation and harvesting of lac is together known as lac culture.
Economically, lack of culture is a stronger option of self-employment, and many villagers,
including tribals, are in this business. India holds the first position in the world for commercial
production of lac.
Reference
https://agriculturistmusa.com/lac-culture/
http://adpcollege.ac.in/online/attendence/classnotes/files/1626242675.pdf
https://www.embibe.com/exams/lac-culture/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24094286
http://iskv.in/wp-content/themes/iskv/volume-pdfs/272894e6d5201871231dbd543a8de0c0pages_151-
156.pdf
