Molecular Aspects of Mulberry

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is highly recognized as an economical cash crop plant species due to its wide utilization in “sericulture,” food, and beverage industries (Mallick and Sengupta 2022). It is widely distributed all over the world by adapting to different agroclimatic zones (Rohela et al. 2020a). All the parts of mulberry including leaf, stem, root, stem bark, and root bark are being utilized for various purposes such as leaf utilization for silk production and as a feed for animals: stem for timber production; fruits as a source of food and in the preparation of jam, jelly, and beverages; and stem bark and root bark for medicinal practices (Seth 2003; Rohela et al. 2018a; Vijayan et al. 2021). Among the different species, Morus alba and Morus indica are majorly utilized for their leaf foliage in the sericulture industry, Morus alba and Morus nigra are used for their fruits as a healthy food, and Morus laevigata and Morus serrata are used for highly valued timber production (Weiguo et al. 2007).