In Indian culture, there are records about lac in the Atharva Veda, which is one of the earliest Indian religious sacred texts, where lac was highly praised as ‘sister of gods’ and ‘the shining one’ for its medicinal values. Mahabharata also give details of Lac House.
What is Lac, a natural resin?
Lac, reputed as the only resin of animal origin is secreted mainly by the Indian lac insect,
Where Lac is used ?
Lac farming has been practised for the products of commerce
Where is Lac is cultivated ?
Lac insect is primarily cultivated in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal in scientific manner. In the past, lac insect cultivation was prevalent in some places of the North East Hill region
In India, which organisation is doing research on Lac ?
ICAR-NISA, Ranchi has a mandate of collection and conservation of lac insects of the country and implements through network mode (All India Network Project on Conservation of Lac Insect Genetic Resources (NPCLIGR))
Lac-insects (Tachardiidae) are commercially harnessed for economically important resin, dye, and wax. India is the world's richest lac biodiversity nation containing 21.8 per cent diversity
The Indian lac-insect, Kerria lacca (Kerr) is the most important and widely exploited insect for lac cultivation. More than 400 lac host plants have been observed to carry lac insects throughout the world.
Lac insect is growing on which plants ?
1)Palas (Butea monosperma): Known as the flame of the forest, Palas is one of the most commonly used host plants.
2)Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana): A horticultural species valued for its fruit and its ability to support lac insects.
3)Kusum (Schleichera oleosa): Preferred for its ability to yield high-quality lac.
The production of lac:
The life cycle of the lac insect begins with the laying of eggs by the female lac insect on the host tree’s twigs.
These eggs are usually laid in large clusters that cover a large surface area on the twigs.
After hatching from the eggs, the larvae, known as “crawlers,” are highly mobile and spread across the host plant. They are equipped with piercing-sucking mouthparts, which they use to extract sap from the host tree.
During this stage, the larvae secrete a protective cover known as broodlac as they continue to feed and grow. At a certain point in their development, the larvae cease feeding and undergo metamorphosis, transforming into pupae within the protective broodlac.
This stage is characterized by the formation of a hard, resinous shell around the pupae, which protects them from environmental factors. The mature pupae metamorphose into adult lac insects.
The adult females are wingless and remain attached to the host tree, where they secrete a resinous substance, which accumulates as lac resin.
The insect secretes the resin as a protective covering, both for herself and her eggs. This secretion is rich in a mixture of resins, waxes, pigments, and other bioactive compounds, which collectively form the lac resin
Pharmaceutical uses:
1)The research findings imply that lac dye may possess the ability to regulate immunoglobulin production, which can be attributed to the presence of laccaic acids
2)Methyl derivatives of lac dye demonstrated both antifungal and antibacterial efficacy. Pathogenic fungi Verticillium sp. exhibited the highest sensitivity
3)Lac dye was found targeting the activity of plasma hyaluronan-binding protein (PHBP) in macrophages and neoplastic cells, suppressing early stages of carcinogenesis
4)Chronic laccaic acid treatment showed improvements in the morphometric, biochemical, and liver function parameters of mice ,The compound enhanced insulin signaling pathways, reduced inflammatory signals, and affected gluconeogenesis-related genes
Lac dye has garnered attention for its versatile applications in the pharmaceutical industry. One of the most significant applications of lac dye is its use as a colorant. It has been approved by various regulatory bodies for use as a natural colorant in pharmaceutical products such as tablets, capsules, and syrups. This dye is preferred over synthetic colorants as it is non-toxic, non-allergenic, and does not cause adverse reactions..
In North East India , where Lac is cultivated ?
Lac was widely cultivated in North-East India even before the 19 century, but its production contribution at th present is insignificant. North eastern region particularly Assam is one of the biodiversity hotspots with approximately 4000 species of plants but exploitation of these natural flora for commercial production of lac is very limited
Kerria chinensis, which is the Chinese commercial species and also the major species of lac insect cultivated in Thailand , is cultivated to a certain extent in the northeastern states of India
Lac insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) specialized coccids (scale insects) belonging to the family Tachardiidae are sap-sucking insects thriving on certain plant species called lac host plants. Almost all the stages of lac insect are sedentary and attached to the host plants except for neonate nymphs (crawlers) and adult male insects.
Lac insects can be found in tropical and subtropical regions (between the latitudes 400 N and 400 S) due to their preference for a warm climate. Lac production is mainly done in some South, East and Southeast Asian countries like India, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam but the product is in demand all over the world.
India is the global leader in lac production followed by Thailand. The lac insect ecosystem is a complex multi-trophic web of flora and fauna. It represents a rich biodiversity, which besides lac insects, lac-host plants includes several predators of lac insects, beneficial parasites, harmful parasites, etc.
Lac insects are gregarious in nature and settle in close proximity. Hence, density of settlement has a bearing on lac yield. Different lac insects showed a varied density of settlement (average 80−192 per sq. cm in
What is the speciality of Lac insect ?
Lac insect feeds on the phloem sap of the host plant.
Abiotic and biotic components also affect the suitability of the host plant to lac insect.
Lac culture is an ancient practice with immense importance. It involves the cultivation of lac insects (Kerria lacca), which secrete a resin used in various applications, from cosmetics and food to industrial goods. The lac insect thrives on the sap of certain plants, secreting resin as a protective covering. This resin-coated structure, called sticklac, is the primary harvest of lac culture
Shellac is a natural polymer and using this polymer many semi-synthetic polymers can be obtained. Not only this, resin which is synthesised through a chemical process (like plastic from coal) is also similar to natural resin. Thus, we consider Shellac as natural resin (shellac) or natural plastic.
Like all resins which are elastic, sticky, and jelly-like, shellac has also the same property as resins. Due to this reason, it is a natural rubber and can be stretched at good length because of the good force between its particles.Thus, they can be moulded in any shape and can be solidified under suitable temperature and pressure conditions so, that they can be used as medicines, cosmetics, coating of furniture, jewellery, etc.
1)Lac is also used as curative medicine against rheumatic and other body pain in East Karbi Anglong district and against itching at Merapani, Golaghat district of Assam. Lac dye is used for coloring Eri silk cloth at Umsning, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya.
2)Lac is a natural resin produced by tiny Lac insects that feed on the sap of trees.
3)The lac resin is harvested and processed to produce a variety of products, including lac bangles, jewelry, toys, and other decorative items.
4)In Jharkhand, the lac industry is quite developed and products from Khunti district are known for their high quality and unique designs, making them popular among tourists and locals alike
5)Lac is used in ammunition, airplanes, furniture polish and perfumes, and in making bangles, imitation fruits and flowers.
Lac cultivation is the livelihood of whom ?
The livelihood of many tribal farmers in the Anuppur district of Madhya Pradesh in India depends on the lac cultivation. Traditionally, these tribal farmers cultivate lac on naturally occurring host plants (Kusum, Palas and Ber), but recently, they have also started cultivating it on Flemingia semialata plants. F. semialata is the most suitable host for lac insects in terms of intensive lac cultivation on a plantation basis. It has increased the area under F. semialata plantation and the demand for F. semialata seed
Lac cultivation in Gujarat :
A new host for Lac insect is , Prosopis juliflora, and it is available in abundance throughout Gujarat.
The production technologies for this host for winter kusmi lac was demonstrated at Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Rajkot, Bhachau (Kuchchh) and Basan.
F. semialata was successfully demonstrated as suitable host, for providing the summer kusmi broodlac, under irrigated conditions.
Kusumi Lac, a variety that fetches the highest price in the market
India remains the global leader in lac export
The US is the largest consumer of lac with an annual demand of 6,000 tonnes,
Ninety per cent of lac is produced on palash, ber and kusum trees.
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