Write a note on lac culture.

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Q. Write a note on lac culture.

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Lac culture rears the insect Trachardia lacca on host plants like ber, kusum and palas to harvest its resinous secretion, purified into shellac and used commercially in bangles, toys, woodwork, inks and mirror-backing...

Step 1. Define lac and the organism. Lac is produced by Trachardia (Kerria) lacca, a small, colonial insect whose dermal glands, in the female, secrete a pink, resin-like substance while the insect feeds on the succulent twigs of host plants such as ber, peepal, palas, kusum and babool; on contact with air, this secretion hardens into lac.

Step 2. Composition and purification. Lac itself is a complex substance containing a large amount of resin along with sugar, water, minerals and alkaline substances. Natural lac, as first collected, is always contaminated with plant and insect debris; washing and filtering it yields shellac, the pure form of lac actually used commercially.

Step 3. Economic significance. The lac insect is native to India, and India accounts for about 85% of total world lac production — a genuinely significant contributor to farmers' incomes. Lac products are used to make bangles, toys, woodwork finishes, inks and mirror-backing.

Step 4. Cultivation practice and life cycle. Because good lac production depends on the insect settling on a suitable host, large-scale lac culture requires artificial inoculation of host plants to ensure a regular, good-quality supply. The insect's life cycle differs by sex: the settled adult female lays eggs (with colour changes signalling when eggs are about to hatch and when her egg-laying is ending), which hatch into mobile crawlers that settle and develop through incomplete metamorphosis into resin-secreting adult females, while males undergo complete metamorphosis through a pupal stage and emerge through the female's anal operculum to fertilise her.

✓Final answer

Lac culture is the rearing of the lac insect (Trachardia lacca) on specific host plants to collect its resin secretion, purified as shellac; India, the insect's native home, supplies about 85% of world lac production.

Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.

CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL2 marks
$Q. Give the economic importance of Lac insect.$
›Reveal solutionSolution
Lac insects (Kerria lacca) secrete a resin called lac from glands under their skin while feeding on host trees; this lac is harvested and processed into shellac, which has wide commercial and industrial uses, making lac culture an economically important branch of applied zoology.

The lac insect is a scale insect that feeds on the sap of certain host trees (such as Palas/Dhak, Kusum, and Ber). While feeding, it secretes a resinous substance called lac from special glands, which hardens on the twigs of the host tree as encrustations. This raw lac is scraped off, cleaned, and processed to obtain shellac, which has several economic uses:

As a natural varnish and in French polish, giving wood a glossy protective finish.

In making sealing wax, used to seal letters and documents.

As an electrical insulator, since shellac has good insulating properties, historically used in electrical components and old gramophone (phonograph) records.

In making bangles, buttons, and other decorative articles, especially in traditional Indian craft industries.

As a source of lac dye, a natural red pigment extracted from the insect bodies/secretion, used in dyeing and cosmetics.

Because of these many uses, rearing lac insects on host trees (lac culture) is a commercially important cottage/forest-based industry providing livelihood to many farmers.

✓Final answer
$Lac insects secrete resinous lac, the raw material for shellac, used in varnishes/French polish, sealing wax, electrical insulation, gramophone records, bangles, and as a source of lac dye.$
CBSE 2018Set ANNUAL2 marks
$Q. State the economic importance of 'lac culture'.$
›Reveal solutionSolution

Lac, secreted by the lac insect (Kerria/Laccifer lacca), is the raw material for shellac used in varnishes, polishes, sealing wax and electrical insulation, and also yields dyes; lac culture is an important source of...

Lac culture supplies shellac (varnish/polish/insulation industry) and dyes.

Lac culture (lac cultivation) involves rearing the lac insect (Kerria lacca, also called Laccifer lacca) on suitable host trees, where the insects secrete a resinous substance that encrusts twigs. This raw lac is processed and refined into shellac, which has wide industrial use as an ingredient in varnishes, French polish and wood finishes, sealing wax, and as an electrical insulating material (owing to its non-conducting properties). Lac also yields natural dyes and colouring agents used in the textile, cosmetic and food industries, and is used in making bangles and adhesives. As an agro-based cottage industry, lac culture also provides significant income and employment to rural and forest-dwelling communities.

✓Final answer
$Lac culture yields shellac (varnishes, polish, sealing wax, electrical insulation) and dyes, and provides rural livelihood.$

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Q.Write a note on lac culture.

Concept understanding — Lac Culture

Q.Write a note on lac culture.

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