Effect of feeding proportionately mixed mulberry leaves on double hybrid silkworm

Abstract

The experiment was conducted on effect of feeding proportionately mixed mulberry leaves on double hybrid silkworm at Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture Latur, during January-February 2014 in randomized block design with ten treatments and three replications. Disease free lying of silkworm bivoltine double hybrid race was utilized. The treatments were leaves of M-5(100%), V-l (100%), S- 1635(100%), M-5 + V-l(60 % + 40%), M-5 + V-l(40% + 60%), S-1635 + V-l(60 % + 40%), S-1635 + V-l(40 % + 60%), M-5 + S -1635 (60 % + 40%), M-5 + S- 1635(40% + 60%), M-5 + V-l + S-1635 (in equal proportions). The significantly shortest larval duration (29.06 days), pupal duration (13.70 days), maximum moth emergence (97.33 per cent), highest fecundity (754.33 eggs) and hatching percentage (98.67 per cent) were noticed in treatment T2 i.e. silkworm larvae fed on V-l mulberry variety (100%). The significantly highest weight of ten matured larvae (52.80 g), single cocoon weight (2.58 g), single shell weight (0.52 g), cocoon shell ratio (20 J 5 per cent), cocoon yield per 10000 larvae brushed (23.30 kg), cocoon filament length (994.33 m), cocoon filament weight (0.31 g), denier (2.85), effective rate of rearing (98.68 per cent) and lower diseases incidence (1.66 per cent) were recorded in treatment T2 i.e. silkworm larvae fed on V-l mulberry variety (100%).