• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2001

Data from an experiment involving six polyvoltine and three bivoltine silkworm breeds have been analysed to know the level of hybrid rigour and cocoon shape variation in Fl hybrids among silkworm breeds with lows medium and high cocoon weight. Results indicated significantly positive heterosis for several quantitative characters with maximum total heterosis over mid parent value in hybrids between low and medium followed by low and low, medium and medium, low and high and high and low cocoon-weighed breeds, respectively. Study on cocoon shape measurement revelled that among Fl hybrids, cocoons of the three combinations such as GNP ${\times}$ CSR2, GNP ${\times}$ J2 and PM ${\times}$ NB4 D2 were comparatively uniform in their cocoon shape. Importance of this study to know the level of heterosis and cocoon shape variability in different silkworm crosses hale been discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2002

Parthenogenetic development, hybrid vigour and cocoon shape variability were studied in bivoltine F1 hybrids of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Considerable breed differences were observed in parthenogenetic ability. Among the parental breeds, CSR18 exhibited maximum parthenogenetic development (79.65%) followed by CSR4 (67.90%). Among bivoltine F1 hybrids, CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR4 showed highest parthenogenetic development (73.32%) followed by CSR2 ${\times}$ CSR4 (55.43%). Study on hybrid vigour demonstrated that CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR19 expressed maximum significant hybrid vigour for all the seven economic characters over Mid Parent Value (MPV) followed by CSR2 ${\times}$ CSR4 and CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR4 exhibiting significant heterosis for six characters. Cocoon shape measurement study revealed that among ten bivoltine F1 hybrids, cocoons of three hybrids were found comparatively uniform. Importance of this study to know the level of paythenogenetic development, hybrid vigour and cocoon shape variability in different bivoltine F1 hybrids have been discussed.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 1996

Effect of topical application with 5, 10 and 15${\mu}$g/ml thyroxine on the pre-cocoon, cocoon, postcocoon and silk improvement were studied in bivoltine silkworm NB18 breed of B. mori L. Thyroxine was applied independently on alternate days to silkworm of IV and V instar larvae. The treatment of all different concentrations resulted in a significant increase in commercial characters like larval weight, silkgland weight, cocooning percentage, female cocoon weight and its shell weight and male cocoon shell weight and its ratio, cocoon dimension, length of the filament and its weight and oviposition. However, there was no significant change in larvel weight in 5${\mu}$g/ml treated group and larval duration was significantly decrease. But moth emergence percentage and hatching percentage did not show any significant change when compared with that of carrier control.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2007

Ethanol extract of 20 botanicals in 3 concentrations i.e., 2.5%, 5% and 10% were evaluated for their efficacy to improve reproductive performance of mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mod L.) through feeding botanical enriched mulberry leaves during $2^{nd}$ day of $4^{th}$ age as well as $1^{st}$ and $3^{rd}$ day of $5^{th}$ age larvae. The preliminary screening was done by ranking the botanicals based on influence in most important reproductive contributing parameters such as single cocoon weight, effective rate of rearing, pupation rate, fecundity and recovery of eggs/kg cocoon. Five botanicals viz., Asparagus recemosus, Achyranthes aspera, Tribulus terrestris, Withania somnifera, Parthenium histerophorus ranked first were further evaluated at 8% 5% and 3% concentrations to confirm their effectiveness and standardize effective concentration. Among the rearing parameters, mature larval weight, shell ratio and number of cocoons/kg were not significantly influenced by the treatments. However, reproductive parameters such as effective rate of rearing (wt), pupation rate (%), fecundity (No.) and egg recovery (g)/kg cocoon were significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the botanicals. Higher fecundity and egg recovery were obtained on treatment with Withania somnifera irrespective of concentrations. However at 5% concentration, pupation rate, fecundity as well as egg recovery were found significantly higher than that of other concentrations, confirming its effectiveness for improving reproductive efficiency.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.135-139
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• 2002

By means of correlation analysis and path coefficient analysis, 18 characteristics of 325 conserved silkworm races were studied for the selecting efficiency on main silk quality characteristics. The result showed that selecting lines with heavier cocoon weight are beneficial to raise the weight of have. Choosing strains with higher cocoon shell percentage, longer filament length and better reelability percentage is good for increasing non-broken filament length. Selecting lines with medium daily weight of have produced in the fifth instar, medium cocoon shell percentage and simultaneously selecting heavier cocoon shell weight are favorable to promote reelability percentage. Choosing strains with heavier cocoon weight, higher cocoon shell percentage, heavier daily weight of bave produced in the fifth instar and heavier weight of bave but shorter filament length may hopefully breed out a race with thick filament size. And selecting strains with heavier weight of have and fine filament size are beneficial to increase filament length. Selecting lines with higher cocoon shell percentage and heavier weight of bave are favorable to raise raw silk percentage of cocoon. There are no significant direct or indirect correlation coefficient between viability and major characteristics of silk quality. It is, therefore, feasible to breed a silkworm race with excellent vitality and good silk quality as well.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.107-112
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• 2004

The combining abilities in the 5 newly evolved thermo tolerant breeds viz., SR6, SR7, SR8 SR9 and SR10 of silkworm Bombyx mori L. and their 15 hybrids were made in a line${\times}$tester crossing programme. Data were analysed for seven quantitative traits i.e., pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, cocoon shell ratio, filament length and raw silk percentage under optimum room temperature $(25{\pm}{1^{\circ}C})$ conditions (In case of high temperature $(36{\pm}{1^{\circ}C})$ stress conditions five economic traits except filament length and raw silk percentage) with 3 widely adapted testers i.e., KA, CSR2 and CC1 as lines (females) and testers (males) respectively. The performance at high temperature and low humidity conditions aye only taken into consideration for selecting the best lines/hybrids. Among the lines SR6 exhibited positive General combining ability (GCA) effects for pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight and cocoon shell ratio traits, followed by SR7 for pupation rate, cocoon yield and cocoon shell weight and cocoon shell ratio. Among testers, KA exhibited positive GCA effects for two quantitative traits cocoon yield, cocoon weight and CSR2 for cocoon shell weight and cocoon shell ratio under adverse temperature conditions. The hybrid SR6${\times}$CC1 and SR7${\times}$CSR2 exhibited significant positive Specific combining ability (SCA) effects for majority of the traits in high temperature stress conditions of rearing. The better parent value of heterosis(Heterobeltiosis) was exhibited by the hybrid SR6${\times}$CC1 for pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight and cocoon shell weight and SR7${\times}$CSR2 for all the trails evaluated under high temperature conditions. Based on the results, the lines SR6 and SR7 was judged as best combiners and the hybrids SR6${\times}$CC1 and SR7${\times}$CSR2 can be selected for commercial exploitation in tropical climate.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 1995

The effects of oral application of fenoxycarb, the commercial formulation Insegar, to the selected developmental stages of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was investigated. An oral application of the chemical to the silkworm from the 2nd- to the 5th-instar larvae delayed the larval development upto more than 40 days and increased the larval body weight in the range of 1.1 to 1.7 folds. When the chemical was orally applied to the final instar larvae, spinning and pupation were prevented, and consequently permanent larvae occurred. The weight of a cocoon and its shell of silkworm(bombyx, mori, L) increased following the application of fenoxycarb to the 2nd- and the 3rd-instar larvae.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2004

The impact of low concentration fluoride on toxification was studied by treating $3^rd$ instar silkworm larvae of Qiufeng${\times}$Baiyu (Fluoride resistant strain) and Jinshong${\times}$Haoyue (Fluoride sensitive strain). The $5^th$ instar silkworm larvae of Zhenong-l, Shu-12, Qiufeng ${\times}$ Baiyu, Chunhua ${\times}$ Qhiushi, Jinshong and Haoyue were fed mulberry leaves treated with sodium fluoride at different concentrations to determine its effect on fecundity. Harmful effects of low concentration fluoride at early instars on growth, development and economic characters of Bombyx mori are related to its resistance. Harmful effect on resistant strain Qiufeng${\times}$Baiyu manifested on prolongation of instar duration of 15 and 6% in 70 ppm, where as the sensitive breed Jinshong${\times}$Haoyue manifested with 100% mortality in 50 ppm. The impact of low concentration fluoride on fecundity resulted in considerable increase in formed eggs (9%) and laid eggs (9%) in Zhenong-l and Shu-12 among treated population over control. The present observations emphasis that fluoride apart from exhibiting harmful effects on silkworm growth and development, however, its low concentration do playa vital role in inducing some positive effect on fecundity and cocoon traits.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2002

To understand the relationship among different quantitative traits, correlation studies were performed by utilizing eighty-eight inbred strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. on twelve economic characters. Analysis resulted in correlation of 5th instar period with total larval period (r ＝ 0.7882), cocoon weight with shell weight (r ＝ 0.8326), shell weight with shell ratio (r ＝ 0.5067), shell ratio with raw silk ％ (r ＝ 0.7570), raw silk ％ with filament length (r ＝ 0.3490), filament size (denier) with reelability (r ＝ 0.3193) and boil-off loss % (r ＝ 0.2792). Negative correlation was observed among filament length with filament size (r ＝ 0.7582) and reelability with boil-off loss % (r ＝ -0.3236). Correlation of different quantitative characters for quality silk production is discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2006

A breeding programme was initiated during 2001 utilizing two polyvoltine silkworm breeds viz. $BL_{69}$, an evolved breed tolerant to high temperature and MAR, comparatively resistant to Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) with the objective to develop robust polyvoltine breeds and hybrids. The breed $NP_1$ was developed by exposing the fifth instar larvae to high temperature $(36{\pm}1^{\circ}C)$, high Relative Humidity ($85{\pm}5%$ R.H.) and inoculating third instar larvae with BmNPV inoculum. At $F_{12}$, the breed was tested for hybrid forming ability utilizing six bivoltine silkworm breeds viz. $CSR_2,\;CSR_4,\;CSR_{17},\;CSR_{18},\;CSR_{19}\;and\;NB_4D_2$. The hybrid $'NP_1{\times}CSR_{17}'$ exhibited its superiority by recording 97.2% survival, 1.892 g cocoon weight, 0.406 g cocoon shell weight, 21.5% cocoon shell ratio, 16.6% raw silk percentage and 890 m filament length whereas the control $(PM{\times}CSR_2)$ has recorded 90.2% survival, 1.599 g cocoon weight, 0.304 g cocoon shell weight, 18.9% cocoon shell ratio, 13.1 % raw silk percentage and 768 m filament length. Commercial exploitation of the new $polyvoltine{\times}bivoltine$ hybrid in sericulture industry has been discussed.