• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-74
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• 2001

The effect of topical application with androstenedione on economic parameters was analyzed following treatment of last larval stadium. The treated larvae showed significantly increased larval weight along with other enhanced larval, cocoon and adult parameters. The larval period was significantly shortened in all the treated groups with increased cocooning percentages cocoon weight and its shell weight in female and filament length, weight and denier in all the treated groups. Hatching percentage increased significantly in dose dependent manner in all the treated groups when compared with the corresponding parameters of the carrier control group. This suggests that androstenedione can be used effectively for commercial silkworm rearing.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 2000

The effect of supplementation with potassium nitrate on economic parameters was analysed following treatment of last larval stadium. The treated larvae showed a significant increase in larval weight at 500$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml and silk gland weight in all the treated groups along with other enhanced larval, cocoon and adult parameters. The larval period was significantly decreased in all the treated groups with increased female and male cocoon weights its shell weights filament lengths at 500$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml. The denier was significantly decreased in all the groups. The filament weight moth emergence percentaged length of the ovariole were unaffected. However, eggs per ovariole, fecundity and hatching percentage significantly decreased compared with the corresponding parameters of the 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.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 1986

A set of 21 crosses of F1 generation by diallel crosses from seven parent silkworm, Bombyx mori L. were used as materials to estimate genetic parameters such as gene action and combining ability. Experiments were conducted in 1985, and three characters, which are weight of cocoon, weight of cocoon layer and ration of cocoon layer, were observed. The data were analyzed for each character by Jinks', Hayman's and Griffing's methods. The result obtained are summarized as follows : 1. In Vr-Wr graphical analyses, weight of cocoon was found to be inherited in over dominance, and weight of cocoon layer and ration of cocoon layer were observed as partial dominance. 2. Estimate of additive component of variance(D) was greater than those of dominance component of variance(H) for weight of cocoon layer and ratio of cocoon layer, and positive values of F were observed for all characters. 3. Mean squares of general combining ability were higher than those of specific combining ability. 4. Variety Jam 107 was expressed as the highest GCA effects for three characters, and high SCA effects for all characters were observed in combinations of 113 $\times$Jung 14 and Jam 107 $\times$Jung 14.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2001

The effect of topical application with naphthoxyacetic acid on economic parameters was analyzed following treatment of fifth instar larvae. Larvae treated during the fifth instar showed significant increase in larval weight along with other enhanced larval, cocoon and adult parameters. The larval period was significantly shortened in all the treated groups with increased cocoon and shell weights in male and shell weight in female in 400 ${\mu}g$/ml treated group and filament length in all the treated groups. Fecundity increased significantly in dose dependent manner in all the treated groups, when compared to that of the carrier control group. This suggests that naphthoxyacetic acid, in addition to affecting larval growth, also affect silk production and reproductive performance.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2000

• 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.3 no.1
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• pp.83-88
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• 2001

The effect of topical application with 200,400 and 600 $\mu$g/ml 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on the fifth larval stadium of the silkworm, B. mori, was analyzed. Larvae treated during fifth larval stadium enhanced larval, cocoon and adult parameters. The larval period was significantly decreased with increase in silk gland weight at 400 and 600 $\mu$g/ml, male cocoon weight and shel1 weight in all the treated groups and filament length and weight at 200 $\mu$g/ml treated group. Length of the ovariole, eggs per ovariole and hatching percentage increased significantly in all the treated groups when compared with those of the carrier control. This suggests that the plant growth regulator 2,4-D in addition to affecting silk production also affect reproductive performance.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2003

The study evaluated the influence of feeding different maturity leaves i.e., tender, medium, coarse and mixed leaves of three different maturity during late larval stages of new bivoltine race $(CSR_{3} {\times} CSR_{6})$. The data were compared with shoot feeding and control batches in which conventional feeding method was followed. The most of the larval and cocoon characters were recorded significantly higher in tender leaves fed batches followed by T4 batch (2 times tender and 1 time coarse leaves). Lowest melting percentage (1.494%) was recorded in T4 and highest (4.69%) was recorded in coarse leaf (T3) fed batches. Significantly higher post cocoon parameters viz., average filament length, non-breakable filament length, renditta and raw silk percentage were recorded in tender loaves fed batches.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2007

Three newly authorized bivoltine silkworm hybrids namely, $CSR2{\times}CSR4$ (productive single hybrid), $(CSR6{\times}CSR26){\times}(CSR2{\times}CSR27)$ (productive double hybrid) and $CSR18{\times}CSR19$ (robust single hybrid) were chosen for the present study. These hybrids were subjected to different temperature and humidity treatments i.e., $25{\pm}$1^{\circ}C and RH $65{\pm}5%$ (control), $30{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, with combinations of low relative humidity (RH $65{\pm}5%$) and high RH ($85{\pm}5%$) at different stages during rearing and spinning of silkworm larvae. The larvae of after 3rd moult were subjected to different thermal and humidity stress till the assessment of cocoon traits. The comparative rearing and reeling performance clearly indicated that the deleterious effect of high temperature and high RH was more pronounced for the majority of traits such as cocoon uniformity, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell percentage, reelability, filament length, raw silk percentage raw silk recovery denier and waste percentage on silk weight than other temperature and RH treatments and this effect was almost similar for all three silkworm hybrids studied. The present investigation clearly indicate that the deleterious effect of high temperature and high RH was more pronounced on rearing and spinning of silkworm larvae than other temperature and RH treatments and similar effect was noticed for all the three silkworm hybrids studied. The cocoon characters can be improved by providing ideal environmental conditions even during spinning stage of larvae affected with high temperature and RH. The study also suggest that high temperature and low humidity has greater effect during rearing stage than spinning stage.