• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.103-106
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• 2003

Among silkworm diseases, white muscardine is the most virulent and contagious disease caused by Beauveria bassiana and common during winter and rainy seasons. The disease is managed at present by practicing the silkworm body and rearing seat disinfection to prevent the spread of white muscardine during silkworm rearing as the available methods do not cure the silkworms against white muscardine. The use of systemic fungicide was suggested recently to control white muscardine. The present study investigated the practicability of application aspect of systemic fungicide as spray, It is observed that 3 times feeding of systemic fungicide through mulberry leaf, fed immediately after third, fourth moult and on $4^{th}$ day of final instar as most effective in suppressing the multiplication of the fungus in silkworm. Spraying of the systemic fungicide on mulberry in the rearing house, air-dried and feeding was suggested as suitable application method. Alternately the spraying of the systemic fungicide on mulberry in mulberry garden 6 hrs prior to feeding was also suggested as a method for the control of white muscardine in silkworm rearing.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2024

The value of silkworms as functional health food materials has increased, as has the interest in its disease control for stable production, and in the economic value of entomopathogenic microorganisms. In this study, we isolated and identified disease-causing fungi from white muscardine silkworms, and confirmed whether this strain could produce white muscardine silkworms. For the analysis of the cause of white muscardine disease in the infected silkworms, the fungi and prokaryotes causing the disease were identified, isolated, and identified using metagenome analysis. Metagenomic analysis detected a large amount of the fungus Metarhizium rileyi in silkworms, and a large amount of the bacterium Enterococcus mundtii, which was presumed to be the causative agent of the disease. For accurate identification of the fungi, these were purified by culture medium, and sequencing and phylogenetic tree analyses were performed using an internal transcribed spacer. As a result, M. rileyi, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and C. tenuissimum were identified. In general, M. rileyi is known to form green conidia, but in this study, white-yellow conidia were formed, indicating that the exact causative agent of the fungal disease cannot be estimated by diagnosing the symptoms. Thus, a diagnostic method is necessary for the continuously collection of required pathogens, and identifying their morphological and genetic characteristics.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.171-174
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• 2002

Two systemic fungicides, SF1 (Bavistin, a carbandazim fungicide 50% WP, Rallis India ltd., India) and SF2 (Bayleton 25% WP-Triadiamefon, a Triazole compound, Rallis India Ltd., India) were screened for control of muscardine disease in silkworm, Bombyx mori. One and two percent of SF1 and 0.05 and 0.1 % of SF2 in aqueous solution were found to be effective in in vivo condition for the control of the disease. These fungicides, on feeding through mulberry leaves continuously for two days to 4$^{th}$ and 5$^{th}$ instar silkworm larvae inoculated topically with conidia of Beauveria bassiana (4$\times$10$^{6}$ conidia/ml) resulted in reduction in mortality due to muscardine by over 90% as against 100% mortality in inoculated control. SF1 at 1% reduced the mortality by 90% in 4$^{th}$ instar and 91% in final instar silkworm while at 2%, the reduction was 92% and 96%, respectively. SF2 at 0.05 and 0.1 % concentration reduced the mortality by 82 and 88% during 4$^{th}$ instar and by 88 and 92% during 5$^{th}$ instar, respectively.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.3
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• pp.45-49
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• 1963

This is a forecasting report for die experiment on agent of disease to be carried on next year. 1. Muscardine of the silkworm and wild insects are supposed to be caused by a common agent, Nomuraea Pracina and Isaria Spp. 2. In the view of using the method of spreading the spores of Isaria spp to control the Dendrolimus Spectabilis Butter, the other wild insects are also supposed to be contaminated by that. 3. Hyphantria Cunea Drury does not seem to be infected by fungus of Muscardine.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.81-85
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• 2007

White Muscardine is the most common fungal disease of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. caused by the pathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to screen locally available medicinal/ weed plants against Beauveria bassiana. Among the plant extracts (PE) tested, 5% aqueous crude extract of the bulb of Allium sativum (Garlic) has been found to be most effective against Beauveria bassiana. The radial growth of Beauveria bassiana in vitro was inhibited to the tune of 54.9% in aqueous extract and 54.4% in ethanolic extract of Allium sativum and correspondingly mycelial dry weight gave rise to 110.7 mg and 108.7 mg against 201.7 mg in control 15 days post treatment. Similarly, silkworm larvae topically inoculated with the Beauveria bassiana conidia ($1.8{\times}10^6/ml$) registered survival up to 53.0% against 0.0% in control after treatment with aqueous extract of Allium sativum. Simultaneously, as a preventive measure, silkworm larvae were put to rear in conidia contaminated seat paper instantly treated with aqueous extract of Allium sativum that also increased survival up to 61.0% against 4.6% in control. It is also observed that the plant extract is absolutely innocuous to silkworm.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 1977

In the previous short communication, the authors reported the applicability of Sodium Hyplochoride solution to silkworm rearing industry as a disinfectant after confirmed the fact that the chemical agent is capable to kill most of the pathogens of silkworm diseases. The authors, in the present study, attempted to investigate the influence of the chemical on the growth of silkworm larvae and the effect on the disinfection of silkworm larvae to inactivate the pathogen of yellow muscardine disease, Isaria farinosa and the results obtained are summarized as fellows. 1. The chemical agent did not affect the growth of silkworm larvae, when it was applied on silk-worm body with the concentration of 1,3,5 per cent of the agent during the rearing period. 2. The Sodium Hypochloride solution did not give any damage to silkworm larvae when larvae were fed up with 1,3,5 per cent of the solution. 3. In the bioassay of the solution on disinfection of larvae inoculated with yellow muscardine disease pathogen, the fact that the agent could control the disease was observed by showing much low infection rate in 3.5 per cent treatment compared to non-treatment control.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.229-234
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• 2004

Six entomopathogenic fungus isolates, Beauveria bassiana J57A, Nomuraea rileyi J125A, Paecilomyces farinosus J3A, Paecilomyces fumosoroseus J50A, Metarhizium anisopliae J88, Aspergilius sp. J64A, causing muscardine disease and aspergillosis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori were investigated for their cultural and morphological characteristics (on PDA culture media within 14 days at $24^{\circ}C$). The results showed that they differ each other from the features of cultural characteristics (colony elevation, colony color, colony growth rate) or morphological characteristics (conidiogenous cell structure, phialides, conidia size and shape). Among cultural characteristics, colony color is the easiest recognizable character between isolates. The morphological characteristics of each fungal isolate correspond to the descriptions of current system of classification.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.32-36
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• 1984

The survey of silkworm disease occurrence in autumn rearing season, 1984, was carried out and the results are as follows. 1. The percentage of diseased larvae in the current season was about 17%. 2. Among silkworm diseases, grassarie was predominant, as it took 38.5% of total diseased larvae, followed by muscardine which took 20.3% and flacherie was taken by 11.9% 3. The infection of silkworm larvae with pathogens occurred more at grown larva stages than at young larva stages. 4. The loss of cocoon yield was mainly caused by unsuitable climate conditions and agricultural insecticides applied in the rice paddy fields and fruit gardens near mulberry fields. The cocoon production also was reduced by the failure of silkworm disease control due to the incomplete disinfection of rearing rooms and tools.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.191-196
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• 2003

Silkworm body and rearing seat disinfection is an integral part of effective silkworm rearing as it prevents the spread of various diseases through secondary contamination in the rearing bed. Many bed disinfectants are recommended by various research institutes in India. In the present study, eight bed disinfectants viz., Vijetha, Labex, Resham Jyothi, Sanjeevini, Suraksha, Reshamkeet Oushadh, Dithane M45 and Captan recommended by various Sericultural Research Institutions in the country against the spread of common diseases of silkworm were tested to determine their comparative efficacy. For the study, all the treatment batches were introduced with fixed number of specific diseased larvae so as to maintain a constant source of pathogen in the bed and then followed by treatment with respective bed disinfectants. Percent mortality/infection due to each disease was recorded to determine efficacy of bed disinfectant treatment against respective disease. The results show that all the bed disinfectants tested have considerable efficacy against the spread of various diseases in the rearing bed. However, Vijetha was distinctly superior in its efficacy against all four major diseases of silkworm. The study emphasize the role of bed disinfectants in silkworm rearing and the fact that they should be judiciously selected based on the efficacy of the bed disinfectant and the type of disease prevalent in a particular season and area.