• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 2002

Breeding programme was initiated during November, 1995 with the main objective to breed productive multivoltine breeds/ hybrids with suitable genetic constitution to suit the fluctuating tropical climate prevailed in India. Two multivoltine breeds viz., BL-24 and BL-27 selected were as breeding resource materials from the silkworm germplasm maintained at Central Sericul-tural Research and Training Institute, Mysore. By adopting hybridization, backcrossing inbreeding and selection, a new multivoltine breed namely BL-67. This breed spins light greenish yellow cocoons and cocoon shape is oval with medium to coarse grains. The evolved breed was crossed with five tropical bivoltine breeds viz., NB4D2, CSR2, CSR5, CSR18 and CSR101 to study the combining ability, and identified a superior hybrid, BL67 ${\times}$ CSR101, named as CAUVERY, The hybrid is characterized by high pupation rate (>95%), high shell weight (> 35 cg), high cocoon shell ratio (> 20%), longer filament length (> 900 m) and high neatness (93) with a renditta of 6.5 producing 2A-3A grade silk. The hybrid is selected for Race Autho-rization test of Central Silk Board.

• 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.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.153-155
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• 2001

Eight new three-way cross heterozygotic hybrid genotypes of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, resulted from hybridization of multivoltine as female and bivoltine Fl hybrid as male component, have been evaluated for the cumulative effect of nine traits of commercial economic importance with the objective of selecting out the most prospective ones for their exploitation as an intermediate technology during unfavorable season. Five of them namely, G(P5${\times}$NBl8) (E.I. =57.23); S(NB18${\times}$P5) (E.I. : 55.48); S(P5${\times}$NBl8) (E.I. = 52.44); S(KBN${\times}$B7) (E.I. = 50.42) and S(NB7${\times}$KB) (E.I. : 50.16) have scored higher values of the Evaluation Index (E.I.) and could be selected in the same order for exploitation during unfavorable seasons in tropical climates.