• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.155-159
• /
• 2000

In the spring silkworm rearing period of year 1998, some nutritional aspects were studied in the Agricultural Research Station of the Komotini town in Greece, to investigate the feeding behaviour of some Bulgarian silkworm hybrids, suitable for spring rearing, during the fourth and fifth instal under the local climatic conditions. The silkworms were fed by locally cultivated Japanese Kinriu mulberry (Morus alba L.) variety leaves. Eight Bulgarian hybrids had been used, namely Vratza-53xVratza-52, Ukraine-20xVratza-53, Super 1xHessa 2, Merefa 2xVratza 35, as well as their reciprocal crosses. The studies showed out a remarkably higher feed intake and feed utilization by the hybrids Hessa 2xSuper-1, Merefa 2xVratza 35 and Vratza-52xVratza-53. The same hybrids showed an efficient food utilization by means of daily growths cocoon shell ratio and raw silk output. In terms of food to silk conversion efficiency Hessa 2xSuper-1 hybrid gave the best results. Larval stage duration for fourth and fifth instar was not affected by feed intake and utilization. All hybrids showed a good adaptation to the local environment and their feeding performance was equal to the international existing standards. All calculated parameters were found to be around the mean values of other up to date presented results and thus considered as acceptable for the needs of the local production.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.10-15
• /
• 1995

Genetic characterization of Sri Lankan silkworm bivoltine population has not been at-tempted so far, since its sporadic introduction of bivoltine strains into the island, starting from the 1950's. Genetic structure of Sri Lankan population of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori was investigated through estimation of general (GCA) and specific combining ability(SCA) and heritability(${h^2}_B$), on the economic quantitative characters from leading 8 inbreds and their 28 F1's in a half diallel cross, in an attempt to utilize the estimates in determination of future breeding methods and to predict the breeding value over the phenotypic value. It was found that the breeding population of the bivoltine silkworm in Sri Lanka has still maintained considerable amounts of additive gene action as well as nonadditive. For some time in the future, both breeding strategies of "selection without inbreeding" and also "inbreeding followed by crossing" should therefore be effective in genetic improvement of economic characters investigated. In addition, superior combiners in general and in specific F1′s were identified for each of 6 economic characters, to be immediately utilized in selection and also in cross breeding programs in Sri Lanka.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.207-210
• /
• 2004

Artificial diet (AD) has shown with different advantages over mulberry leaves (ML). Various types of such feed for silkworm have been developed and proposed. The aims of this study were possibility rearing whole instar of silkworm on AD and to find some economic formulation for rearing silkworm, compare to that ML. Eleven ADs (D$_1$ to D$_{11}$) were prepared with different percentage of mulberry leaf powder, and other ingredients such as soybean meal, cellulose, potato starch, agar, wheat flour, rice bran, etc. Five formulated diets (D$_1$ D$_2$, D$_{5}$, D$_{10}$ and D$_{11}$) appeared to have similar response to that ML (D$_{m}$). There were no significant differences for duration period between ADs, all of which recorded with higher duration than mulberry leaves. Compared to other died used in the present study D$_1$ and D$_{10}$ showed better growth development and survival rate. Larvae fed D$_1$, D$_2$, D$_{5}$, D$_{10}$ and D$_{11}$ grew faster and produced heavier and more useful cocoons.coons.coons.coons.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.39-44
• /
• 2019

The effect of heat treatment on the sterilization and fatty acid compositions of silkworm powder was carried out under the guidance of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Food borne pathogens or microorganisms including E. coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and aflatoxin, were not detected. The fatty acid composition was hardly changed after the silkworm powder was treated to a high temperature of $121^{\circ}C$. The low temperature sterilization of silkworm powder at $63^{\circ}C$ decreased the concentration of E. coli while high temperature sterilization at $121^{\circ}C$ has found no traces of microorganism.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
• /
• 2003.04a
• /
• pp.42-42
• /
• 2003

The wild silkworm, Bombyx mandarina, was believed the only ancestor of B. mori, inhabits the limited area of Eastern Asia including China, Korea and Japan. However, the geographic dimorphism of B. mandarina was reported with chromosome number and arylphorin gene. In connection with those dimorphism, we studied the genetic differences of ITS-2 region in rDNA purposing the differentiation and geographic variation within the species of B. mandarina. (omitted)

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.87-93
• /
• 2006

Multiplication and spore production of three microsporidia viz., Nosema bombycis, Nosema sp. 1 and Nosema sp. 2 in fifth instar larval tissues of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. in two seasons with distinct temperature regimes were studied. Nosema sp. 2 produced significantly (P < 0.01) higher number of spores in various tissues. Among the tissues, spore production was highest in silk gland, followed by fat body and gut. Spore production was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in season-II (Average temperature $29.4{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$). Maximum spore production was observed 25 days post inoculation (p. i.) in season-I (Average temperature $18.9{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$), whereas in season-II, it was 14 days p. i. In season-I, spore production was low up to 21 days p. i., then increased sharply. In season-II, there was a steady increase in spore production. The results indicate that the microsporidian multiplication is tissue specific and extremely sensitive to temperature at which the host is reared. It also reveals that, silk gland, fat body and gut are the most appropriate tissues for microscopic identification of microsporidia in the larval stage.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 2007

The present study was aimed to screen different antibiotics in vivo for their effects against the bacterium Bacillus coagulans in silkworm Bombyx mori in three experimental conditions viz., a) healthy larvae treated with the antibiotics b) larvae which were first inoculated with Bacillus coagulans immediately after the $2^{nd}$ moult and treated with the antibiotics from 24 hour after inoculation up to the end of the $5^{th}$ instar(pre-inoculated larvae) and c) larvae which were treated with the antibiotics right from hatching up to the end of the $5^{th}$ instar and inoculated with Bacillus coagulans immediately after the $2^{nd}$ moult(post-inoculated larvae). All the antibiotics used in this study stimulated better performance in improving the rearing performance and economic characters of the cocoons in healthy, pre-inoculated and post-inoculated larvae, besides reducing the mortality of infected larvae. Cephelexin and Tetracycline were more effective than the others in their overall performance under all the three experimental conditions. Chloramphenical caused greater increase in the length of the reelable silk filament, but was not as good in elevating the other parameters compared to the remaining antibiotics. Of the four concentrations of antibiotics tested, 2.0% performed better under all the three experimental conditions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.72-76
• /
• 1996

To investigate the expression efficiency of new transfer vector of Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV), Escherichia coli lacZ gene was inserted into new transfer vector pBmKSK1, under the control of polyhedrin promoter and expressed in BmN-4 cells and larvae of silkworm, Bombyx mori. The recombinant virus containing lacZ gene was isolated from BmN-4 cells coinfected with transfer vectro pBmKSK1-LacZ and wild type BmNPV genome, and analysed by Southern blotting. The expression of ${\beta}$-galactosidase was characterized by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and ${\beta}$-galactosidase activity assay. The results showed that the level of expression in silkworm larvae was higher than that of BmN-4 cells.

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

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.149-152
• /
• 2001

Effect of topical application with 10, 20 and 30 ${\mu}g$/ml testosterone propionate and estradiol -17${\beta}$ on the fourth and fifth instar bivoltine NB18 silkworm larvae Bombyx mori, on the glycogen and protein contents of the Fat body and trehalose and protein contents of the haemolymph has been studied. Glycogen content of the fat body was significantly decreased in both testosterone propionate and estradiol -17${\beta}$ treatment groups except in the group treated with 30 ${\mu}g$ testosterone propionate where the increase was not significant when compared with those of carrier controls. The increase/decrease in haemolymph trehalose content did not show any significant difference in all the treated groups. Protein content of the fat body significantly increased in 10 and 20 mg testosterone propionate and estradiol -l7${\beta}$ treated groups but in 30 mg treated groups the increase was not significant when compared with those of carrier controls. There was no significant change in the haemolymph protein content in all the testosterone propionate and estradiol -17${\beta}$ treated groups except in group treated with 10 ${\mu}g$ estradiol -17${\beta}$ where it showed a significant decrease when compared with that of carrier control.