• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.243-264
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• 2013

Antheraea mylitta Drury is a commercial silk producing forest insect in India and Xanthopimpla pedator Fabricius is its larval-pupal endoparasitoid, which causes pupal mortality that affects seed production. Effects of host plants, rearing season and their interactions on parasitic behaviour of X. pedator were studied here, as influence of these factors on biological success of X. pedator is not known. Seven forest tree species were tested as food plants for A. mylitta, and rate of pupal parasitization in both the rearing seasons were recorded and analysed. Results showed that rearing season and host plants significantly affected the rate of pupal parasitization in both the sexes. Pupal mortality was found significantly higher (14.52%) in second rearing season than the first (2.89%). Likewise, host plants and rearing seasons significantly affected length, diameter, and shell thickness of cocoons in both sexes. Out of all infested pupae, 85.59% were found male, which indicated that X. pedator chooses male spinning larva of A. mylitta for oviposition, but we could not answer satisfactorily the why and how aspect of this sex specific parasitic behaviour of X. pedator. Multiple regression analysis indicated that length and shell thickness of male cocoons are potential predictors for pupal parasitization rate of X. pedator. Based on highest cocoon productivity and lowest pupal mortality, Terminalia alata, T. tomentosa, and T. arjuna were found to be the most suitable host plants for forest based commercial rearing of A. mylitta in tropical forest areas of Uttarakhand state, where it has never been reared earlier. Sex and season specific interaction of X. pedator with its larval-pupal host, A. mylitta is a novel entomological study to find out explanations for some of the unresolved research questions on parasitic behaviour of X. predator that opens a new area for specialised study on male specific parasitization in Ichneumonidae.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.28-30
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• 2000

Red muscardine (P. fumosoroseus), first observed on silkworm in Korea, was examined on its cultural characters, infection process, and symptoms. The fungus on PDA medium was grown to 44 mm in diameter in 14 days. Conidiaphore ws 1.45$\mu\textrm{m}$ in diameter, producing 4 to 6 phialides (5.9$\mu\textrm{m}$${\times}$1.8$\mu\textrm{m}$) in cluster. Elliptic conidia wre hyaline and 2.9${\times}$1.3$\mu\textrm{m}$ in size. Diseased silkworm showed typical symptoms of muscardine while becoming stiff. On 3 to 4 days after inoculation of P. fumosoroseus conidia upon the surface of silkworm, it was observed that the silkworm moved and ate less in rearing bed, and amorpnous dark spots of 1∼2 mm appeared on the surface o thorax, abdomen, spirace, and etc. Corrected mortality reached up to 97% at 9th day after inoculation.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.93-119
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• 2014

Tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is a polyphagous silk producing forest silkworm of commercial importance in India. Forest dependent people rear its larvae on different forestry host plants twice or thrice in a year for small household income. Larvae of A. mylitta feeds on many forest tree species, but always show a great degree of selectivity as a function of its behavioural responses to physical structure and chemical features of the host plants. Cocoon crop of A. mylitta is influenced by heterogeneity of tasar food plants and climatic conditions of the habitat. The role of host plants, temperature, humidity, rainfall, photoperiod and climatic variables on the growth and development of insects have clearly been demonstrated. This article entails an in-depth analysis on ecological and nutritional aspects of A. mylitta, which may provide selective information to researcher and forest managers, who are particularly associated with livelihood improvement of the poor people in forested area through location specific forest insect industry.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.117-125
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• 1998

Entomopathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae, were isolated from the soil of mulberry field, and the high infectivity and invesiveness were confirmed in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The cause of non-microbial and acute flacherie was found as an disease by infection with soil-born nematodes through the mulberry leaves contaminated with soil and rainwater. The causal nematodes were isolated by silkworm trap from all of the 5 soil samples collected on the 5 mulberry fields, and identified as 3 strains of Heterorhabditis sp. and 2 of Steinernema sp. Rainwater itself, however, wasn't engaged in the silkworm disease, mulberry leaves with rainwater was rather profitable for cocoon production when the leaf quality was too hard to feed silkworm. Feeding of wet mulberry leaves with rain might not so harm to silkworm when the condition of rearing room to be kept at suitable temperature and ventilated well. Nematode infection of silkworm could be occurred by harvesting and feeding of contaminated mulberry leaves on the weather condition of rainy and wind. For the prevention of nematode infection, silkworms should be fed the leaves harvested from the higher portion of the mulberry tree in rainy days. For an oppositional application of this susceptibility of silkworms to nematode, might be useful on the collection and amplification of nematode agents for biotic control of pest insects.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2003

A new silkworm variety, Chugangjam, with a sex-limited larval marking and high silk yielding for summer-autumn rearing season is $F_1$ hybrid between Jam 147, a Japanese race bred from P8503/8453, and Jam 148, a Chinese race from M8306/Jam 130. Jam 147, Japanese parent of the Chugangjam showed a high GCA (general combining ability) in pupation percentage and Jam 148, Chinese parent, showed a high GCA in pupation percentage and single cocoon weight. In the local adaptability test performed at 8 local areas in autumn of 2001, Chugangjam was 5% higher in cocoon yield and 8% in raw silk productivity in the 10,000 of the 3rd molted larvae, respectively, than the check variety Daesungjam.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2007

A Silkworm breeding programme was designed to develop a robust but productive bivoltine silkworm hybrid of Bombyx mori L. suitable for rearing throughout the year in tropical climate by utilizing indigenous polyvoltine and productive bivoltine breeds. The breeding was carried out under high temperature ($36^{\circ}C{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) and low humidity ($50{\pm}5%$) conditions in the environmental chamber. By $F_{12}$, three oval and three dumbbell breeds were isolated with higher survival and productive merits. These breeds were utilized in the hybrid evaluation along with other popular breeds. Based on combining ability test results, the hybrid $SR_2{\times}SR_5$ was selected for large scale testing and evaluated in different seasons. The evaluation studies indicated that the hybrid has higher viability and productive merits and it is suitable to rear throughout the year. The hybrid $SR_2{\times}SR_5$ recorded a survival of 92.0%, cocoon shell weight of 0.417 g, cocoon shell percentage of 23.0 and a filament length of 1042 meters under hot and dry conditions of environmental chamber compared to the control thermo-tolerant hybrid $CSR18{\times}CSR19$.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.35-37
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• 1986

To reduce the number of rearing season required for preservation of multivoltine silkworms which do not produce diapause eggs, the optimal egg stage, temperature, and period of cold storage were examinede using hatchability as an indicator of viability. Multivoltine silkworm starains MR, SPT, and HM were used in the study. 1. The hatchability of multivoltine silkworm eggs (MR and STP) preserve at 5$^{\circ}C$ for 30 days was 80% for the eggs chilled from 2 days after oviposition but less 5% for those chilled from 7 days after ovipostion. 2. When 2 day-old eggs of multivoltine silkworm (HM) were preserved between -2.5$^{\circ}C$ to 7.5$^{\circ}C$ for 15 to 60 days, $0^{\circ}C$ and 2.5$^{\circ}C$ showed the highest hatchability with 91% at 30 days and 61% at 60 days storage, respectively. 3. From these results, it can be concluded that by preserving 2 day-old eggs at 2.5$^{\circ}C$ for 50 to 60 days, rearing seasons required for preservation of the multivoltine silkworm can be reduced to half per year.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.135-144
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• 2014

Rearing of tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury is mainly conducted in outdoor on Terminalia tomentosa W. & A. a nature grown primary host plant available in forest and also on raised primary host plant Terminalia arjuna Bedd. Temperature, relative humidity and rainfall are the main environmental factors for occurrence of pests (parasites and predators) of tasar silkworm during I, II and III crop rearing in the tropical tasar producing zones. The present study was aimed to study the influence of abiotic factors on prevalence of tasar silkworm pests. The study was conducted at different agro-climatic regions viz., Central Tasar Research &Training Institute, Ranchi, Jharkhand, Regional Extension Centre, Katghora, Chattisgarh and Regional Extension Centre, Hatgamaria during 2010-13 covering 3 seed crop and 6 commercial crops. Data on incidence of tropical tasar silkworm endo-parasitoids like Uzi Fly, Blepharipa zebina Walker and Ichneumon fly (Yellow Fly), Xathopimpla pedator, Fabricius and Predators such as Stink bug (Eocanthecona furcellata Wolf), Reduviid bug (Sycanus collaris Fabricius) and Wasp (Vespa orientalis Linnaeus) was recorded Weekly. The meteorological data was collected daily. Data was collected from 4 different agro-climatic zones of tasar growing areas. Analysis of the data revealed a significant negative correlation between abiotic factors and incidence of ichneumon fly and uzi fly. Based on the 3 years data on prevalence of pests region-wise pest calendars and prediction models were developed.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-19
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• 1976

These surveys were carried out to investigate of damage of agricultural chemicals, tabacco, and factory smoke on silkworm rearing Autumn in 1975 1. Damaging rate in chemicals, tabacco and factory smoke was 1.4, 0.6 and 0.1 percent each other. 2. In damage by agricultural chemicals, it appeared to be chemicals for rice (49.4%) orchard (21.2%) and vegetable (12.3%) in order. 3. Status of damaging rate in tabacco showed 60 and 18 percent in tabacco field and tobacco drying place near mulberry field. and showed 14 and 8 percent in rabacco drying place and tabacco field near rearing house. 4. The damage of factory smoke is largely stone powder of cement.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2006

The major dominant fluoride-endurance (Dfe) gene was introduced into the commercial varieties by crossing and pedigree selection to breed silkworm races that could normally develop in the area that polluted by fluoride. After backcrossed for two generations, the Dfe gene was made homozygous, and individuals with good economic characters were selected to generate next generation. After 8 generations of selection, their characters became stable, and the silkworm variety which is resistant to fluoride, Huayuan${\times}$Dongsheng, for spring rearing were bred.