Impact of Feeding Lemon Juice–Enriched Mulberry  Leaves on The Larval Growth, Protein Profiles and  Economic Traits in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Thulasi; N; Sivaprasad; S

Volume : IV, Issue : II, February - 2014

Impact of Feeding Lemon Juice–Enriched Mulberry Leaves on The Larval Growth, Protein Profiles and Economic Traits in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Thulasi, N, Sivaprasad, S

Abstract :

Minimum effective concentration of lemon juice (LJ) was determined and its positive impact demonstrated on Bombyx mori, with reference to larval growth, protein profiles and economic parameters of sericulture. LJ works well at a concentration of 3% in distilled water and stimulates growth rates in silkworm larvae during fourth and fifth instar developmental stages, but more effectively during fifth instar. It stimulates fioin (core silk protein) synthesis and retards floss protein synthesis in silk gland, more particularly in its anterior region. Further, lemon juice promotes protein mobilization from fat body to silk gland via haemolymph. In doing so, it contributes to sericulture industry by causing improvements in profit making economic traits such as gland-body ratio, cocoon weight, shell weight, raw silk weight, denier and renditta and by reducing the production of floss, which contributes to loss in the sericulture industry. Lemon juice is suggested as a profitable supplementary diet for silkworm.