Production efficiency of cocoon shell of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Bombycidae: Lepidoptera), as an index for evaluating the nutritive value of mulberry, Morus sp. (Moraceae), varieties

Abstract

The nutritional efficiency of mulberry leaves consumed by silkworms, Bombyx mori L., is usually evaluated in terms of the proportion of cocoon shell weight to the amount of food ingested. The production efficiency of cocoon shell is generally used to identify the superiority of a mulberry variety for silkworm rearing. In this study the production efficiency of cocoon shell was used as an index for evaluating the nutritive value of different mulberry varieties of India. Among the varieties, V-1, having highest production efficiency of cocoon shell with less amount of food ingested and highest digestibility, is regarded as the best suitable variety with nutritive values ideal for silkworm rearing. © 2011 Jalaja Suresh Kumar and Nair Suresh Kumar.