Biochemical and Behavioral Changes in Mulberry Silkworm Larvae Fed Micronutrient-Enhanced Mulberry Leaves

Abstract

Larvae from a PMxCSR hybrid of the insect pest Bombyx mori L. are being fed mulberry leaves and micronutrients to see how they fare. We conducted a field experiment with twelve different treatments (T0-T11) including control (T0) group that received different amounts of each micronutrient. Twenty B. mori early instar larvae/replication stages were given mulberry leaves, twice a day (morning and evening) throughout their fourth and fifth instars. Compared to the control group (4th and 5th instars), treatment T9 (4 kg/ha of ZnSO4 + 3 kg/ha of FeSO4 + 3 kg/ha of CuSO4) increased food intake and absorption by up to 31.56 and 22.98%, respectively (4th and 5th instar, respectively). In comparison to T10 (4 kg/ha of CuSO4 + 3 kg/ha of FeSO4 + 3 kg/ha of ZnSO4), T11 (1:1:1 kg/ha of CuSO4, FeSO4 and ZnSO4) exhibited a growth of 94.95 and a tissue growth efficiency of 65.67. A longer larval period (7.93±1.16 days) was seen in the T1 (FeSO4 10 kg/ha alone) group compared to the control group (T0). In T9, the larvae grew by 50.0% in length and breadth and 18.0 and 18.51% in length and width, respectively. Maximum chawki larval weight increased by 16.78 and 29.44%, and T9 had the largest silk gland at 2.14±0.05 g.