Biological and productive characteristics of silkworm mulberry varieties of different ploidy and their use for raising silkworms in different seasons

Abstract

The biological and productive characteristics of heteroploid silkworm mulberry varieties of different ploidy are characterized. As a result of feeding silkworm caterpillars the leaves of polyploid mulberry varieties compared with the dip0loid variety Pc-109, the caterpillar stage is shortened and the viability of caterpillars and palatability and assimilability of leaves, cocoon weight, cocoon yield per gram of caterpillars and per hectare of groves, and raw silk increase. Polyploid varieties Nadezhda and Pc-109,4 Tetraploid are promising for spring silkworm rearing, and variety Beshtau for summer.