EFFECT OF SOME POWDERS AND HIVE PRODUCTS ON LARVAL HAEMOLYMPH OF SILKWORM

Abstract

Two doses (5 and 10 gms) of 14 powders (hive products and plant materials) were added to mulberry leaves, and two levels (%) of 14 liquid treatments (hive products, honey, pollen, royal jelly and propolis and their mixtures) were sprayed on mulberry leaves which feed to 4th and 5th instar larvae of silkworm. Effects on haematological characters, Total Soluble Solids % (T.S.S.%), Total Haemocyte Counts/mm3 haemolymph (T.H.C.), and Differential Haemocytes Counts % (D.H.C.%), were studied in 5th instar larval haemolymph. The best tested powders (gm), and liquids (%), with respect to (T.S.S.%) can be arranged desindinglly as follow: Palm Pollen, hand-collected (10 gm), Pollen from honey bee colonies (10 gm). Drone brood, dried (5 gm), Soya flour, defatted (10 gm), Pollen (0.3%), Pollen (5 gm), Royal Jelly (0.03%), and Honey (1%). This depends on % increment of these treatments over control. Concerning (T.H.C.), the best treatments were: Palm Pollen (10 or 5 gms), Pollen (10 gm), Royal Jelly (0.02%), Pollen (0.2%), Pollen + Propolis (0.2% + 0.1%), and Drone Brood (5 or 10 gms). Powder treatment was more effective as compared with liquid treatment, with respect to T.S.S.% and T.H.C. Prohaemocytes %, was higher in Pollen (0.2 & 0.3%) and its mixture with Royal Jelly (0.2% + 0.02%), Plasmatocytes %, Granular cells %, and Oenocytoides %, were in Pollen + Honey (0.2% + 2%); Pollen + Propolis (0.2% + 0.1%) and Honey + Royal Jelly (2% + 0.02%), treatments, respectively, while Spindle cells % were more in control, as compared with all tested liquid treatments. In powder treatments (gm), maximum % abundance of prohaemocytes was in Pollen (5 & 10 gms), Soya (5 & 10 gm), Palm Pollen (5 & 10 gms) and Drone Brood (10 gms). Maximum % abundance of other haemocytes types, was noticed with powders from Vasaka, Buddleia, and Spearmint leaves. Statistical analysis of obtained data revealed highly significant differences between treatments and used doses, and these data were discussed.