Efficacy of botanical extracts on the Economic characters of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. infected with Beauveria bassiana (Bals) Vuill

Abstract

White muscardine disease due to Beauveria bassiana causes high mortality with a cocoon yield loss upto 30 percent almost throughout the year. Due to the risks associated with the use of hazardous chemicals in disease management, the significance of research on environmentally friendly solutions with natural and biological sources has been realised in recent years. A different approach to managing silkworm diseases uses botanicals that are non-toxic, biodegradable, non-polluting and have antibacterial properties. Apart from the disease management, the botanical extracts have significant effect on silkworm growth and development. Three locally available botanicals, Datura stramonium (seed), Ficus carica (leaf), and Vitis vinifera (seed), had their extracts tested in this study at three different concentrations. Using percentages of 10, 15, and 20 to investigate their impact on the economic characteristics of the silkworm. The results showed that these botanicals, which were tested for their effectiveness on the economic characteristics of silkworms, had no negative effects on the health of the silkworms or the quality of the cocoons/silk. The silkworm's characteristics, including its larval weight, larval duration, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell ratio%, and average filament length were found to be par to those of a healthy batch of silkworms (Untreated healthy).