Impact of temperature variations in worm containers and nutrition amount on silk glands and silk productivity

Abstract

During the feeding of mulberry silkworms, when the temperature in the larvae fluctuates sharply and the amount of nutrients fed is below or above the norm, the metabolism and physiological processes in the body are disrupted. As a result, the silk cocoon water balance, respiration, digestion and absorption of nutrients are impaired, the activity of the silk glands is impaired, creating conditions for disease-causing microorganisms. In this case, the growth of silkworms by 4 times less when the worms are fed with 50% of the norm, reducing the amount of silk in the cocoon, as the larvae survive without healthy development and the productivity of the cocoons grown. This results in a 20.0% reduction in its average weight and a 23.3% decrease in the weight of the shell. At the same time, on farms where mulberry leaves are in short supply, the cocoon yield per box of worms is 15-30 kilograms, and the quality is 14% lower. This is due to the fact that the growth of mulberry silkworms as a result of the inability of the silk gland to accumulate enough silk fluid due to underdevelopment and the satiety of the mulberry leaf significantly affect the activity of the silk gland. Feeding silkworms with high-nutrient varieties of mulberry leaves increased silkworm size by 6.9-10.1%, viability by 2.5%, total cocoons, yield by 4.5%, yield by 8 kg. In particular, a sharp change in the air temperature of the worm relative to the norm (25-26 °C) weakens the activity of the silk gland due to disruption of the growth and development process of worms. Due to the reduction of the amount of silk liquid synthesized, the viability of worms is 6.5%, the weight of the cocoon is 61.5-64.4%, the weight of the silk shell is 73.7-74.5%, the yield is 8-10 kg, and the variety is 6-12%. decrease has been scientifically proven.