Abstract
Tetraploid male silkworms are sterile in nature. However, occasionally, fertile tetraploid males have appeared. After many trials to increase the fertility of tetraploid males, starvation at the fifth larval instar was found to be the most effective stimulus. The tetraploid males were starved for 48 h at various stages (0 h, 24 h, 48 h, 54 h, 60 h, 72 h, and 96 h) of the fifth larval instar, in the fall and summer seasons of 1993 and in the summer season of 1994. Fertility of the tetraploid males increased as the stage of the starvation was delayed and became highest at 60 h of the fifth instar. Since the male meiosis in the tetraploids started after 48 h of the fifth instar, in contrast to 0 h in the diploid, our data suggest that a factor promoting normal spermiogenesis is produced by starvation at the specific stage of the fifth instar.
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