Influence of the chemical composition of mulberry on the growth dynamics of silkworm larvae

Abstract

In countries where sericulture is well-developed, there is a pressing need to create new systems, varieties, and hybrids of the Morus alba L. species, which is the only food source for the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. These new systems should be suitable for the care of silkworms, and their nutritional and chemical composition should be studied. The introduction of these new systems into production is considered a crucial problem that needs to be addressed. Research experiments were carried out in 2013-2017 at the Tashkent State Agrarian University and the Silk Research Institute. The results showed that in 2017, the new varieties contained 75.1-74.3% water, while in 2018, the water content was 76.0-77.3%. Meanwhile, the Tajikskaya bezsemyannaya variety showed an increase in this indicator, reaching 75.2-76.2%. However, these results were still lower than the benchmark of 98.8-101.4%. The amount of protein is one of the most important indicators of mulberry leaf composition.