EFFECT OF FOLIC ACID AND ZINC CHLORIDE ON GROWTH AND ECONOMIC TRAITS OF MULBERRY SILKWORM BOMBYX MORI L.

Abstract

Fortification of mulberry leaves with dietary supplements is found to be a scientific method of rearing silkworms. In order to investigate the effects of supplementary nutrients to silkworm, Bombyx mori. L an experiment was conducted with Folic Acid and Zinc Chloride treatments. The dietary supplements of Folic Acid 100 ppm (T₁) and Zinc Chloride 100 ppm (T₂) treated mulberry leaves of V1 variety were fed to silkworm larvae from third day of fifth instar larvae till spinning. These treatments results in a significant increase in biological parameters such as larval weight and economical parameters such as cocoon weight, pupal weight, shell weight and shell ratio % .But, the most important economical parameter shell ratio % of Zinc Chloride treated leaves was not found significant. The Folic Acid treated leaves showed the maximum shell ratio percentage of 20.99% which was found to be the effective treatment. In the present study, it has been concluded that the Folic Acid 100 ppm treated leaves exhibits higher performance over the Zinc Chloride 100 ppm treated leaves.