Artificial Diets for Mulberry Silkworm Bombyx mori L.
Sushmitha C *
Department of Sericulture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore-65, India.
Yashaswini B R
Department of Sericulture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore-65, India.
Basanagouda Jekinakatti
Department of Sericulture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore-65, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The silkworm, Bombyx mori L., is typically nourished with a natural diet consisting of fresh mulberry leaves. Nevertheless, to address the significant challenges associated with mulberry leaves, including the high costs of land for mulberry cultivation, the construction of rearing facilities, the housing of farmers, the necessity for efficient transportation, and the demand for intensive labor, various artificial diets rich in essential nutrients have been formulated. The initial use of artificial diets in sericulture occurred in Japan in 1977, aimed at the rearing of young silkworms within cooperative rearing facilities. The implementation of artificial diets in sericulture has significantly reduced the labor required for silkworm rearing, leading to a rapid increase in the rearing of young and healthy larvae.
Keywords: Artificial diets, essential nutrients, mulberry, silkworm Bombyx mori