• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2007

Precocious metamorphosis was induced in two popular bivoltine breeds i.e. YB and $NB_4D_2$ by an imidazole compound having anti-juvenile hormone activity. The chemical was administered by feeding treatment with mulberry leaf to freshly moulted (0-6 hrs) IV instar larvae. The dose of the chemical was found to be breed specific being 650 ppm for YB and 500 ppm for $NB_4D_2$. The chemical caused complete skipping up of the fifth instar larvae which is most susceptible to diseases. But IV instar was somewhat prolonged. As a result the total larval period was reduced by 4-5 days. However, some of the rearing and reeling parameters like cocoon yield, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell %, filament length and fecundity were reduced for that particular generation only. The effective rate of rearing (ERR %) was significantly increased in trimoulters during the most unfavourable August - September seed crop season. Number of cocoons / kg and number of male moth were significantly higher in trimoulters. These may be useful for preparation of $multi{\times}bi$ hybrid seed. Fine denier was also found in trimoulter cocoon which is the cause of getting fine silk filament from trimoulter cocoons. Normal mating behaviour and emergence pattern was recorded in trimoulters. Bivoltine trimoulter males also showed competence for mating with multivoltine females. These results suggest the possibility of getting trimoulter males during hot and humid seasons when rearing of bivoltine is almost impossible particularly in Eastern and North Eastern India.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.243-248
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• 2009

The Larval critical weight is the minimal mass at which further growth in not necessary for a normal time course to pupation. Larval critical weight (Lcw), pupal critical weight (Pcw) and adult critical weight (Acw) of different breeds of Bombyx mori L. were determined through starvation (food deprivation). The Lcw was found to be about 938.46, 2397.26, 2283.57 and 2220.97 mg in males and 1118.15, 2681.04, 2604.9 and 2455.88 mg in females of the multivoltine breed (Nistari), Bivoltine breeds (P5 & NB18) and their hybrid (P5$\times$NB18) respectively. Bivoltine breed P5 took more time (3.35 days) followed by NB18 (3.13 days) & P5$\times$NB18 (3.02 days) to attain larval critical weight (In $5^{th}$ Instar) than the multivoltine breed Nistari (2.42 days). Decrease in weight from larval maximal weight to pupal weight and to adult weight was also observed more in multivoltine than bivoltines, which may be due to more latent feeding period in bivoltines. Since Lcw is a stable character and independent of environment, it could be utilized for characterization of silkworm breeds to assess the quality of an insect.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2004

Studies on heterotic expression in the silk productivity of 66 thermo-tolerant bivoltine hybrids reared under high temperature $(36{\times}1^{\circ}C)$ and low humidity (60${\times}$5%) conditions revealed that manifestation of heterosis was highly significant for majority of the quantitative traits contributing to more cocoon productivity. Observations were made on 8 economically important traits such as fecundity, pupation rate, cocoon yield, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, cocoon shell ratio, cocoon filament length and raw silk. Analysis of variance results revealed great deal of variability indicating significant (P < 0.001) variations. Out of 66 hybrids, 7 hybrids exhibited positive heterosis for seven traits and 4 hybrids expressed significant hetero-beltiosis for 6 traits, out of 8 traits evaluated. Based on results, the hybrids ${SR_1} {\times} {SR_5}and {CSR_2} {\times} {SR_5}$ are adjudged as most promising ones and can be exploited commercially in tropical climates to increase the cocoon productivity.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.61-64
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• 2005

General and specific combining ability effects of six bivoltine breeds of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) were evaluated for six quantitative characters through diallel method wherein parents, $F_{1}s$ and reciprocals are involved. The breeds $APS_{11}\;and\;APS_{2}$ were found to be the best general combiners for most of the traits studied. The high estimates of specific combining ability (sca) variance (${\sigma}^{2}s$) compared to general combining ability (gca) variance (${\sigma}^{2}g$) indicated the predominant role of non-additive gene action in the control of all the characters. Positive sca effects for majority of the traits were expressed by the combinations $APS_{13}{\times}APS_6,\;APS_{13}{\times}APS_2,\;APS_{11}{\times}APS_6\;and\;APS_5{\times}APS_2$ out of 15 crosses. Among the 15 reciprocal crosses studied, the combination $APS_8{\times}APS_{13}$ showed positive reciprocal effects for all the six traits. With both the parents $APS_5\;and\;APS_2$ being good general combiners the hybrid $APS_5{\times}APS_2$ showing high sca effects is recommended for commercial use.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2013

Boil-off loss ratio is one of the most important economic traits to be considered during the course of silkworm breeding. The boil-off loss ratio varies among the breeds and seasons. The present study was undertaken with 5 oval and 5 peanut breeds and twenty five hybrids involving these parents to select the promising hybrids with desired boil-off loss ratio. Accordingly, studies were undertaken to estimate the heterosis and heterobeltiosis. It was observed that majority of the hybrids revealed negative heterosis for boil-off loss ratio which is desirable. Based on the heterosis and heterobeltiosis, among all the hybrids, the hybrid APBRO5 ${\times}$ APBRD5 exhibited highest negative heterosis for boil-off loss ratio and also exhibited highest EI value (64.5) for the quantitative and qualitative traits. Based on the hybrids performance, boil-off loss ratio, heterosis and heterobeltiosis and evaluation index, the hybrids viz. APBRO5 ${\times}$ APBRD5, APBRO1 ${\times}$ APBRD1 and APBRO3 ${\times}$ APBRD4 were identified for commercial exploitation.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.153-155
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• 2001

Eight new three-way cross heterozygotic hybrid genotypes of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, resulted from hybridization of multivoltine as female and bivoltine Fl hybrid as male component, have been evaluated for the cumulative effect of nine traits of commercial economic importance with the objective of selecting out the most prospective ones for their exploitation as an intermediate technology during unfavorable season. Five of them namely, G(P5${\times}$NBl8) (E.I. =57.23); S(NB18${\times}$P5) (E.I. : 55.48); S(P5${\times}$NBl8) (E.I. = 52.44); S(KBN${\times}$B7) (E.I. = 50.42) and S(NB7${\times}$KB) (E.I. : 50.16) have scored higher values of the Evaluation Index (E.I.) and could be selected in the same order for exploitation during unfavorable seasons in tropical climates.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.101-106
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• 2004

The process of removal of gummy proteinous material sericin from silk is commonly called as degumming loss or boil-off loss ratio. In the present study, the boil-off loss ratio in the cocoon shells of twelve multivoltine${\times}$bivoltine hybrids and their parents were analysed. Inheritance pattern of boil-off loss ratio was analysed in crosses involving high and low boil-off loss parents, F$_1$s, F$_2$s and back-crosses by parent off spring regression analysis. Heterosis and heterobeltiosis was also analysed for this character, Highly significant (P＞0.01) variations were observed in eight out of ten multivoltine and two out of five bivoltine parents indicating the presence of genetic variation in the expression of boil-off loss ratio. Among F$_1$ hybrids, ten hybrids expressed significant (P＞0.01) variations when compared with control hybrid PM${\times}$NB$_4$D$_2$. Significant negative heterosis was expressed in three multi ${\times}$ bi hybrids viz., BL67${\times}$CSR$_{101}$, 96A${\times}$CSR$_{19}$ and 96C${\times}$CSR$_{19}$, which is desirable for this character, whereas expression of heterobeltiosis was significant only with one hybrid, 96C${\times}$CSR$_{18}$ in desired direction. Studies on inheritance pattern showed that the character is heritable and contribution percentage of female and male in the ratio of 50.9: 49.1 and it appears that both the parents are influencing in the expression of boil-on loss ratio in silkworm. Based on the overall performance and evaluation by multiple trait evaluation index and also considering the expression of the boil-off loss ratio three hybrids vix., BL67 ${\times}$ CSR$_{101}$, 96A${\times}$CSR$_{19}$ and 96C${\times}$CSR$_{18}$ were found superior and recommended for commercial exploitation.n.ion.n.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2004

With an objective of evolving quantitatively and qualitatively superior bivolitine silkworm hybrid of Bombyxmori L. for tropics with shorter larval duration without compromising on productivity traits, a breeding programme was initiated at this institute during 1997 by utilizing breeding resource material from the institutes Germplasm collection. The breed SD7 is characterized with plain larvae spinning white oval cocoons and SD12 is characterized by sex-limited larval markings spinning white dumb-bell cocoons. After fixation, these breeds along with other newly evolved breeds were subjected for hybrid evaluation in the laboratory. Based on the hybrid studies, the hybrid SD7${\times}$SD12 was selected and evaluated for one year comprising three major sea- sons (6 trials) of tropics viz., Pre-monsoon (characterized by high temperature, low humidity and without any rain fall), Monsoon (characterized by moderate temperature, heavy rain fall with high humidity) and post-monsoon season (characterized by low temperature and low humidity with frequent rain fall) to know the fluctuations in the larval duration. The evaluation studies indicated that the hybrid is having shorter larval duration with productive merits. The hybrid SD7${\times}$SD12 recorded survival percent of 92.74, shell weight of 46.7 cg, shell ratio % of 24.0 and filament length of 1,200 meters with a shorter larval duration of 24 hrs; when compared to productive hybrid CSR2${\times}$CSR5(control). The breeding methodologies and hybrids usefulness for tropics were discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 2002

Induction of non-diapause eggs and manifestation of quantitative characters were studied in different seasons by low temperature incubation of eggs of a low yielding diapause with coloured cocoons silkworm breed, RDI of Bombyx mori. Hundred percent of nandiapause eggs were induced when the egg incubation was carried out at 15$^{\circ}C$ followed by incubation initially at $25^{\circ}C$ and then at $15^{\circ}C$. The diapause-nondia-pause relation was found to be reversible. Analysis of variance study demonstrated significant variation in all the quantitative characters whereas significant variation due to different incubation treatments was observed for larval span, fifth instar larval span, cocoon yield/10,000 larvae by weight, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, and cocoon shell ratio. study on hybrid vigour skewed significant heterosis over mid parent value for four economic characters viz., cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, cocoon shell ratio and filament length in a Fl hybrid between RD1 with diapause eggs and Japanese type bivoltine $NB_{4} D_{2}$.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2001

Data from an experiment involving six polyvoltine and three bivoltine silkworm breeds have been analysed to know the level of hybrid rigour and cocoon shape variation in Fl hybrids among silkworm breeds with lows medium and high cocoon weight. Results indicated significantly positive heterosis for several quantitative characters with maximum total heterosis over mid parent value in hybrids between low and medium followed by low and low, medium and medium, low and high and high and low cocoon-weighed breeds, respectively. Study on cocoon shape measurement revelled that among Fl hybrids, cocoons of the three combinations such as GNP ${\times}$ CSR2, GNP ${\times}$ J2 and PM ${\times}$ NB4 D2 were comparatively uniform in their cocoon shape. Importance of this study to know the level of heterosis and cocoon shape variability in different silkworm crosses hale been discussed.