• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 1995

Genetic characterization of Sri Lankan silkworm bivoltine population has not been at-tempted so far, since its sporadic introduction of bivoltine strains into the island, starting from the 1950's. Genetic structure of Sri Lankan population of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori was investigated through estimation of general (GCA) and specific combining ability(SCA) and heritability(${h^2}_B$), on the economic quantitative characters from leading 8 inbreds and their 28 F1's in a half diallel cross, in an attempt to utilize the estimates in determination of future breeding methods and to predict the breeding value over the phenotypic value. It was found that the breeding population of the bivoltine silkworm in Sri Lanka has still maintained considerable amounts of additive gene action as well as nonadditive. For some time in the future, both breeding strategies of "selection without inbreeding" and also "inbreeding followed by crossing" should therefore be effective in genetic improvement of economic characters investigated. In addition, superior combiners in general and in specific F1′s were identified for each of 6 economic characters, to be immediately utilized in selection and also in cross breeding programs in Sri Lanka.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2001

Screening of fifteen bivoltine silkworm breeds of Bombyx mori Linn at a temperature of $31{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity of 85${\pm}$5% resulted in the identification of eight thermo-tolerant breeds. The survival and cocoon shell ratio of the tolerant breeds ranged from 72.7 to 78.7% and 20.0 to 20.1% respectively. The tolerant breeds comprised of four oval breeds and four dumb-bell breeds. Eight foundation crosses prepared by crossing the oval and dumb-bell parents among themselves were screened at a temperature of $31{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity of 85{\pm}5%. The performance of the foundation crosses on 11 economic characters were analysed by employing Multipie Trait Evaluation Index method. Four foundation crosses which scored average index value > 50 were selected as breeding parents and breeding initiated for the evolution of thermo-tolerant bivoltine silkworm breeds. The methodology and the results of the foundation crosses reared both at 31{\pm}1$^{\circ}C$ and at $25{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ temperatures, are discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.109-112
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• 2006

The use of commercial silkworm hybrids resistant to important silkworm diseases is economical and better option particularly in tropical areas. This necessitated the evolution of productive bivoltine silkworm breeds non-susceptible to $BmDNV_1$. Non-susceptibility to $BmDNV_1$, infection was found to be controlled by a single recessive gene, nsd-l or a dominant gene, Nid-l. A major dominant/recessive gene confers resistance to $BmDNV_1$, from potent donor parents have been transferred to 10 productive but susceptible bivoltine silkworm strains through conventional breeding methods. By utilizing these breeds prepared 25 hybrids $(5{\times}5)$ and hybrid evaluation was carried out to identify most promising hybrids resistant to $BmDNV_1$. All these hybrids are inoculated with $BmDNV_1$ inoculum along with productive control hybrid $CSR2{\times}CSR4$ and reared under standard rearing procedure. Based on inoculated rearing and test reeling results, two most promising hybrids $(CSR18DR{\times}CSR29DR\;and\;CSR21DR{\times}CSR50DR)$ were selected for commercial exploitation. The selected hybrids have shown a survival rate of >85% with productive traits, where as control hybrid have shown 11.1% survival with inferior cocoon traits. The methodologies adopted were discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2002

Eighteen new bivoltine silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) hybrids developed at Andhra Pradesh State Sericul-ture Research and Development Institute, Hindupur are evaluated for 10 economic traits by following two multiple trait index methods, i.e., Subordinate Function and Evaluation Index for their economic merit. The hybrid genotype, APS6${\times}$APS11 with highest Subordinate function value of 8.2432 and highest average Evaluation Index of 61.67 ranked first. This hybrid is adjudicated as most promising hybrid and recommended for commercial use. Further, applicability of Subordinate Function Index Method is tested and recommended for application of multiple trait evaluation similar to Evaluation Index Method as the results obtained are comparable. Further, both these methods can be applied for confirmation of results.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.99-103
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• 2021

In the present study, twelve bivoltine silkworm races were evaluated for its performance based on quantitative and qualitative traits. Seven oval and five peanut cocoon shaped races were reared in different seasons of the year. By using evaluation index method, the results showed that six races were identified as potential parental races. Among oval races, 75xin, KoC, KoZ and among peanut races An 902, 7532 and QD7 were selected as base material. The identified high yielding races will be used in various breeding programs as initial parents for the production of superior bivoltine breeds/hybrids in Vietnam

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2007

The success of rearing with presently available conventional bivoltine is unpredictable in some seasons of the tropical regions due to highly fluctuating adverse climatic conditions. Thus, in order to popularize bivoltine breeds in tropical parts of India, it is very much essential to have a bivoltine breed(s), which can give stable cocoon crop under variable environments. With this objective a breeding programme was undertaken to improve the survival trait in bivoltine silkworm by introducing multivoltine genes into bivoltine through back crossing. Resultant bivoltine lines showed significantly higher survival in compared to the receptor (Bivoltine) parent and control bivoltine breed. Esterase isozyme analysis revealed similar banding pattern in the developed bivoltine and in the donor multivoltine, which predicts the introgression of multivoltine character into evolved bivoltine.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2004

Ten promising polyvoltine mulberry silkworm strains(SDMGl, SDMG2, SDMG3, SDMG4, SDMWl, SDMW2, RMWl, RMW2, RMW3 and RMW4) that are superior in quantitative and qualitative traits have been synthesized in the polyvoltine breeding laboratory of Andhra Pradesh State Sericulture Research ＆ Development Institute, Hindupur through systematic hybridization and appropriate selection methods. After the genotypes were found homozygous for the desired traits, they have been crossed with 3 bivoltine testers $(APS8, APS4 and {NB_2}{D_4})$ and thirty new hybrid combinations were developed for the assessment of their hybrid performance. Phenotypic expressions of economically important quantitative and qualitative traits of fist filial generation were measured and subjected for statistical analysis. Evaluation Index and Subordinate Function methods were employed for the assessment of hybrid performance since they are widely used in silkworm hybrid evaluation. Total of seven poly${\times}$bivoltine combinations, which ranked high in both the methods, were selected as potential combinations for further field test. These combinations also ranked significantly higher than the control hybrid (APMl${\times}$APS8).

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.27-36
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• 2005

Successful silkworm breeding attempts were made at Andhra Pradesh State Sericulture Research and Development Institute (APSSRDI), Hindupur, India in developing productive bivoltine silkworm hybrids. One hundred hybrid combinations involving 10 parents (five each of oval and peanut) were evaluated in complete diallel pattern and identified the combination APS$_{83}$ $\times$ APS$_{102}$ as most promising. This hybrid showed economic merit for the characters fecundity (524 eggs/laying), pupation percentage (96.0$\%$), cocoon yield per 10,000 larvae by weight (19.0 kg), cocoon weight (1.85 g), shell weight (41.7 cg), shell ratio (22.5$\%$), filament length (1,004 m), reelability (88.4$\%$), raw silk recovery (18.4$\%$) and neatness (92 point) over the control hybrid APS$_{9}$ $\times$ APS$_{8}$ The breeding process and identification of APS$_{83}$ $\times$ APS$_{102}$ is discussed in the paper.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2002

Parthenogenetic development, hybrid vigour and cocoon shape variability were studied in bivoltine F1 hybrids of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Considerable breed differences were observed in parthenogenetic ability. Among the parental breeds, CSR18 exhibited maximum parthenogenetic development (79.65%) followed by CSR4 (67.90%). Among bivoltine F1 hybrids, CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR4 showed highest parthenogenetic development (73.32%) followed by CSR2 ${\times}$ CSR4 (55.43%). Study on hybrid vigour demonstrated that CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR19 expressed maximum significant hybrid vigour for all the seven economic characters over Mid Parent Value (MPV) followed by CSR2 ${\times}$ CSR4 and CSR18 ${\times}$ CSR4 exhibiting significant heterosis for six characters. Cocoon shape measurement study revealed that among ten bivoltine F1 hybrids, cocoons of three hybrids were found comparatively uniform. Importance of this study to know the level of paythenogenetic development, hybrid vigour and cocoon shape variability in different bivoltine F1 hybrids have been discussed.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2007

Three newly authorized bivoltine silkworm hybrids namely, $CSR2{\times}CSR4$ (productive single hybrid), $(CSR6{\times}CSR26){\times}(CSR2{\times}CSR27)$ (productive double hybrid) and $CSR18{\times}CSR19$ (robust single hybrid) were chosen for the present study. These hybrids were subjected to different temperature and humidity treatments i.e., $25{\pm}$1^{\circ}C and RH $65{\pm}5%$ (control), $30{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, with combinations of low relative humidity (RH $65{\pm}5%$) and high RH ($85{\pm}5%$) at different stages during rearing and spinning of silkworm larvae. The larvae of after 3rd moult were subjected to different thermal and humidity stress till the assessment of cocoon traits. The comparative rearing and reeling performance clearly indicated that the deleterious effect of high temperature and high RH was more pronounced for the majority of traits such as cocoon uniformity, cocoon weight, shell weight, shell percentage, reelability, filament length, raw silk percentage raw silk recovery denier and waste percentage on silk weight than other temperature and RH treatments and this effect was almost similar for all three silkworm hybrids studied. The present investigation clearly indicate that the deleterious effect of high temperature and high RH was more pronounced on rearing and spinning of silkworm larvae than other temperature and RH treatments and similar effect was noticed for all the three silkworm hybrids studied. The cocoon characters can be improved by providing ideal environmental conditions even during spinning stage of larvae affected with high temperature and RH. The study also suggest that high temperature and low humidity has greater effect during rearing stage than spinning stage.