• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.109-112
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• 2001

Androgenesis in silkworm acquires a special significance as along with combined applications of other breeding strategies like parthenogenesis and cloning, it may serve as n valuable tool for sex control in sericulture as well as selection and production of bisexual homozygous androgenetic lines. Production of hybrid silkworm yielding high proportion of male larvae is of immense use to silk industry (Strunnikov, 1975, 1983). In this review, an attempt has been made to assimilate the works carried out on androgenesis, different techniques of induction towards androgenetic development and its role in silkworm breeding.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.29-36
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• 2022

Over the past decades, silk sericin (SS) received increasing attention in the academic and industrial fields. In nature, SS acts as a glue that holds the two strands of silk fibrils together. However, recent works suggest that SS might have a more diverse role during the silk spinning process, such as stabilizing the SF in the silk gland. On the other hand, the sericulture industry has been trying to find novel applications for SS discarded from the silk fabric manufacturing process. Recovery and refining of SS would be the first step of the recycling of SS. Using a proper solvent SS could be shaped into various forms, such as spherical beads, microparticles, fibers, and films. Moreover, the applicability of these SS materials has been investigated in various fields such as cosmetics, templates for nanomaterials, drug delivery, heavy metal adsorption, and enzyme immobilization.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.143-153
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• 2004

Non-spinning syndrome of Bombyx mori has been serious issue in sericulture industry near Kyungbuk area. This study was focused on the analysis of the mechanism and on screening candidate chemicals inducing the anti-metamorphosis of the silkworms. Rearing temperatures or initial body weight of the final instar larvae did not affect a normal larval to pupal metamorphosis of B. mori. However, pyriproxyfen (a juvenile hormone (JH) agonist) induced follicle patency significantly even at its 10$\^$-8/ M concentration and inhibited metamorphosis of B. mori in both developmental time and dose dependent manners. Pyriproxyfen induced JH esterase (JHE) activity and downregulated expression of JH binding protein of 5. mori. These results suggests that pyriproxyfen induced JHE activity as a JH agonist and that the elevated JHE activity degraded endogenous JH and resulted in JHBP gene expression. Based on the fact that the JH agonist induced follicle patency and inhibited metamorphosis of B. mori, follicle patency bioassay suggested that three commercial pesticides including simazine, molinate or alachlor were proved to give potent JH agonistic effect on B. mori. Further direct exposure experiments to these candidates are required to determine the chemicals responsible for the non-spinning syndrome of 8. mori.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2004

Due to recent scientific innovations in mulberry cultivation, leaf yield has been increased manifold. However, with successive leaf harvest, a quantum drop in leaf yield and quality has been noted. This inturn has affected the silkworm rearing and farmers suffered by the frequent crop failures. This is mainly due to nutrient deficiencies in mulberry leaf. Moreover, no complete information is available about hunger signs of nutritional disorders, analytical diagnosis and critical levels of nutrients required. The present paper, thus, may serve as an important nutrient guide for identification of hunger signs, leaf nutrients status under deficiency and critical levels of the elements namely N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn requirements for higher leaf yield and quality. The leaf nutrient status provided may help chemist for correcting the soil status. Besides, an integration of mulberry intercropping with legumes and applications of neem and castor oil cakes, VA-mycorrhizal inoculation, biofertilizer and vermicompost are suggested as integrated nutrient management for sustainable sericulture industry. Based on the information described in this paper, a model needs to be framed for maintaining continuous supply of nutrients to obtain desired quantity and quality of mulberry leaf for successful silkworm cocoon crop and increasing overall silk productivity.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.107-111
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• 2005

Impact of microsporidian infection and season on reproductive potential of Bombyx mori L. was investigated in the laboratory. Microsporidian infection significantly (P<0.01) reduced fecundity and hatching and increased sterility and mortality of eggs. Among the microsporidia, Nosema sp. 2 infected silkworm produced eggs with least fecundity and hatching percent as well as highest dead and sterile eggs followed by Nosema sp. 1 and N. bombycis. Microsporidia, in general, significantly reduced fecundity and hatching percent of eggs and increased number of dead and sterile eggs in all the three seasons except N. bombycis in July - August (S3) and Nosema sp. 2 in January February (S1). Since, seed production is the anchor sheet of mulberry sericulture, coefficient of egg lying is considered as an important aspect and the industry quite often facing shortage of disease free layings. The present study indicates that B. mori is more susceptible to microsporidia during S2 followed by S3 and S1 and Nosema sp2. is most virulent followed by Nosema spl. and N. bombycis.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2006

Papers were prepared from cut cocoons and mulberry branches, which are byproducts from sericulture industry. The long filament of silk should be cut into appropriate length in order to prepare paper and this was achieved by chemical method. By a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate solution, the silk filaments were cut into short fibers (less than 1 mm in length). Since the short silk fibers (sSf) could not bind each other by itself, starch and poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) were added as a bonding agent. When starch and PEO were used in a ratio of 3:7, the silk papers had optimum mechanical properties for paper. Fibers from the skin of mulberry branches (MBF) were added to sSf to enhance the mechanical properties of pure silk paper. Bleaching of MBF was performed with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sodium silicate. The mechanical properties were greatly enhanced and the optimum blend ratio of MBF and sSf were 7:3. The mulberry/silk paper has good absorption property against formaldehyde, and therefore, the paper could be applied as a wall paper for preventing the sick house syndrome.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.139-143
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• 2003

Mathematical constants for multiplication with leaf length (I) or breadth (b) or l ${\times}$ b have been worked out for determining leaf area in promising mulberry genotypes viz., Chinese White, S-146, Chak Majra and Sujanpur Local of sub-tropical India. When pooled, the mathematical constants worked out were 8.1132, 10.1019 and 0.5992 for multiplication with leaf length, breadth and l ${\times}$ b, respectively, for genotypes bearing un-lobbed leaves and 6.9447, 8.2761 and 0.5009 for multiplication with leaf length, breadth and l ${\times}$ b, respectively for genotypes bearing lobbed leaves. Leaf area can be worked out by using any constant by multiplying either with leaf length or breadth or both (l ${\times}$ b). Estimated leaf areas worked out were found significantly and positively correlated with actual leaf area (r＝999$^{＊＊}$). The suggested present non-destructive method by using mathematical constants is very quick and alternative to electronic leaf area meter for spot leaf area determination in mulberry which is the only food source for mulberry silkworm in sericulture industry.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2002

The introduction of hybrid and exploitation of heterosis has played a vital role in Indian sericulture industry, which clearly depicts a quantum jump in silk production during the last four decades. Since, the introduction of heterosis, progress in silkworm breeding has depended on success or failure in identifying better combiners. Systematic procedures developed have enabled the breeders to identify the best combiners by combining ability test, line ${\TIMES}$ tester analysis or $D^2$ analysis for maximum expression of heterosis. The level of heterosis expressed in the crossbreed population is determined by the interaction between genotype and prevailing environmental factors. Except some of the pre and post cocoon parameters, heterosis is invariably higher in single crosses compared to three-way and double crosses. However, during hot and humid season, when rearing of F1 bivoltine hybrid is unsuccessful at field level and indigenous races results in very low and poor quality yield, three-way and double crosses can play an important role as an intermediary technology. The objective of this article is to review briefly the concept and causes of heterosis, utilization of different forms of heterosis in silk production and its significance in silkworm, Bombyx mori breeding.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.675-687
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• 2011

Mulberries have importance in the sericulture industry as food for Bombyx mori, silkworm reared for its silk. Korean Morus alba have many cultivars and, for the protection of these cultivars and for utilization in plant-breeding programs, genetic information and the diversity among cultivars are essential. This study with 14 mulberry genotypes was undertaken using RAPD and ISSR fingerprinting to discover the genetic divergences between cultivars. Polymorphism rate among the cultivars produced by RAPD primer was found to be 64.48% and 66.29% relative to ISSR primer. The genetic relationships among the cultivars were identified using a dendrogram constructed with the UPGMA clustering method. Nei's method was used to calculate the genetic dissimilarity coefficients between each pair of genotypes, and the highest dissimilarity coefficient of 0.246 was exhibited between Suwon and Hwanggum cultivars. To determine the efficiency of each primer, a polymorphic index was calculated, and the robustness of the dendrogram was checked using cophenetic correlation coefficient. The results of this study can be utilized for the improvement of mulberry varieties in plant-breeding programs.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.265-267
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• 2004

The silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is prone to infection of various pathogenic organisms. Pebrine, one of the deadliest disease of silkworm caused by highly virulent parasitic microsporidian, Nosema bombycis has been understood since long. Infections of the disease range from chronic to highly virulent and can result in complete lose to the sericulture industry. Several strains and species of microsporidians have since been isolated from the infected silkworms. A new microsporidian spore was isolated from Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori have been studied under scanning electron microscope, found to be different in spore size (length 4.36$\pm$0.06 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.14$\pm$0.01${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) and shape (ova cylindrical with slight depression) from standard strain N. bombycis (length 3.08$\pm$0.21 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.01$\pm$0.05 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and ovidal respectively). In immunological test, the silkworm breed Lamerin isolated micrisporidian spore does not react to different antibody (N. bombycis, M$_{11}$ and M$_{12}$) sensitized latex particle and thus appeared to be a different strain of microsporidian parasitic to the Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori.i.i.