Effect of juvenile hormone mimics on the economic parameters of silkworm, Bombyx mori L.

Abstract

Juvenile hormone mimics have been demonstrated to improve excellent cocoon and silk yield in sericulture since they are known to extend larval life in insects. The double hybrid (FC1XFC2) silkworm was used in this experiment, and the performance of economic features was examined. When applied topically at two different larval instars, the effects of commercial juvenile hormone mimics, such as Pyriproxyfen and Serimore, as well as phytojuvenoids from Pinus (Pinus roxburghii), Custard apple (Annona squamosa), and Tapioca (Manihot esculenta), have been documented as quantitative characteristics of silkworms. When the number of larval treatments—double administration at 20% and 30% concentration for Pinus and Tapioca treated larvae—increases, it is observed that the amount of expression of economic traits such as fibroin, sericin, filament weight, and nonbreakable filament length increases. The best outcomes were obtained when the larvae were treated with custard apple twice at a concentration of 20%. Similar results were obtained with a single treatment using pyriproxyfen concentrations of 5µl and 10µl in terms of all economic indicators. For all economic characters, Pinus was found to be comparable to Serimore.