RELATIVE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF LARVAL CULTURE ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF TASAR SILKWORM, ANTHERAEA MYLITTA D. (SATURNIIDAE: LEPIDOPTERA)
Md. Tahfizur Rahman, S. K. Singh and Sarfaraz Ali*
ABSTRACT
The present paper presents a relative picture in respect of Indoor,
Outdoor and food transfer methods of larval culture of indigenous tasar
silkworm, Antheraea mylitta D. On the effective rate of rearing
(E.R.R.%), cocoon weight, shell weight and shell ratio related to
productivity and quality of tasar cocoons of A.mylitta D. The results
obtained are indicative of the fact that the different methods of larval
culture of tasar silkworm have significant impact on its rearing
performances in respect of quantitative and qualitative characters of
tasar. The observation reveals that larval culture of tasar silkworm
under outdoor conditions on the foliages of its host plant is relatively
better than indoor and food transfer methods as far as the productivity
and quality of tasar cocoons are concerned. Food transfer method of larval culture from
primary to secondary and vice-versa has resulted into relatively inferior rearing performances
as compared to outdoor and indoor methods of larval culture of A.mylitta D. The results
obtained are probably due to evident differences in the conditions, essentially required for the
larval culture of tasar silkworms and it is very much in conformities with the earlier works
carried out by sericologists.
Keywords: Tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta, sericologists.
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