COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NUTRITIONAL, CLIMATIC AND ECONOMICAL FACTORS ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SILKWORM (Bombyx mori L.)

Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is a monophagous insect, feeding exclusively on the mulberry leaves (Morus spp.) and an important plant forming the backbone of sericulture industry. Silkworm is gregarious in habit and it grows ten thousand times in weight from hatching to seriposition. Single worm eats about 20g of leaf throughout its larval life with 90 per cent of it in the last two instars to produce large quantity of silk. Mulberry leaf solely contributes about 38.20 per cent towards successful rearing/quality cocoon production, besides environmental conditions which contributes about 37.00 per cent. Better the quality of mulberry leaves greater are the possibilities of obtaining good cocoon crops. Since the production of good quality cocoons depends on providing good quality leaves to silkworm, the development of superior quality leaf has become one of the prime objectives in mulberry breeding programme. The present review paper discuss in details about the comparative role of various nutritional, climatic and economic factors on growth and development of silkworm and it also indicates future strategies to be taken for the management various climatic and nutritional factors for successful cocoon crop in Jammu and Kashmir.