Nutritional and hormone fortification of mulberry leaves enhances growth and improves immunity of silkworm larvae (Bombyx mori) to Beauveria bassiana.

Sericulture is an agro based industry that involves cultivating mulberry plants as feed for silkworm larvae. Silkworm growth and production is affected due to microbial diseases, pest, abiotic stress and quality of mulberry leaves. Protecting the silkworms from diseases and providing high quality diet to larvae is essential for increased silk production. White muscardine, disease caused by Beauveria bassiana, reduces silk production. The control measures include, spraying 2% formalin, 25% chloride dioxide which also affect larval growth. In this study for enhancing the growth and improving the immunity of silkworm, nutritional and hormonal supplement was attempted. Fortification of mulberry leaves with nutrients (cassava, Vitamin B, soya chunks) in different combination and melatonin hormone was done. The results shows that larvae fed with nutritional supplement 0.5mg/ml cassava, soya chunks, 10mg/ml Vitamin B and supplement melatonin at 100µg/ml enhance the growth and cocoon quality of silkworm larvae. Exposure of Bombyx mori larvae infected with Beauveria bassiana with 200µg/ml of melatonin improves the larval growth and confers the immunity of the larvae. Fortification of nutritional and hormone supplement to Bombyx mori as larval feed has great potential in the sericulture industry.