Impact of botanical extracts on histopathology of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

Abstract

KEYWORDS Mealy Bug Plant ExtractsFat body Silk gland CSR2Bivoltine Hybrid ABSTRAC TPresent study was conducted to find out the effect of various botanical extract on the tissue, cellular an d sub cellular level and histopathology of silkworm, findings of the present study gives useful data concerning the changes in the insect. T hree plant s extract viz Azadirachta indica, Ocimum sanctum and Parthenium hysterophorus were used as experimental while untreated leaves consider as control. These botanicals were sprayed on the tukra (Pink mealy bug) infected mulberry leaves and feed to silkworm (CSR2 bivoltine hybrid). Findings of the study suggested no change in the fat body of the silkworm feed on the botanical sprayed leaves and it was with normal vacuolization cytoplasm of cells. While hypertrophied nucleus fat body and voculated cytoplasm was reported in the silkworm fed on the tukra infected chawki leaves. T he outer layers of the nucleolus were reported somewhat hypertrophied and cytoplasm was reported vacuolate with mild degeneration of cell in silkworm fed on the tukra infected leaves. Silk worm fed leaves revealed almost similar changes to that of normal and there was no change in botanical sprayed fed larvae. T he impact in tissue of the silkworm when fed with normal and crude botanical extracts against mealy bugs shows normalcy, but in the t ukra infected mulberry leaves fed by silk worms the tissues sho ws slight degenerative with nutritional impact upon them.

Effect of giloy on the commercial parameters of the Bombyx mori

“…The silkworm is attracted to the "MORIN '' present in the mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves plays very important role in nutrition of the silkworm & in turn the resultant cocoons & silk products (Nagaraju, 2002) [17] & typical caterpillar which feed exclusively on mulberry leaves during its larval stages utilized for growth, development as well as for accumulation of energy reserves to fuel its metabolism during non-feeding period like larval molting, spinning, pupal & adult stages of ~ 56 ~ silkworm (Naik & Naik, 2015) [18] . Silkworms also spin composite of two silk fibers out of two converging silk glands.…”