Implications of genetic diversity in the improvement of silkworm Bombyx mori L.

Abstract

Improvement programs depend on characterizing genetic resources, this process being the fundamental basis for determining the diversity and genetic divergence of such resources and thereby enabling a rigorous, efficient selection of the parentals that, through hybridization, will go on to enhance heterosis. The aim was to use the resulting hybrids to improve population mean with respect to genetic parameters used for the qualitative and quantitative traits that affect commercial natural silk production. Bombyx mori L. is a domesticated insect of global economic importance, mainly due to the production of natural silk but also for its relevance in rural agro-industry in tropical and subtropical regions. Non-textile uses currently being developed are also to the fore. These relate to such fields as science and academia, biomedicine, biotechnology, the pharmacological industry and cosmetics. With this in mind, the aim of the current article was to provide a general context for sericulture and in so doing give an overview of the silk production scenario nationally and go on to describe the importance of genetic diversity to silkworm breeding programs and to demonstrate how genetic drift, inbreeding, and artificial selection contribute to loss of genetic diversity in B. mori.

Silk fibroin hydrogels from the Colombian silkworm Bombyx mori L: Evaluation of physicochemical properties

“…The hybridization caused an increase in the cocoon weight and the amount of raw silk. Pilamo 2 is the only silkworm currently marketed in Colombia [20]. In this work, the silk fibroin obtained from the hybrid silkworm was used to prepare hydrogels.…”

Influence of external environmental factors on the productivity of mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L) in different sizes of silk breeding organizations

“…Silkworms are harvested in the country several times a year. However, the process of feeding silkworms is carried out in residential buildings and unused buildings without the organization of special breeding [2,4]. In such silkworm breeding organizations (SBOs) with different sizes, it is difficult to properly adjust the agro-technological requirements in the process of feeding silkworms.…”

“…Of course, in order to achieve high and quality yields from mulberry silkworms, it is necessary to create a favorable ecological environment for them in SBOs. The normal development of the mulberry silkworm depends directly on the external environment [2][3][4][5][6].…”

Genetic and genomic analysis for cocoon yield traits in silkworm

“…Furthermore, genetic diversity is a fundamental criterion of high-yield breeding. Generally, the genetic improvement of B. mori has mainly been restricted by the domestic populations 23,24 . B. mori has been domesticated from the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina for at least 5000 years 4,25 .…”

“…B. mori has been domesticated from the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina for at least 5000 years 4,25 . Utilization of wild silkworm might provide a more powerful way to exploit novel genetic resources 23,[26][27][28] . In this study, we used the domestic silkworm Xiafang (D_XF) and the wild silkworm (W_AK) as intercross parents and employed their backcross progenies (BC 1 M) as the mapping population.…”