Productive Performance of Philippine Silkworm (Bombyx Mori L.) Purelines Fed with Folic Acid-Enriched Mulberry Leaves

Abstract

Low silk production has been attributed to the low quality of mulberry leaves fed to silkworms during rearing.Thus, quality of mulberry leaves should be enhanced. This study determined the efficacy of folic acid-enriched mulberry leaves in the performance of silkworms and silkmoth egg production. Fifth instar larvae of the six (6) silkworm purelines were used in the study. Mulberry leaves were supplemented with 0.001% Folic Acid (T1) and 0 .002% Folic Acid (T2) and compared to the Control (No Supplementation). Results showed that the larvae, cocoons and eggs produced by the silkworm purelines fed with folic acid supplemented mulberry leaves were significantly affected based on the weight of 10 matured larvae, single shell weight, single cocoon weight, effective rearing rate (ERR), cocoon yield per box (CYPB), and fecundity. An interaction effect on the effective rearing rate (ERR) and cocoon yield per box (CYPB) from silkworm fed with folic acid supplemented mulberry leaves revealed significant differences among all treatments and breeds. It can be noted that folic acid-enriched mulberry leaves fed to silkworms tend to have higher results as compared to the control treatment (CT) on all the parameters of the study.