Safety Assessment of Diafenthiuron 50% WP on the Reproductive Traits of Bombyx mori L.

The impact of pesticides on beneficial insects like silkworms has raised concerns in sericulture, as even sublethal doses of toxic substances can negatively affect silkworm reproduction. Consequently, it is crucial to evaluate the compatibility of chemicals for pest management in mulberry cultivation. In this study, the impact of diafenthiuron 50% WP sprayed mulberry leaves on the reproductive performance of Bombyx mori L. was assessed. The results demonstrated that diafenthiuron, when applied to mulberry leaves at 20 days after spraying (DAS), was found safer to the silkworm’s parental generation, as evidenced by enhanced reproductive traits, including maximum fecundity (530.13 No./moth), hatching rate (97.03%), weight of 100 eggs (57.73 mg), egg recovery (54.66 g/kg of cocoons) and minimal egg retention in the ovary (4.11%), dead eggs (2.32%) and unfertilized eggs (0.64%).