Use of Aquatic Plants (Azolla Caroliniana and Lemna Spp) as a Feed Source in Silkworm Culture

This article focuses on the effects of the use of aquatic plants on the growth parameters of silkworm larvae in their artificial feeding. Due to the difficulty of obtaining mulberry leaves, different feeds and substances to be substituted for this food source were tested in various researches. In this study, the silkworm larvae were fed with the diet containing different proportion of azolla (Azolla caroliniana) meal and duckweed (Lemna spp.) meal found abundant and easily available compared to mulberry leaves in nature. The study aims at defining an appropriate combination of mulberry leaf meal, azolla meal and duckweed meal and the effects of these artificial feeds on the growth rate of silkworm larvae. Consequently, it was determined that 25%, 50%, 75% substitution of azolla meal and duckweed meal up to the 3rd instar (12th day) did not affect the growth and survival rates of silkworm larvae.