Effect of feeding frequency on biological parameters of bivoltine mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

AbstractDuring the study treatment wise feeding was administered to the larvae during the 4th and 5th instar. Four treatments were applied involving 2, 3, 4 and 5 feedings per day. Among these, treatment T4 having 5 feedings per day and it was found superior by recording shortest larval duration (28.06 days), lowest pupal duration (14.4 days), highest per cent moth emergence (95.20%), maximum fecundity (738.4 eggs) and maximum hatching percentage (96.09%). However, in relation to larval duration it was found at par with treatment T3 which recorded 28.50 days larval duration. It is noticed that up to five feeds per day, silkworm larvae gave positive response with respect to biology.