Evaluation of bed disinfectants for improving rearing efficiency in FC₁ × FC₂ Bivoltine double hybrid silkworms

Sericulture is a key agro-based enterprise that greatly supports rural livelihoods by offering significant employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the industry encounters major hurdles, particularly the widespread occurrence of silkworm diseases, which can lead to severe economic losses, including yield reductions of up to 20% in India. The present research evaluated the performance of four bed disinfectants-Shakthi, Labex, Vijetha, and Resham jyothi on FC1×FC2 bivoltine silkworm double hybrids. The experiment, carried out at Sri Krishna Devaraya University, involved applying bed disinfectants during the 2nd to 5th instar stages and assessing parameters such as larval and cocoon weights, shell weight, pupation rate, effective rate of rearing (ERR), disease incidence, and larval mortality. Among the tested disinfectants, Vijetha demonstrated superior effectiveness, yielding the highest larval weight (4.37 g), the shortest larval duration (23 days), and enhanced cocoon (1.98 g) and shell (0.41 g) weights. It also recorded the highest pupation rate (85.67%) and ERR (91.00%), along with the lowest disease incidence (3.00%) and larval mortality (4.67%). These results indicate that Vijetha is particularly effective in improving silkworm rearing performance and controlling diseases, thereby contributing to higher productivity in sericulture. The findings emphasize the importance of selecting suitable bed disinfectants, with Vijetha showing the greatest potential to boost silk yield and minimize disease-related losses.