Assessment of Various Bed Disinfectants on the Rearing Efficiency of Bivoltine Hybrid Mulberry Silkworm

The silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) is highly vulnerable to various pathogens, including protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. To assess the effectiveness of different bed disinfectants namely Vijetha, Sericilin, Labex, and Amla during silkworm rearing, an experiment was conducted using the bivoltine hybrid silkworm (SK6×SK7) reared on the C-2038 mulberry variety in the Kishanganj district of Bihar. The study aimed to evaluate the suitability and standardization of these disinfectants. Among the treatments, the application of Vijetha at a dosage of 5 g/sq. ft. recorded the shortest larval duration (22.00 days), the highest larval weights in the 3rd (1.42 g), 4th (5.95 g), and 5th (33.58 g) instars, the lowest disease incidence (20.50%), the highest effective rate of rearing (79.25%), and the lowest larval mortality (20.73%). The bed disinfectant Vijetha demonstrated high efficacy across nearly all parameters evaluated in the Kishanganj, Bihar region, including reduced larval duration and increased larval weight. The bed disinfectant Vijetha resulted in a notably higher effective rate of rearing (ERR). Based on these findings, Vijetha may be recommended as a suitable bed disinfectant for controlling diseases in mulberry silkworm rearing, particularly in Bihar and other parts of eastern India, to enhance overall productivity and yield.