A detailed study was carried out on six biochemical parameters and four yield attributes using multiple regression analysis to investigate their relationship in the mulberry silkworm,Bombyx mori. The study generated new information on the importance of digestive amylase activity for the survival of the silkworm and revealed the inability of other enzymes to affect this relationship. Data also substantiate the observations made earlier on the genetic variability of amylase in the mulberry silkworm. Analyses extend the positive role of alkaline phosphatase and invertase in the expression of the other yield traits studied and indicate the definite possibility of using biochemical markers for silkworm breeding.

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Genetic linkage analysis of 151 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) loci, that included eight new loci, detected by the six probes in the present study, and four trait loci including seed colour, leaf pubescence, resistance to white rust caused by Albugo candida race-2 (AC-2) and race-7 (AC-7) employing the MAPMAKER/EXP 3.0 programme led to the development of 10 linkage groups (LGs) spanning over 44.4 centiMorgan (cM) to 130.4 cM containing 9 to 22 loci and two short LGs with two or three marker loci in Brassica rapa. The enriched map covers 993.1 cM of B. rapa genome with an average marker interval of 6.41. Eight new RFLP loci occupied new map positions on fi ve linkage groups, LG 2, 3, 6, 8 and 9. Addition of these RFLP loci led to appreciable changes in the corresponding linkage groups and resulted in an increase of the total map length by 102.8 cM and of the marker interval by 0.35 cM. Interval mapping by using the computer programme MAPMAKER/ QTL 1.1 for scanning the genetic map led to the detection of one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) in LG 4 and one minor QTL in LG 8 governing resistance to AC-7. Both QTLs contributed 7.89 to the interaction phenotype (IP) score with 96.3% genetic variation. The multi-locus model suggested additive gene action with 96.8% genetic variation.