Synergistic Effect of Honey and Lemon Juice-Enriched Mulberry Diets on the Growth of Silkworm, Bombyx Mori During Metamorphosis

Abstract

Synergistic impact of honey and lemon juice-enriched mulberry diets on the growth of Bombyx mori was studied. The body size progressively increased during larval stage, but declined during pupal and adult stages. The nutrient diets promoted larval growth and positively modulated pupal and adult growth. The larval growth curves are typical Gompertz trajectories that reected the growth promoting nature of honey and lemon juice. The log-based growth curves were used to derive critical larval body size determinants that control molting and metamorphosis. The nutrient diets improved critical body size determinants without affecting their time schedules. The compound periodical growth rates showed instar-specic and stage-specic variations. The size specic growth rates in body mass, length and perimeter dimensions indicated the prevalence of an effective mass management mechanism as dened in the Hutchinson's investment principle. The silkworm recorded either higher or lower growth ratios indicating deviation from the Dyar's constancy rule.

The Synergistic Impact of Honey and Lemon Juice-Enriched Mulberry Diets on the Silk Gland Metabolism and Energetics of Larval Silkworm, Bombyx mori

“…In B. mori, its activity has been studied with particular reference to economic traits of sericulture [91] . As shown in our previous studies the SDH activity recorded elevatory trends in larval silkworm, projecting positive growth rates all through [11,12] . During the larval regime, its activity increased from an initial value of 0.12 μm to 0.…”

“…In order to overcome the shortage of dietary nutrients, researchers in this field have concentrated on nutrient-enrichment studies on the mulberry diet and obtained positive results in sericulture [9][10][11][12] . The dietary energy reserves are metabolized through two energy-intensive processes; oxidative phosphorylation and transdeamination [13,14] .…”

The Synergistic Effect of Honey and Lemon Juice-Enriched Mulberry Diets on the Silk Gland Growth and Sericultural Productivity of Bombyx mori

“…The current study, while their nutritional benefits in sericulture, attempts to trace their modus operandi in silkworm biology. The root cause of their positive impact seems to be the impetus given to the energy metabolism [26,61] . Obviously, the HLJenriched diets potentially modulate the energy generation by selectively stimulating glycolytic oxidative phosphorylation and/or transdeamination by active utilization of dietary glucose and amino acid reserves in the silk gland and fat body.…”