The effect of feeding various species of mulberry (Morus spp.) on the growth of silkworm and quality of cocoon hybrid BS 09

Abstract

Abstract Hybrid silkworm varieties, mulberry species, environmental factors, and rearing factors are essential for the cocoons’ quality. The species of silkworm feeding is a key factor in the sericulture industry, so the suitability of mulberry species for each silkworm hybrid species needs to be known. This study aimed to determine the effect of mulberry species on silkworm growth and quality of cocoons BS 09. The research method used was a randomized block design with four species of mulberry: Morus bombycis var Lembang, M. cathayana, M. multicaulis, and M. alba var Kanva 2 and one control species (mixed mulberry species). The research was carried out at Dramaga Research Forest, Bogor Regency. The determined parameters were the percentage of rearing, larva weight, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, and percentage of cocoon shell. The experiment results showed that the percentage of rearing was 97.5%-100% for all species of mulberry. The best result of the cocoon weight was feed treatment of M. multicaulis (1.89 g), but it was not significant with feed treatment of M. bombycis var Lembang or M. cathayana or M. alba var Kanva 2. M. cathayana feed treatments give the best results for the cocoon shell weight (0.44 gram) and percentage of cocoon shell (22.82%).