Rearing performance of eri silk worm (Samia r...

Rearing performance of eri silk worm (Samia ricini L.) fed with castor (Ricinus communis L.) leaves and papaya leaves (Carica papaya L.) under laboratory condition

Author Name : Dr. N. Thamizhselvi, S. Karuppusamy, Dr. K. Mayilathal, T. Krishnan

ABSTRACT

Eri culture is conventionally practiced in small scale for domestic utilization in Assam and other parts of North East India. It is introduced in non-traditional states where the food plants of eri silk worm, castor and cassava are cultured largely. A part of foliage is used for eri silk worm rearing to generate supplementary income to the farmers without affecting yield and income of main produce. The main aim of this present work was to observe the rearing performance of eri silk worm (Samia ricini) fed with castor and papaya leaves under laboratory condition. The experiment was conducted on December, 2019. The eri silk worms fed with castor leaves showed better growth performance in terms of larval length, larval weight, percentage of survival and the amount of feed intake compared to eri silk worm fed with papaya leaves.

Keywords: Castor plant, Eri silkworm, nutrition, papaya,