Silkworm Breeding and Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Andhra Pradesh State Sericulture Research and Development Institute, Kirikera-515 211, Hindupur, AP, India.
J Insect Sci. 2012;12:15. doi: 10.1673/031.012.1501.
The activity of sericulture is declining due the reduction of mulberry production area in sericulture practicing countries lead to adverse effects on silkworm rearing and cocoon production. Screening for nutrigenetic traits in silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is an essential prerequisite for better understanding and development of nutritionally efficient breeds/hybrids, which show less food consumption with higher efficiency conversion. The aim of this study was to identify nutritionally efficient polyvoltine silkworm strains using the germplasm breeds RMW(2), RMW(3), RMW(4), RMG(3), RMG(1), RMG(4), RMG(5), RMG(6) and APM(1) as the control. The 1(st) day of 5(th) stage silkworm larvae of polyvoltine strains were subjected to standard gravimetric analysis until spinning for three consecutive generations covering 3 different seasons on 19 nutrigenetic traits. Highly significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences were found among all nutrigenetic traits of polyvoltine silkworm strains in the experimental groups. The nutritionally efficient polvoltine silkworm strains were resulted by utilizing nutrition consumption index and efficiency of conversion of ingesta/cocoon traits as the index. Higher nutritional efficiency conversions were found in the polyvoltine silkworm strains on efficiency of conversion of ingesta to cocoon and shell than control. Comparatively smaller consumption index, respiration, metabolic rate with superior relative growth rate, and quantum of food ingesta and digesta requisite per gram of cocoon and shell were found; the lowest amount was in new polyvoltine strains compared to the control. Furthermore, based on the overall nutrigenetic traits utilized as index or 'biomarkers', three polyvoltine silkworm strains (RMG(4), RMW(2), and RMW(3)) were identified as having the potential for nutrition efficiency conversion. The data from the present study advances our knowledge for the development of nutritionally efficient silkworm breeds/hybrids and their effective commercial utilization in the sericulture industry.
养蚕业的活动正在减少，因为养蚕国家的桑树种植面积减少，导致养蚕和蚕茧生产受到不利影响。对家蚕（鳞翅目：蚕科）的营养遗传特性进行筛选是更好地理解和开发营养效率更高的品种/杂种的必要前提，这些品种/杂种表现出较低的食物消耗和更高的效率转化。本研究的目的是使用种质品种 RMW(2)、RMW(3)、RMW(4)、RMG(3)、RMG(1)、RMG(4)、RMG(5)、RMG(6)和 APM(1)作为对照，鉴定营养效率高的多化性蚕品种。多化性品种的 5 龄幼虫第 1 天开始进行标准重量分析，直到连续 3 代化蛹，连续 3 个季节在 19 个营养遗传特性上进行实验。在实验组中，所有多化性蚕品种的所有营养遗传特性都存在高度显著（p ≤ 0.001）差异。利用营养消耗指数和摄入/茧转化效率作为指标，筛选出营养效率高的多化性蚕品种。与对照相比，多化性蚕品种在摄入到茧和壳的转化效率以及壳和茧的转化率方面具有更高的营养效率转化。发现较小的消耗指数、呼吸、代谢率与较高的相对生长率以及每克茧和壳所需的食物摄入量和消化量；与对照相比，新的多化性品种的量最低。此外，基于作为指标或“生物标志物”利用的整体营养遗传特性，鉴定出三个具有潜在营养效率转化能力的多化性蚕品种（RMG(4)、RMW(2)和 RMW(3)）。本研究的数据为开发营养效率高的家蚕品种/杂种及其在养蚕业中的有效商业利用提供了知识。
