AN EXTENSIVE APPRAISAL OF LIFE CYCLES, ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MULBERRY AND SILKWORM ASSOCIATED INSECT PESTS

Abstract

Sericulture is the ‘Siri’ culture, which means it generates wealth, upon silkworm rearing and silk cocoon production. Morus alba (Mulberry), the sole food source of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) was one of the first domesticated forages in the world and has great economic importance to sericulture. The probability of sericulture and cocoon quality depends on the leaf quality of mulberry as it provides 70% of the protein involved in the silk protein production of the silkworms. Mulberry is prone to attack by many insect pests which cause quantitative and qualitative damage resulting in a decrease in sericulture productivity. Several species of insect pests belonging to different orders of Arthropods like Lepidoptera, Hemiptera and Coleoptera, Diptera, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Thysanoptera, have been reported as insect pests on mulberry. Among them leaf defoliators and sap suckers are treated to be major insect pests as they cause more damage to the mulberry. Addressing this concern, around 26 major mulberry pests are identified and their lifecycles are reviewed in detail to understand the underlying mechanisms and to explore effective pest management strategies for biological control and quality production of Mulberry leaf which directly enhances quality cocoon production and silk generation