The Effect of Fortificated Mulberry Leaves with Echinacea Purpurea on Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) Physiology and Production

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Sericultural Department, Plant Protection Institute, Agricultural Research Centre.

Abstract

Mulberry silkworm is more sensitive to any infection during the rearing season. Maintaining a healthy larva was the main target of this research to lower the probability of infection with microbes besides increasing silk production. There was evidence-based efficacy suggesting that Echinacea purpurea can help to improve immune system barriers by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as Peroxidase and Phenol oxidase, which boosts silk production. The present investigation was carried out to study the impact of Echinacea purpurea on some biological and biochemical parameters. Silkworm larvae reared on mulberry leaves enriched with different concentrations of Echinacea purpurea (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) at the beginning of the 4th instar till the spinning stage. The obtained results indicated that the feeding larvae on 2% concentration of Echinacea purpurea extract increases, all the economic and biological characteristics also, most of the biochemical parameters (total protein, peroxidase activity, and phenoloxidase). while larvae fed at 1% concentration recorded high ascorbic acid values.

Keywords

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology
Volume 16, Issue 4
December 2023
Pages 163-171

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