Spirulina and Azolla as a dietary supplement for enhancing growth and productivity of silkworm (Bombyx mori L.)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

Abstract

Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) is a pivotal insect in sericulture, with its development and output highly reliant on nutrition. This study evaluated the potential of Spirulina platensis, Azolla pinnata, and their mixture as dietary supplements to enhance silkworm growth and economic traits. Mulberry leaves were treated with alcoholic extracts of each alga at concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 5%. The results highlighted the positive impact of both Spirulina and Azolla supplementation. A 3% Spirulina treatment significantly increased silk gland weight (P<0.05) over the control. All Spirulina treatments improved silk gland growth, with comparable effects recorded for 3% Azolla and the 3% mixture. Although cocoon weight showed some variation, no significant differences were found. Nevertheless, the 3% Spirulina, 5% Azolla, and 3% mixture groups exhibited the highest cocoon weights. While, filament weight was significantly higher in all algae-treated groups compared to the control (P ≤ 0.003). The 3% Spirulina supplementation led to positive increases in the weights of larvae (2.65 ± 0.02 g), silk glands (0.690 ± 0.07 g), cocoons (1.02 ± 0.12 g), pupae (0.808 ± 0.10 g), and filaments (0.247 ± 0.01 g). Consequently, this study indicates that Spirulina and Azolla, especially at particular concentrations, can significantly enhance larval growth, silk gland development, and key silk production characteristics.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics