BIOCHEMICAL AND ENZYMATIC STUDY OF THE SILKWORM HEMOLYMPH, SILK GLAND AND GUT ANALYSIS IN DIFFERENT NUTRIENTS.

The mulberry leaves are considered as the traditional food for the silkworm larvae due to the presence of the constituent Morin and the silkworms are completely dependent on them. Sericulture has been benefitting the human beings through the silkworm in several ways. At present, research has been probed for the need for an alternative nutritive source in the sericulture and this has lead to the development of a number of supplement nutrients for the rearing of the silkworm. There are several foods which are used as an ingredient for the artificial diet of silkworm. This type of diet encourages the small landless farmers to indulge in sericulture and also helps in reducing the labor cost for the mulberry cultivation. In this study, the silkworms were fed with Honey, Glucose, Lemon, B- complex and Calciferol and their impact on the levels of the hydrolytic enzymes, detoxification enzyme and macromolecular content in the hemolymph, silk gland and gut were studied. There were significant improvements in the levels indicating their candidature in their application as artificial dietary source for the silkworms thereby enabling a more beneficial strategy for the rearing of silkworms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]