Modifying Grown Mulberry Silkworm, Bombyx mori L., Rearing Techniques to Face Low Humidity in Egypt

Abstract

Mulberry silkworms produced the most precious material in the world represented in silk, which is used to create fabric, carpets, cosmetics, and the military industry. Silkworm larvae are affected by various components of climate change. Controlling the factors surrounding the silkworm larvae is taken into consideration to ensure the sustainability of the silk output. Temperature degrees and relative humidity are serious elements that control natural silk production. Four treatments (applied for whole instars Enveloped type 1, Enveloped type 2, Normal silkworm rearing, and Mixing plastic sheet and paraffin paper) were evaluated using three imported hybrids of a silkworm, Bombyx mori L. for enhance rearing techniques, also the same treatments were applied for the young instars of the silkworm larvae. Seventeen traits were taken into consideration. There were fifth larval duration and whole larval duration, larval mortality for young and grown larvae, fourth growth rate and fifth growth rate, cocooning percentage, pupation ratio, double cocooning percentage, and cocoons number per liter. Also, the cocoon, shell, and pupa weight, cocoon shell rate, and silk productivity were recorded for females and males. Cocoon crops by number and weight per 10,000 worms were listed. The results clarified that both treatments, Enveloped type 1 and Enveloped type 2, were the best, whereas save the best temperature and relative humidity needed for larvae. As well as save the freshness of mulberry leaves for a long time to be available for feeding the larvae.