Studies on a year-round sericulture of Japan based on an aseptic rearing of silkworms on an artificial diet

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Silk production in Japan is carried out between May and October during which, mulberry leaves grow. As a result, the number of silkworm rearing is limited to three to four times per year. This study was aimed to establish a year-round sericulture system in Japan in cooperation with researchers with various academic fields and by which to activate and further develop sericultural industry of Japan. The points of study were as followes. 1. Development of a low-cost artificial diet. 2. Establishment of a preparation method of an artificial diet. 3. Study of physiology and pathology of silkworms reared on an artificial diet. 4. Selection and bleeding of a silkworm race suitable for rearing on an artificial diet. 5. Development of an artificial diet suitable for silkworm races now in use. 6. Evaluation of rearing results from the year-round sericulture system. 7. Evaluation of profitability of the year-round sericulture system.From the present study, the following achievements were obtained … More . 1. A low-cost artificial diet was developed by incorporating bean-curd lees in the diet as much as 50% for the grown silkworm larvae, which consumes 90% of diet fed throughout the feeding period. 2. Lowering the cost of an artificial diet was possible by drying mulberry leaves in the sun or buying mulberry leaves from abroad. 3. A new preparation method of an artificial diet was devised, which makes the diet in a form of a corrugated sheet, which improves the feeding efficiency of the grown silkworm larvae. 4. The cause of the occurrence of incompletely exuviated larva was disclosed. It was due to the cause related to physiology and genetics of the silkworm. 5. Rearing results from three times feeding throughout the feeding period are as follows. The amount of harvested cocoon was more than 30kg per one egg case. The length of a cocoon was more than 1,000m. No silkworm disease occurred. Silk thread was lustrous. The size of silk thread was thin with 2.5 deniers. 6. A one time feeding of an artificial diet to young silkworm larvae followed by mulberry leaves rearing throughout the rest of the feeding period yielded a satisfactory result. There was no occurrence of silkworm disease. This results indicate that an aseptic rearing of silkworms on an artificial diet during a part of the feeding period is useful in the rearing season of silkworms from May to October. Less