Investigations of Different Host Plants on Nutritional Indices of Eri Silkworm (Samia ricini)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted during 2021-22 at Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam to evaluate the food ingestion, digestion and efficiency of conversion of castor and tapioca cultivars for Eri silkworm, Samiaricini. The leaves of castor cultivars Viz., YTP 1, YRCH 1, YRCH 2 and Local variety and tapioca cultivars Viz., YTP 1 and YTP 2 were fed to Eri silkworm. The studies of nutritional indices on different castor and tapioca cultivars revealed that total food consumption was found to be highest on castor variety YTP 1 (1014.92 g) followed by castor hybrid YRCH 2 (1009.14 g) and least on tapioca YTP 1 (910.14 g). Maximum food digestion and Efficiency conversion of ingested food was found on castor variety YTP 1 (546.17 g and 21.70 %) when compared to 427.05 g and 21.99 per cent on tapioca YTP 1.