Host selection behavior of tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Drury) for oviposition

Aim: Seed production is the backbone of sericulture in India. In order to cater for the increased demand for seed (egg), the already prevailing seed production techniques need to replace with new and robust techniques. Therefore, the present study was designed to understand the oviposition preference of Antheraea mylitta and selected suitable host plants for future improvement of seed production. Methodology: Choice (nylon net cage) and no-choice (earthen cup) experiments were conducted to study the oviposition preference of A. mylitta on Shorea robusta, Terminalia tomentosa, T. arjuna, Ziziphus mauritiana, Careya arborea, Syzygium cumini and Buchanania lanzan. Mated female moths were released freely into the nylon cage to observe their oviposition preference in the choice test. Whereas, half of both fore wings and hind wings of mated female moths were excised and individually placed in an earthen cup for oviposition. The total number of eggs laid on the host plants in both experiments was recorded and analysed. Results: Mated females released freely within the cage have laid the majority of their eggs on the floor and net instead of their host plants. Among the host plants, the highest number of oviposition was recorded on the S. robusta, T. tomentosa and T. arjuna compared to other host plants. The highest number of eggs per moth was observed on T. tomentosa and followed by S. robusta, T. arjuna and Z. mauritiana, and exceeded the numbers of eggs in the control in the no-choice experiment. Interpretation: The study revealed that both S. robusta and T. tomentosa were highly preferred host plants of A. mylitta for oviposition. Therefore, the volatiles or feeding supplements of S. robusta and T. tomentosa may be identified and applied to A. mylitta during rearing and grainage to enhance seed production. Key words: Host plants, Oviposition preference, Sericulture, Tasar silkworm, Terminalia tomentosa