Vol. 9, Issue 10, Part H (2025)

The mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) serves as an important lepidopteran model organism in nutritional and developmental biology. Its growth, development, and reproduction are strongly influenced by dietary composition, particularly protein availability. The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary protein-treated mulberry leaves on the biological traits of B. mori under controlled conditions at the Experiential Learning Programme Unit on Commercial Sericulture, College of Agriculture, Latur, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani, Maharashtra, during March-April 2025. The bivoltine double hybrid CSR2 strain was reared on V-1 mulberry variety in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Supplementation of mulberry leaves with various plant-derived protein sources significantly altered larval and pupal biology. Among the treatments, mulberry leaves fortified with soya flour at 0.5% concentration yielded the most favourable results. Larvae fed on this diet exhibited a significantly reduced larval duration of 28.63 days and pupal duration of 8.67 days, compared to 31.13 days and 11.33 days, respectively, in the control (distilled water treated leaves). These findings demonstrate that protein enrichment accelerates the developmental cycle of B. mori, likely by improving protein assimilation efficiency and energy metabolism during the critical larval and pupal stages. Reproductive performance was also markedly enhanced under protein supplementation. The highest moth emergence (97.07%), fecundity (515.33 eggs per female), and egg hatching percentage (97.30%) were obtained with soya flour supplementation. Conversely, the control treatment recorded significantly lower values for moth emergence (84.80%), fecundity (440.33 eggs), and egg hatching (89.30%). These improvements suggest that dietary proteins play a direct role in enhancing reproductive physiology, possibly by modulating vitellogenin synthesis and other egg-associated biochemical pathways. Overall, the study establishes that dietary protein fortification of mulberry leaves exerts a profound influence on the biological traits of B. mori. Soya flour at 0.5% proved to be the most effective supplement, reducing developmental duration and improving reproductive efficiency. The untreated control consistently produced inferior biological outcomes, underscoring the significance of protein nutrition in silkworm biology.