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The effect of a pesticide on mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori (Lep.: Bombycidae) larvae
Alireza Bizhannia1, Keyvan Etebari2, Alireza Seidavi3, Seyed Ziaeddin Mirhosseini2
1
Iran Silkworm Research Center, ISRC, Rasht, Iran, 2Guilan University, Rasht, Iran, 3Islamic Azad University, Rasht
Branch, Rasht, Iran
Email:alirezaseidavi@yahoo.com

Introduction Environmental pollutants, like pesticides, have been destructive on different aspects of life. Silkworm, as a
beneficial insect, is no exception to this matter. Due to this, many problems have appeared in sericulture because of
pesticide applications to cultivations, especially when mulberry trees grow next to cultivated plants. Many studies that have
focused on the effect of insecticides on B. mori deal with toxicity, retardation of development and growth, fecundity,
mortality, food utilization and economic parameters (Vassarmidaki et al., 2000). However, between these studies a few
documents focused on the effect of fungicide residue on silkworm growth and performances (Dutta et al., 2003). Sik et al
(1976) reported that more than 1.4% of yield reduction in sericulture is due to side effect of pesticide application. 49.4%
was due to the application of different pesticides in rice filed, 21.2% in fruit garden and 12.3% in olericulture. Therefore,
the present investigation deals effects of long term application of systemic insecticide, Oxydemeton-methyl(metasystox R)
on some biological performance of silkworm. Because metasystox has just recently used to against of mulberry thrips in
sericulture and it is necessary to study different side effects of this insecticide on silkworm.

Materials and methods The eggs of bivoltine hybrid silkworm (103×104), obtained from Iran Sericultural Research
Centre (Rasht, Iran), were reared in the laboratory with standard rearing technique (Lim et al. 1990) under 25ºC with
humidity 75±5% and photoperiod 16Light:8Darkness. Mulberry leaves of Ken-mochi variety up to the last instar fed the
larvae. In this research 0ppm (T1), 1ppm (T2), 500ppm (T3), and 1000ppm (T4) concentrations of systemic insecticide,
metasystox was used as treatments. Fourth instar larvae were divided into 4 experimental groups, including control and
insecticide treatments. Each group consisted of 100 larvae with three replications. Fresh mulberry leaves were soaked in
each concentration for 1 minute and then were dried in air for 20 minutes. The contaminated leaves were fed to silkworm
during 1st day of 4th instar. After the treatments, some larval & cocoon parameters were recorded. 4th Larval duration, 5th
larval duration, Larval mortality, Total best cocoon weight and etc. Collected data were subjected to statistical analysis of
variance test to find out the low significant difference between the parameters of the normal control and treated groups. For
every analysis of variance, SAS software was used.

Results The results were in according to following diagrams:

Table 1 The mean comparison of some parameters between different treatments†

Characters
Treatments Best produced Larval 4th instar Larval nutrition 5th instar Larval
cocoons weight(gr) mortality (%) duration (hr) nutrition duration (hr)
T1 97.21±5.313 a 17.667±3.171 a 116±0.00 a 175±0.00 a
a a
T2 98.653±5.313 12.667±3.171 116±0.00 a 175±0.00 a
T3 92.363±5.313 a 20±3.171 a 116±0.00 a 175±0.00 a
T4 89.38±5.313 a 13±3.171 a 116±0.00 a 175±0.00 a
†
Mean with the same letter are not significantly different (P<0.05)

According to table1 larval mortality, weight of best cocoons produced, nutrition period duration in 4th & 5th instar in all
treatments have not different significantly (P<0.05).

Conclusions Metasystox could alter economical and biological characters in studied hybrid numerically. But it could not
alter larval duration. These results obtained by other researchers (Dutta et al. 2003). Thus concluded metasystox affect on
important traits in sericulture and can decrease its income among farmers. Metasystox mechanism must be investigated
carefully and determined functional details.

Acknowledgements The present investigation was conducted with support of Iran Sericultural Research Center (ISRC).

References
Dutta, M., Balavenkatasubbaiah, M., Natar-aju, B., Sharma, S. D., Chandrasekharan, K, Selvakumar, T. and Thiagarajan,
V. 2003. Systemic fungicide application for the control of white muscardine in silkworm rearing. International Journal
Industrial Entomlogy 5: 103-106.
Lim, S. H., Kim, Y. T., Lee, S. P., Rhee, I. J., Lim, J.S. and Lim, B. H. 1990. Sericulture training manual. FAO,
Agricultural Services Bulletin, Rome.
Sik, K., Ryong S. H. and K. R Sang. 1976. Study of various pollutions on silkworm rearing in autumn. Seric. J. Korea.18:
17-19.
Vassarmidaki, M. E., Harizanis, P. C. and Katsikis, S. 2000. Effects of Applaud on the growth of silkworm (Lep., Bomby-
cidae). Journal Economi Entomologl 93: 290-292.

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https://doi.org/10.1017/S1752756200020652