• RANJITHA G N
• DR. R. S. UMAKANTH

Sericulture is a practice of large scale rearing of mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Mulberry is the sole food of the silkworm and the quality of mulberry directly affects the cocoon yield both qualitatively and quantitatively. Amylase is an important enzyme involved in digestion of mulberry and also plays an important role in disease resistance of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The present study focuses on the quantitative estimation of amylase activity in the bivoltine double hybrid (FC2×FC1) of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. reared across three different seasons namely pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon. The silkworm larvae were fed with mulberry leaves fortified with spirulina and soya flour in three concentrations of 200, 300, and 400 ppm during the day-2, day-3 and day-4 of the fifth instar. The activity of amylase enzyme was analyzed in the gut (digestive) juice and midgut tissue on day-3, day-4 and day-5 (24 h. after treatment) using the DNS method. The results obtained from the present study have revealed a progressive increase in amylase activity from day-3 to day-5, with significantly higher values in the midgut compared to the gut juice of treated larvae. Spirulina treatment at 400 ppm (SP400) consistently exhibited the highest amylase activity across all seasons, followed by soya flour at 400ppm (SF400) treatments. Peak enzyme activity and improved economic traits viz., larval weight, cocoon weight, shell weight, filament length and shell ratio were observed during the monsoon season, particularly under SP400 treatment over SF400. These findings suggest that spirulina and soya flour fortification enhances digestive efficiency and silk yield in B. mori, and the amylase activity serves as a potential biochemical marker in breeding and evolving new breeds to exploit for commercial silk production in sericulture.

Gut juice, midgut, mulberry, spirulina, soya flour, amylase, spectrophotometer

"QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF AMYLASE ACTIVITY IN BIVOLTINE DOUBLE HYBRID FC2 X FC1 OF THE SILKWORM BOMBYX MORI L. REARED DURING THREE SEASONS.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 8, page no.e306-e320, August-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2508445.pdf

"QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF AMYLASE ACTIVITY IN BIVOLTINE DOUBLE HYBRID FC2 X FC1 OF THE SILKWORM BOMBYX MORI L. REARED DURING THREE SEASONS.", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 8, page no. ppe306-e320, August-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2508445.pdf