Panomir Tzenov1, Krasimira Avramova2, Dimitar Grekov2 and Velislav Iliev2
1 Agricultural Academy, Scientific Center on Sericulture, 3000 Vratsa, Bulgaria
2 Agricultural University,4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Tzenov, P., Avramova, K., Grekov, D. & Iliev, V. (2025). Susceptibility of some silkworm, Bombyx mori L. hybrids towards artificial diet containing reduced by 50% amount of mulberry leaf powder. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(3), 573–575
The present study aimed at testing the performance of 3 new Bulgarian four-way F1 silkworm hybrids, fed on standard artificial diet, containing 30% mulberry leaf powder and on an artificial diet, containing only 15% mulberry leaf powder. It was established that mulberry leaf powder content in the artificial diets had a direct effect on the larval survivability rate and average weight of one larva. All hybrids showed higher values of both characters studied at feeding on diet, containing 30% of mulberry leaf powder compared to those fed with diet having lower amount of mulberry powder. The results obtained clearly brought out that the hybrids Vratsa63 × Line22 × NIG2 × Merefa6 and NIG2 × Merefa6 × Vratsa63 × Line22 displayed a higher susceptibility to feeding on artificial diet containing 50% less mulberry leaf powder, compared with the hybrid I1×VB1 × N2×HB2.