Abstract
Aseptic rearing has been receiving much attention in recent years. Since silkworm larvae grow very fast and uniformly, they are suitable for aseptic rearing. The authors have attempted nutritional and pathological studies using aseptic rearing silkworm. The present paper deals with an artificial food of silkworm larvae for this purpose.
The artificial food prepared was composed of fat-free rice bran, powdered mulberry leaves, potato starch, sucrose, agar-agar, vitamins and some feeding stimulants.
Silkworm larvae ate little fat-free rice bran, but ate it when it had been treated with 1.5% sulfuric acid or methanol. Silkworm larvae were well grown from eggs to moths with the artificial food, and the results of these rearing showed that fat-free rice bran can be used as an artificial food of the silkworm larvne.
