Application of the feed ingredients for livestock to an artificial diet by using polyphagous strain of the silkworm

Abstract

Feeding response to an artificial diet which contained 2-10% of fish meal, yeast, pupal powder, rape bran, gluten meal and alfalfa, and subsequent larval growth were investigated in newly-hatched larvae of original strains, hybrid races, and polyphagous strains. The results showed that Japanese strains such as Sawa J and N 01 were able to grow on all of the diets unlike the larvae of the Chinese strain (C 01). Some larvae of hybrid races grew on diets containing rape bran, gluten meal, and yeast, whereas almost all of the larvae used did not survive on the other diets. Polyphagous strains showed a high feeding ability and survival rate on these diets. Furthermore, the feeding ability and survival rate of polyphagous strains increased, when 5% of mulberry leaf powder was added to the diets. Based on these results, it was concluded that feed ingredients for livestock could be used partly in artificial diets, in which the content of mulberry leaf powder was reduced to less than 5% in the case of polyphagous strains.