The effects of the dietary levels of protein and pyridoxine (B
6) on growth and survival of the 5th-instar larvae of the silkworm were studied under aseptic condition. The silkworms were reared with the twenty-four different diets containing 15 to 60% of protein in combination with 0 to 1mg B
6 per g of the dry diet. When the larvae reared on the diet containing 30, 45, and 60% protein, they grew well at B
6 levels of 10, 100μg, and 1mg, respectively. All the larvae died with the diet containing less than 0.1μg of B
6 before pupation. Mortality of larvae was very high when they fed on high protein and low B
6 diet. Mortality of larvae was lowered with the increase of protein content in the diet. When the dietary protein level was low, excess amounts of B
6 showed slightly an inhibitory effect on the larval growth. Female larvae required a higher amount of B
6 than male larvae throughout the development. Minimum quantity of B
6 for survival ranged from 6 to 8μg in female and from 4 to 6μg in male larvae. Larvae needed more amounts of protein and B
6 for the growth of silkgland, than those for the other tissues.
View full abstract