ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF USING SOME VARIETIES OF MULBERRY WHEN FEEDING ZONED BREEDS OF SILKWORM

Abstract

Sericulture has been and remains one of the most important branches of agriculture in Uzbekistan, with centuries-old traditions and proven technologies for keeping silkworms. However, global climate changes across the planet and the shift in the development of the national economy trigger the need for search of new methods of the silkworm reproduction and other sources of feed. Repeated attempts to transfer the silkworm to artificial food or other plant species have not proven succesfully. In our research, we have explored a possibility of using non-fodder caterpillars, namely decorative mulberry varieties, for feeding. The findings gained indicate the validity of the weeping mulberry varieties use in the breeding of silkworms in the case of an early start of feeding. Early vegetation of mulberry trees in urban conditions, a large leaf blade and a large green mass of weeping mulberry, make it good for feeding young silkworm caterpillars.