EFFECTS OF MANGROVE PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST THE PINK MEALY BUG (MACONELLICOCCUS HIRSUTUS GREEN) ON AMINO ACIDS AND ENZYME ACTIVITY IN SILKWORM, BOMBYX MORI L.
Samba Naik A.*, Srinivas Naik B., B. Ravi Babu and M. Jagadish Naik
ABSTRACT
Mulberry, Morus alba, (L.) Leaves are the predominant food source for silkworm, Bombyx mori rearing. Pink
mealy bug infests the mulberry plants and cause Tukra diseases that leads to qualitative loss of mulberry
plantation. Hence a preliminary study was carried out using plant extracts as natural botanicals origin by spraying
tukra infested mulberry leaves. The mangrove plant extract sprayed to tukra infested mulberry leaves fed to the
silkworms and its impact on protease and transaminases activity in tissues like fat bodies and haemolymph was
studied. For the study, healthy leaves (Control) and plant extracts viz., Ceriops decandra and Suaeda nudiflora
were sprayed to tukra infested V1 mulberry variety and fed to Silkworm (PMxNB4D2 Bivoltine hybrid). Protease
and ALAT activity gradually increased, this increase however was significant (P>0.05). AAT there was a gradual
decrease from day 4 to day 6, this decrease was however non-significant. Foliar spray of the extracts hold greater
promise for control of tukra infested mulberry leaves and did not affect enzyme activity in silkworms. This can
sturdily suggest that the natural plant extract sprayed with infested mulberry leaves can be effectively utilized for
the silkworm rearing instead of pesticides, insecticides for mulberry sericulturistes.
Keywords: Mealy bug, Plant extracts amino acids.
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