Influence of Plant Extractives On Silk Worm, Bombyx

mori (L).
Introduction :-
Sericulture deals with cultivation of mulberry & rearing of silkworm larvae for
commercial silk. Plant material could have been the factor of natural selection that modulated
the coevolutionary relationship between the plant and herbivorous insects like silkworm,
Bombyx mori (L). The silkworm, Bombyx mori (L) exhibit holometabolous metamorphosis
through the life stages like :egg, larval instars, pupa within the cocoon and adult moth. There are
five larval instars. They feed voraciously on the mulberry leaves. The mature fifth larval instar
spin the silky cocoon around it’s body and changes into the pupa. Through the process of
metamorphosis, the pupa get converted into the adult moth. After mating the female moth lay the
eggs and life cycle continue. Silk of the cocoon is sole product of sericulture, quality of which
depend on the environmental ( rearing) conditions; race of silkworm and quality of mulberry
leaves. The leaves of mulberry are considered to be wholesome food for silkworm, Bombyx mori
(L).
Man is trying his best to improve the quality of cocoon & silk using available system
efficiently since the dawn of civilization. Recent progress in the research on substances that
regulate the growth and development in multicellular organisms has revealed some aspects
which may be of interdisciplinary biological importance. In spite of enormous diversification of
regulatory mechanisms during the course of animal or plant evolution, we are often confronted
with the facts that certain types of regulatory chemicals operating in animal body may
occasionally exhibit developmental effects also in the plant system.
Conversely, some secondary chemical substances which are present in plants for unknown
reasons exhibit potent hormonal activity in certain animals. In the animal kingdom, there are
special classes of regulatory substances, such as for instance neuro - hormones, which are
nonspecifically used by members of all the phyla of Metazoa ( from the most primitive
Coelenterates up to the Vertebrates) (Gersch,1978). Similarly, the action of gibberellic acid can
be found in most, if not all, the higher plants(MacMillan, 1971). Genetically controlled process
of cellular growth and differentiation shows many conservative features that are common to
plant as well as animal tissues.
 In addition, the developmental instructions to the genome are in both cases derived
from the external and internal signals like the presence of nutritive substrates ( in bacteria) or
light ( in plants) (Parthier, 1979) may immediately affect the genomic activity, in higher
vertebrate and invertebrate animals these environmental signals are transformed by neuro -
endocrine system into specific chemical messages among the respective target tissues or cells.
Recent findings on the evolution of neuroe - ndocrine system in animals (Slama, 1980) suggest
that, the hormones, produced by specialized endocrine tissues to regulate morphogenesis and
reproduction of invertebrate animals, have their phylogenic origin in the homeostatic tissue
factors or desmohormones of the most primitive multicellular organisms. Because of the
common origin of all organisms, it cannot be rejected that, a molecule used as animal hormone
would conserve the original ability to interact with the genome and so it would tentatively affect
growth and development in quite different organisms.
This hypothesis, however, which assumes causal evolutionary relationships
between structure and function of hormones in unrelated organisms, must be taken with serious
precautions. We have to realize that a molecule of animal hormone may just accidentally fit the
receptor sites of another regulatory molecule in the plant cell and in this way, it may cause purely
coincidental hormonomimetic effects. There exist well expressed chemical interactions between
plants and their animal feeders.
The interactions are generally based on diversity of pharmaco – biological principles, some
of which are also hormonally linked (Rosenthal and Janzen, 1979). For example, the
sesquiterpenoid analogues of insect juvenile hormone (JH) and the polyhydroxylated sterol
derivatives of insect moulting hormone (MH) are widely distributed in various taxonomically
unrelated plant species, being occasionally present in much more higher concentrations than in
the insect body (Slama, 1979). As there are no structural and functional counterparts to the
animal neuromuscular system in plants, it seems unwarranted to look for the presence of rather
specific animal neurohormones in plants. Moreover, a possible presence of the proteinic or
peptidic animal hormones in plants has been also neglected, because, even when accidentally
present in plant food these hormones should be rapidly broken down and inactivated by the
digestive enzymes. Similarly, like in case of the invertebrate hormones, most of the vertebrate
hormones and their pharmacological mimics encountered in plants so far appear to be
structurally or functionally related to isoprenoids. For this reason, in the present work some
significant plants are going to be selected for screening their JHA contents, quantification and to
study the influence on the fifth instar larvae of silk worm, Bombyx mori (L).
The exact reasons why should plants contain just the isoprenoid hormones of both the
invertebrate and vertebrate animals are not known. Some isoprenoids are relatively resistant
against metabolic degradation during digestion. This may facilitate bioassays and identification
of the hormonal symptoms in animals fed by the hormone containing plants. Also, some
phytohormones like abscic acid and gibberellic acid are equally isoprenoids.
Table-1. Juvenoid activity in some non-mulberry plants.
Sr. No. Name of Plant Juvenoid Content
( Unit: FME /mg per
Gramm )
1 Acalypha hispida (L) 61
2 Anacardium occidentale (L) 20
3 Bauhinia accuminata (L) 61
4 Bougainvilla glabra (L) 31
5 Cocos nucifera (L) 61
6 Hibiscus rosasinesis (L) 20
7 *Lantana camera (L) 132
8 Malvaviscus Populinus (L) 31
9 Morinda tinctoria (L) 61
10 Morus alba (L) 102
11 Nycanthus arbor (L) 61
12 Pterocarpus marsupium (L) 82
13 *Santalum album (L) 184
14 * Tectona grandis (L) 128
15 Terminalia paniculata (L) 60
16 Verteria indica (L) 44
17 *Vitis vinifera (L) 367
18 Sesamum indicum (L) 92

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Fig. 1: Day wise Body wall chitin in the fifth instars larvae of silkworm, Bombyx mori
(L) (Race: PM x CSR2) (Preliminary Lab. Studies).

Body Wall Chitin In The Fifth Instar Larvae Of Silkworm, Bombyx mori (L) (Race: PM x CSR2
), Recipient Of Topical Application Of Acetone Solution (0.2mg/ml) of Camphene And Plant
Extractives At 48 hrs. After The Fourth
Fig. 2 : Pattern of chitin in the body wall / integument of the fifth instar larvae of silk
worm, Bombyx mori (L) (Race : PM x CSR2) (Preliminary Lab. Studies).

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 Use of juvenoid compounds like methoprene, Kinoprene, hydroprene for the purpose
to improve the larval life & thereby the Silk yield has been well documented (Akai & Kobyashi,
1971; Ching et al 1972; Riddiford, 1994; Vitthalrao, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006). Use of
juvenoids in sericulture deals mainly with topical application of the compounds to the fifth instar
larvae, especially at 48 hours after the forth moult. The method of topical application of juvenoid
compound was found feasible up to some extent, especially on farm trials. Use of juvanogens
(the juvenoids to be supplied through feed) & other growth stimulating compounds through
mulberry leaves may also serve the purpose of qualitative & quantitative silk yield.
Baramati & Daund Tahasil had the agro-academic heritage. Both, the green & dry
belts of Baramati are having well established agriculture land along with agro based occupations
like sericulture. Farmer Seri culturists are associated with the sericulture unit (Central Silk
Board) at the farm of Agriculture Development Trust, Malegaon. They are busy in maintaining
mulberry garden, rearing of silkworm larvae & selling the cocoons. The price of cocoon depends
on the shell percentage of cocoon (shell ratio). The rearing methods, race of silkworm, quality of
leaves & seasonal variations are the factors affecting on the quality of cocoon. The plants are the
richest source of metabolites for the phytophagous insects, like silk worm, Bombyx mori(L).
Improvement in the rearing methods by the use of Plant extractives will fortify the shell
percentage of cocoon. With this supposition, the present work has to be undertaken.
Sericulture deals with cultivation of mulberry & rearing of silkworm larvae for
commercial cocoons. Mulberry cultivation is the part of Botany and Agriculture. Bio-compounds
(Plant derived, animal derived & synthetic) belong to the chemistry discipline. Rearing of larvae
for their good health & growth is the part of Zoology (and up to some extent to Microbiology).
Sericulture serve as effective tool for rural reconstruction benefiting the
economically, socially weaker sections of community. It help in transferring the wealth from
high & rich community to the rural poor community of the nation. China use to stand the first in
the world for silk production (71845 metric tones of silk per year) India is second, by producing
13913 metric tones. Sericulture is one of the opportunity to earn foreign exchange. Therefore, the
research work in sericulture should be concerned with the improvement of silk production
quantitatively and qualitatively.
The compounds used for feeding the larval instars through mulberry leaves and for topical
application should be safe and plant derived. This is because, the plant derived (Herbal Products
/ Compounds) deserve appreciations with reference to their potential / active principles and
minimum loss. And therefore, the plant derived products/ herbal products (may be in the form of
Extractives) exert applicable influence in the production of qualitative cocoons and silk
filaments. The attempts should be concerned with use of active principles of plant extractives
which deserve either Juvenile Hormone Analogues (JHA) or Moulting Hormone Analogues
(MHA) or both. Attempts should be towards use of these compounds/ active principles in plant
extractives through appropriate technology, at particular time in the tenure of particular larval
instar , through specific quantity (titre).