Relationship between proximate composition of food plants and Eri silkworm

The nutritional status of food plants used for rearing of eri silkworm (Samia ricini) has a crucial impact on the development and economic parameters of the larvae. In this study, we investigated the nutritional composition of three different food plants - Castor (Ricinus communis), Tapioca (Manihot esculenta), and Papaya (Carica papaya) and their influence on the nutritional content of eri silkworm larvae through proximate analysis. Our results showed significant variations in the moisture, crude fibre, ash content, total fat, carbohydrate, and crude protein contents of the three food plants. A marked difference in the nutritional content of silkworm larvae reared on selected food plants have also been observed in present investigation. These findings provide scientific evidence of a significant relationship between the quality of food plants used for rearing and the nutritional indices of eri silkworm larvae. The results from current investigation might provide a reference for future works in different species and could give information regarding selection of appropriate food plant for the commercial production of eri silk, or formulation of artificial diet with proper nutritional composition towards the future improvements of silk industry.