A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of feeding pesticide-sprayed mulberry leaves on the grainage performance of silkworms. Five commonly used pesticides for mulberry pest control were tested: Azadirachtin 1 % (2 mL/L), Chlorfenapyr 10 SC (1.5 mL/L), Orgomite (2.5 mL/L), Wettable Sulphur 80 WP and Era Safeguard. Silkworms were fed with treated leaves at intervals of 5, 10, 15 and 20 days after spraying (DAS). Results indicated that Azadirachtin and Chlorfenapyr were highly toxic up to 15 DAS, significantly reducing pupation rate. Among the treatments, Orgomite exhibited the least toxicity to silkworms at 10 DAS, maintaining better pupation, moth emergence, fecundity and hatching rates. At 15 DAS, Chlorfenapyr showed reduced toxicity. Overall, Orgomite and Chlorfenapyr 10 SC were found effective against both mites and mulberry leaf roller with safety periods of 10 and 15 DAS, respectively. The study concludes that Orgomite is the safest option for mulberry pest management in seed crops without compromising silkworm grainage performance

Pesticide, Mulberry, Toxicity, Silkworm, Grainage

The present study indicates that the insecticides Chlorfenapyr 10 SC, Azadirachtin 1 %, and Era Safeguard exhibited significant toxicity to silkworms for up to 15 days post-application. In contrast, Orgomite was found to be comparatively safer when assessed at 10 days after spraying, followed by Wettable sulphur 80 WP. Based on these findings, Orgomite and Chlorfenapyr 10 SC may be considered suitable options for managing mites and mulberry leaf roller in silkworm seed crops with recommended safety intervals of 10 and 15 days post-treatment, respectively, to minimize adverse effects on silkworm growth and development

Basanagouda Jekinakatti, Doreswamy C., Ashish S. Karur, Pavithra M.R. and Tejaswini A.S. (2025). Effect of Feeding Pesticides Sprayed Mulberry Leaves on Grainage Performance of Silkworm. Biological Forum, 17(7): 182-185