Effect of dietary supplementation of methionine and tryptophan on reproductive parameters of eri silkworm

The study revealed that fortification of castor leaves with methionine and tryptophan improved the reproductive parameters of eri silkworm. The treatments as a whole when compared to control exhibited significant difference on pupal duration, total moth emergence, the male and female adult longevity, fecundity, incubation period and hatching percentage. The shortest pupal duration was recorded at tryptophan @500 ppm concentration (T6). The highest moth emergence (95.56%), male longevity (10.43 days), female longevity (12.73 days), fecundity (403.03 nos./female) and hatching percentage (83.56%) were recorded in larvae fed on castor leaves fortified with 500 ppm tryptophan concentration (T6) and the lowest was recorded in control. The shortest incubation period was registered in 500 ppm methionine concentration (T3) while control exhibited the longest.