2024, Vol. 7, Special Issue 1

author(s)
Sheetal Rani, Noor-Ul-Din Sheikh, Baqual MF, Rufaie ZH, Baba ZA, Showket Maqbool and Farida Akhter

abstract
Investigation on “Effect of foliar spray of micro-nutrients on the growth of mulberry and its impact on the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. rearing” was carried at the experimental farm of College of Temperate Sericulture, Mirgund SKUAST-Kashmir, which is located at 340.17N latitude and 74⁰.17E longitude at an altitude of 1585 meters above mean sea level. Goshoerami variety was taken as mulberry variety. The present investigation was carried with two experiments, “Influence of foliar spray on mulberry qualitative and quantitative parameters with Randomized Block Design (RBD)” and “Influence of foliar spray on silkworm rearing and cocoon parameters with Complete Randomized Design (CRD)”, during 2017 and 2018 with 17 different treatments including one control, where no micronutrient spray was used. Foliar spray of liquid formulations was done twice, first on 30^th day after sprouting/pruning of mulberry and second 15 days after first spray at the rate of 600 litres of formulation/hectare/spray. Rearing was conducted as usual up to 3^rd stage. From day 1^st of 4^th age up to Seri-position the worms were reared on treated leaves as per the experiment details. Iron sulphate, zinc sulphate, manganese sulphate and copper sulphate were used as foliar sprays for supplementing Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu respectively. Iron, zinc, manganese and copper was sprayed at 4 different concentrations each viz., 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.4%. Maximum values for length of longest branch, average branch length, number of leaves per plant, fresh weight of 100 leaves, leaf yield, moisture content and crude protein content (120.118 cm), (102.890 cm), (1022.160), (439.117 g), (4.957 kg), (78.653%) and (17.719%) during spring and (123.333 cm),(105.333 cm), (785.452), (596.550 g), (5.216 kg), (76.060%) and (16.072%) during autumn, were recorded in T₁₂₍Mn@04%) respectively. Higher content of iron (254.140 ppm), zinc (32.950ppm), manganese (104.825 ppm) and copper (16.245ppm) in mulberry leaves were recorded in treatments with higher levels of foliar spray viz., T₄=Fe@0.4%, T₈=Zn@0.4%, T₁₂=Mn@0.4% and T₁₆=Cu@0.4% respectively. Silkworm larvae were fed on treated leaf and all biological and economic parameters were recorded. Results obtained indicated that foliar spray of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu had a significant effect on many rearing parameters. Supplementing leaf with Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu through foliar spray had a significant effect on many mulberry and rearing parameters. Foliar spray of T₁₂=Mn@04% had resulted in increased leaf yield and improvement in rearing parameters, suggesting the need for use of manganese @ 0.4% in conjunction could pave way for increased cocoon crop.