Application of Multi-vitamins as Supplementary Nutrients on Biological and Economical Characteristics of Silkworm Bombyx mori L

In order to investigate the effects of supplementary nutrients on silkworm, Bombyx mori, an experiment was conducted with multi-vitamins treatments. Leaves enriched with multi-vitamins (1, 2.5 and 5%) were fed once a day to 4th and 5th instar silkworm larva. The supplementation of the leaves was done by spraying the treatments on them. These treatments resulted in a significant increase in biological and economical parameters such as larval weight, female and male cocoon weight, pupal weight and egg productivity when compared with normal control. Multi-vitamins of 2.5% treatment increased the larval weight by 10.2%, which had the most weight enhancement in the fifth day of 5th instar larvae. However, 5% concentration of multi-vitamins decreased some biological characteristics. These treatments resulted in 4.7% increase of cocoon's weight. In most of the moths the number and weight of eggs had significant difference compared to control, but these supplementary materials caused relatively less egg hatching.