Vol. 11, Special Issue 3 (2022)

Author(s):
Pompi Konwar, Monimala Saikia and Shilpa Saikia

Abstract:
Sericulture, the rearing of silkworms is a continuous process which requires proper management and skill. The larvae feed solely on host plant leaves and have a possibility to get infected either through contaminated leaves or through other sources of contamination. Silkworms are easily susceptible to diseases and pests which cause crop loss up to great extent. Crop loss occurs mainly due to improper disinfection and unhygienic rearing conditions at farmer’s level. Management of silkworm diseases plays a major role in successful silkworm rearing. Therefore, use of bed disinfectants is gaining importance in recent times to reduce the incidence of diseases. Several bed disinfectants have been evolved by sericulture research institutes in India are currently in use and many of them have become quite popular. Various bed disinfectants viz., ankush, sericillin, resham keet oushad (RKO), vijetha, labex, resham jyothi, sanjeevini, suraksha, samrakshak, musgard, reshme aishwarya and lime powder are used in silkworm rearing to obtain successful crop.