Vitamin supplementation in Bombyx mori diets: implications for insect biodiversity conservation and cocoon production on Morus nigra leaves

Authors

  • Shama Munawar UVAS
  • Fareeha Imran Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Areej Fatima Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Nosaiba Eiman Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Hamza Noman Department of Biological Sciences, The Superior University, Lahore
  • Saleha Abbasi Principal Ecologist, Environment Department, at AESG, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
  • Kashif Ali Division of Science and Technology, Department of Zoology, University of Education, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Aima Batool Department of Zoology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  • Ahmad Ali Department of Zoology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  • Farhat Sunny Centre for Animal sciences and Fisheries, Women Campus University of Swat, Pakistan.
  • Abdullah Usman Department of Zoology, Islamia College Peshawar, Pakistan
  • Hamad Alam Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Irfan Irshad Institute of Continuing Education and Extension, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Mudasar Hussain Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Rana Ahmad Bilal Khan Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Okara, Pakistan
  • Mariam Zafar Department of Zoology, University of Okara, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20003681

Keywords:

Cocoon production, Probiotics, Silkworm, Vitamin supplementation

Abstract

The mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a key species in the sericulture industry for silk production. The present study examined the effects of Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 supplementation on growth performance, survival rate, and cocoon production of silkworms fed with Morus nigra leaves under semi-controlled environmental conditions. The experiment was conducted at the Sericulture Unit, Department of Wildlife and Ecology, UVAS Ravi Campus, Pakistan, using a randomized block design with three treatment groups: control (M. nigra), M. nigra supplemented with Vitamin C, and Vitamin B12. Each treatment included one replicate of 250 larvae. Growth performance, cocoon weight, and survival rate were recorded and analyzed through one-way ANOVA and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. The results showed that vitamin supplementation significantly improved nutritional composition and growth performance. Silkworms fed Vitamin C-fortified leaves achieved the highest body length (4.77 ± 0.04 mm) and weight (893.20 ± 17.39 mg) at the fourth molt, followed by those fed Vitamin B12-supplemented leaves (4.32 ± 0.07 mm; 763.85 ± 17.26 mg), both significantly higher than the control group (4.16 ± 0.06 mm; 669.75 ± 19.36 mg). Cocoon weights also increased significantly, with Vitamin C-fed larvae producing the heaviest cocoons (2.42 ± 0.079 g) compared to Vitamin B12 (2.14 ± 0.107 g) and control (1.77 ± 0.094 g). Survival analysis revealed the highest cumulative survival probability in the Vitamin C group, indicating enhanced resistance and physiological efficiency. Statistical differences were significant at p < 0.05 across most parameters. Future research should focus on optimizing the concentration and combination of vitamins to achieve maximum benefits without causing adverse effects. It is also recommended that future investigations focus on using probiotics alongside vitamin supplements to improve growth performance and cocoon production.

References

Abdelmegeed, S. (2021). Foliar Fertilization of Different Species of Mulberry Trees and Its Impact on Silkworm Bombyx mori Productivity from Cocoons and Eggs. Arab Universities Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 29(2), 787-793.

Abdul, H., & Ayoub, Z.N. (2023). Effect of Supplemental Feeding on the Weight of Silk Glands and Larval Development of Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori). Journal of Duhok University, 26(1), 183-189.

Akram, S., Khan, S.A., Hussain, M., Kanwal, M., & Zafar, F. (2017). Impact of Cholecalciferol (D3) supplementation on biology and cocoon yield of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 5(04).214-220

Ali, W., Javid, A., Hussain, A. & Bukhari, S.M., 2017. Public attitude towards amphibian and reptiles in district Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan. Punjab University Journal of Zoology, 32(2), 173-178.

Ali, W., Javid, A., Hussain, A., & Bukhari, S. M. (2018). Diversity and conservation of freshwater turtles in Pakistan: a review. Biodiversity, 19(1-2), 62-71.

Ali, W., Javid, A., Hussain, A., Bukhari, S. M., & Hussain, S. (2021). Preliminary assessment of the diversity and habitat preferences of herpetofauna in cholistan desert, Pakistan. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 28(6), 375-379.

Ali, W., Javid, A., Hussain, S., Hussain, A., & Bukhari, S.M. (2020). Morphological Variations, Distribution and Population Estimation of Indian Spiny Tailed Lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii Gray, 1827) from District Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. Asian Herpetological Research, 11(3), 257-262.

Ali, W., Javid, A., Khan, W. A., Hussain, A., Rizwan, M., Ameer, M., & Sajid, A. Q. (2017). Diversity and habitat preferences of herpetofauna at Kalabagh game reserve, District Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 24(4), 267-274.

Andadari, L. (2021). The effect of feeding various species of mulberry (Morus spp.) on the growth of silkworm and quality of cocoon hybrid BS 09. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 914, No. 1, p. 012017). IOP Publishing.

Aneesha, U., & Kumar, C.S. (2022). Foliar supplementation of ascorbic acid modulates biochemical performance of silkworm, Bombyx mori under thermal stress. Journal of Thermal Biology, 104, 103184.

Azmat, H., Ali, W., Javid, A., Hussain, A., Hussain, S. M., Saeed, Z., & Bukhari, S. S. H. (2016). Chromium contamination in water, sediment and its bioaccumulation in Indian major carps in river Chenab, Pakistan. Punjab University of Zoology, 31(1), 083-086.

Bukhari, R., & Sudan, K. (2021). Analysis on the Effect of Different Mulberry Varieties on the Commercial Parameters of Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori): A Review. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 43(8), 22-28.

Gad, R., & Fathy, D.M. (2021). Effectiveness Vitamin C on different Characteristics of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology, 12(9), 651-654.

Gautam, M.P., Singh, D.K., Singh, S.N., Singh, S.P., Kumar, M., & Singh, S. (2022). A review on silkworm (Bombyx mori Linn.) an economic important insect. In Biological Forum–An International Journal, 14 (4), 482-491.

Gupta, S. K., & Dubey, R.K. (2021). Environmental factors and rearing techniques affecting the rearing of silkworm and cocoon production of Bombyx mori Linn. Acta Entomology and Zoology, 2(2), 62-67.

Hassan, S.I. (2025). Chlorella vulgaris, Spirulina platensis and Azolla caroliniana as Sustainable Protein Sources for Feeding Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.). Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology, 18(1), 29-38.

Hussain, M., Ali, W., Meyer, C.F.J., Javid, A., & Imran, M. (2025). Roost site selection and seasonal dynamics of the Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius): Influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors. Biosystems Diversity, 33(3), e2546

Hussain, M., Ali, W., Meyer, C.F.J., Javid, A., & Imran, M. (2025). Characterization and metagenomics analysis of the oral microbiome of Pteropus medius: Insights from next-generation sequencing. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 16(1), e25016

Hussain, S., Li, X., Bukhari, S.M., Zhou, M., Ahmad, S., Javid, A., Guan, C., Hussain, A., Ali, W., Khalid, N. & Ahmad, U., 2023. Cross-genera amplification and identification of Colpodella sp. with Cryptosporidium primers in fecal samples of zoo felids from northeast China. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 83, e247181.

Indira, A.G., Kharbade, S.B., Kumbhar, R.A.(2024). Effect of dietary vitamin supplementations on nutritional efficiency parameters of Bombyx mori. Interantional Journal of Advanced Biochemistry, 8(9), 394-398.

Kabita, S., Parvin, S., & Parvin, J. (2023). A comparative study on rearing performances of three breeds of mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori in Sujapur, malda, West Bengal, India in the Spring season. International Journal of Entomology Research, 8(7), 13-17.

Kanafi, R.R., Ebadi, R., Mirhosseini, S.Z., Seidavi, A.R., Zolfaghari, M., & Etebari, K. (2007). A review on nutritive effect of mulberry leaves enrichment with vitamins on economic traits and biological parameters of silkworm Bombyx mori L. Invertebrate Survival Journal, 4(2), 86-91.

Khalid, N., Bukhari, S.M., Ali, W. & Sheikh, A.A., 2023. Comparative study on the predominance of Lactobacillus spp. And Escherichia coli in healthy vs colibacillosis diseased broilers. Brazilian Journal of Poultry Science, 25(03), eRBCA-2022.

Khan, N., Ashraf, M., Mughal, M.S., Qureshi, N.A., Khan, M.N., Rasool, F., Hafeez-ur-Rehman, M., Nasir, M., Ali, W. & Iqbal, K.J., 2014. Survival and growth potential of genetically male tilapia (GMT) fry in flow through system under different dietary protein concentrations. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 46(2). 377-382.

Khan, T., Fatima, M., Shah, S.Z.H., Khan, N., Ali, W., Sabir, A., & Laraib, D. (2023). Quercetin supplementation in the diet of Labeo rohita: Effects on growth, proximate composition, antioxidative indices and immunity. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 303, 115699.

Kılınçer, İ., Khanyile, L., Gürcan, K., Şimşek, Ö., Uzun, A., & Nikbakht-Dehkordi, A. (2024). Decosaploid sour black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) in Western Asia: Features, domestication history, and unique population genetics. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 71(5), 2229-2246.

Laraib, N., Hussain, A., Javid, A., Noor, T., Ahmad, Q. U. A., Chaudhary, A., & Schenk, P. M. (2022). Recent trends in microalgal harvesting: an overview. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 24(6), 8691-8721.

Masood, S., Hussain, A., Javid, A., Bukahri, S. M., Ali, W., Ali, S., & Sattar, S. (2021). Fungal decomposition of chicken-feather waste in submerged and solid-state fermentation. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 83, e246389.

Murugesh, K.A., Aruna, R., & Chozhan, K. (2021). Effects of Minerals on Growth of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. and Their Impact on Cocoon Economic Parameters. Madras Agricultural Journal, 108. https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.000487

Mushtaq, M., Bukhari, S.M., Ahmad, S., Khattak, A., Chattha, M.B., Mubeen, I., Rehman, K.U., Andleeb, S., Hussain, S., Javid, A. & Hussain, A., 2021. Isolation and characterization of bacteria residing in the oral, gut, and fecal samples of different pheasant species. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 83, e249159.

Mustafa, G., Iqbal, A., Javid, A., Hussain, A., Bukhari, S.M., Ali, W., Saleem, M., Azam, S.M., Sughra, F., Ali, A. & Rehman, K.U., 2021. Variations in nutritional profile of honey produced by various species of genus Apis. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 83, p.e246651.

Negreanu, P.T., Cadar, E., Negreanu-Pirjol, B.S. (2022). An overview of correlations between therapeutic uses and chemical composition of Morus nigra and Morus alba Species Fruits. Eurpean Journal of Medicine and Natural Science, 5(1), 96-108.

Noor, R., Javid, A., Hussain, A., Bukhari, S.M., Hussain, I., Suleman, S., Malik, S., Amin, F., Azam, S.M., Ali, K. & Mustafa, G., 2021. Prevalence of parasites in selected captive bird species. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 84, e254251.

Sadaf, T., Javid, A., Hussain, A., Bukhari, S.M., Hussain, S.M., Ain, Q., Ashraf, S., Suleman, S., Saleem, M., Azam, S.M. & Ahmad, U., 2021. Studies on parasitic prevalence in pet birds from Punjab, Pakistan. Brazilian Journal of Biology, 83, e246229.

Shah, S.I.A., Khan, I.A., Hussain, Z., Shah, M., Usman, A., & Sadozai, A. (2007). Studying the performance of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. races fed with different mulberry varieties. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 23(4), 1079-1083

Soliman, N.H. (2024). Improving the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. cocoon yield by supplying the larval stage diet with a vitamin mixture. Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology, 17(1), 61-65.

Sree, L., & Vijayalakshmi, K. (2018). Proximate composition, nutritional evaluation and mineral analysis in the leaves of an indigenous medicinal plant Alternanthera sessilis. International Journal of Health Science, 8, 55-62.

Steel, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H., Dinkey, D. A. (1996). Principles and procedures of statistics. 2nd Ed. McGraw Hill Book Co, Singapore.

Tanjung, M. (2021). Growth and Productivity of Silkworm Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombicidae) Given Mulberry (Morus sp.) It Contains Vitamin B1. International Journal of Ecophysiology, 3(2), 153-161.

Udayan, A., & Kumar, C.S. (2022). Does feeding of silkworm Bombyx mori on supplementing vitamin C under thermal stress affect its performance? International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, 42(6), 3771-3775.

Urbanek Krajnc, A., Bakonyi, T., Ando, I., Kurucz, E., Solymosi, N., Pongrac, P., & Berčič, R.L. (2022). The effect of feeding with central european local mulberry genotypes on the development and health status of silkworms and quality parameters of raw silk. Insects, 13(9), 836.https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090836

Wani, M. Y., Ganie, N. A., Mir, M. R., Mir, S. A., Wani, T. A., Yaqoob, M., & Baqual, M. F. (2023). Haemolymph amylase activities in different silkworm (Bombyx mori l.) Breeds during the last four days of 5th instar and correlation studies with economic traits. Journal of Experimental Zoology India, 26(1). 125-132

Downloads

Published

2026-05-03

How to Cite

Munawar, S., Imran, F., Fatima , A. ., Eiman, N. ., Noman, H. ., Abbasi, S. ., Ali, K. ., Batool, A. ., Ali, A. ., Sunny, F., Usman, A. ., Alam, H., Irshad, I. ., Hussain, M. ., Bilal Khan, R. A. ., & Zafar, M. (2026). Vitamin supplementation in Bombyx mori diets: implications for insect biodiversity conservation and cocoon production on Morus nigra leaves. Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity, 10(1), 167–182. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20003681

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026): Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Most read articles by the same author(s)