Indoor chawki rearing technology for tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta D.

摘要

Tasar culture is a forest based industry, mostly practised by the tribals. It is largely dependent on the rearing of Vanya silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae). It is reared outdoor primarily on the food plants of Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia tomentosa and Shorea robusta. As reported in several field studies conducted by Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (CTRTI), Ranchi, the larval mortality was found in the range of 50-55% in outdoor rearing, because of the exposure of silkworm larvae to several pests, predators and diseases during early stages from first to third instar(Mathur et al., 1997).