Evaluating the performance of imported and Iranian silkworm hybrids in Khorasan Razavi province

Abstract

Introduction: At present, according to the production capacities of the country, along with the
production of domestic hybrids, silkworm egg, are also imported from other country. Climate
regions have a great impact on the performance of silkworm hybrids. Therefore, it is necessary
to evaluate and compare hybrids in different climates of the country separately and introduce
the best hybrids. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of six domestic
hybrids and four imported hybrids in Khorasan Razavi region with arid and semi-arid climate.
Materials & Methods: The hybrids studied in this research were reared in the spring of 2020
under standard conditions in Sericulture center of Khorasan Razavi Province in Torbat
Heydarieh city. The measured traits included viability percentage, cocoon weight, box yield,
number and weight of good cocoon, number and weight of waste cocoons, double cocoon
percentage, cocoon shell weight and cocoon shell percentage. The experiment was conducted
in a completely randomized design with four replications and 200 larvae per replication.
Results: The results showed that the two imported Chinese hybrids I×O and I×R had
statistically lower yield for all traits compared to the other eight hybrids (P<0.05) and were not
recommended for breeding in Torbat Heydarieh region. The two hybrids Q×B and B×Q, which
are the result of two-way cross hybrids, had a significant difference (P<0.05) for the
performance traits of a box, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, cocoon shell percentage,
average weight of good cocoons and number of cocoons. They are not recommended for
breeding in Torbat Heydarieh region.
Conclusion: Although, viability and resistance are an important advantage for these two
hybrids. Among the imported hybrids, two hybrids, 871×872 and 872×871, can be considered
due to their superiority over other hybrids and similarity in the performance of important
economic traits. In general, Iranian hybrids are well competitive with the top imported hybrids
and can still be recommended and reared in Khorasan region.