Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXII, Issue 1
Written by Lucia Lelia POP, Liviu Alexandru MĂRGHITAȘ, Daniel Severus DEZMIREAN, Otilia BOBIS, Adela Ramona MOISE
Mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) is a species with high economical and scientific value, acknowledged at international level, as well as at national level. The preservation of the Romanian sericulture patrimony was possible and it is possible trough projects implemented and supported by organizations such as FAO. Many studies, at national level, were performed with a focus on the evaluation of local breeds and hybrids, from economical and biotechnological perspectives. But, in order to offer recommendations to farmers interested in sericulture, a clear and concise evaluation and classification of the breeds and hybrids is needed. The main purpose of the current research is to attempt to implement a classification of the breeds and hybrids of the silkworm using a method called Evaluation Index Method that takes into consideration multiple economical and technological traits. The information obtained will result into a ranking based on the overall economical and technological value of the silkworm breeds and hybrids, information considered valuable for the interested farmer. The biological resources were offered by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine from Cluj-Napoca. The biological and technological traits that were taken into consideration when applying the Evaluation Index Method are focused on: prolificacy (number of eggs/laying, hatching percentage), evaluation of the larvae (length, weight), duration of the larval period, evaluation of the raw silk cocoon and the dried silk cocoon (dimension, weight of the cocoon, weight of chrysalis, weight of the silk shell). The classification it is done based on the value of the Evaluation Index obtained for each selected breed and hybrid of silkworm. As the applied method takes into account a large number of selected economical and technological traits, a ranking of the analyzed breeds and hybrids was obtained. The breeds and hybrids with values of the EI index higher than 50 are considered to be valuable from economical and technological point of view. The information obtained from the obtained ranking of the silkworm breeds and hybrids, taking into account their adaptability capacity and productivity, can be marketed towards farmers interested in sericulture and in productive silkworm local breeds and hybrids.
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