Silkworm Physiology is one of the oldest laboratories in the institute and now its activities have been extended and diversified towards product diversification and by-product utilization and is re-named as "Silkworm Physiology and Product Diversification Research Unit". This laboratory has been providing vital and relevant basic information to the sericultural scientific fraternity time to time to formulate and fine-tune field oriented and applied research problems. During the last few years, a visible shift has taken place in the stance of the laboratory and quite a few applied projects have been taken up to benefit the sericulture farmers directly.

This laboratory continues to identify and address field-oriented problems and come out successfully with physiology-based solutions. Besides bringing out quite a few number of products viz Serinutrid, Sampoorna, Samrudhi, natural colour silk etc., the laboratory is actively involved in product diversification to bring out silkworm based by products for human health benefits, as feed supplements and as raw material for cosmetic industry.

• Development and refinement of alternative feed (semi-synthetic diet) to young instar silkworm to combat problems associated with young instar rearing of mulberry silkworm and vanya silkworm on leaf.
• Evolution and maintenance of silkworm breeds for exclusive use on semi-synthetic, development of suitable hybrids.
• Formulation of insect hormone based products for improving productivity in cocoon/silk and for silkworm rearing management and popularization of the use of such products among farmers.
• Fortification of silkworm feed by administering plant-based/synthetic bioactive compounds for improvement in productivity/maturation/fecundity.
• Production of natural coloured silk.
• Product diversification to bring out silkworm based byproducts for human health benefits, as feed supplements and as raw material for cosmetic/biomedical industry.

Seri-Nutrid	Sampoorna	Samrudhi

• Silkworm Nutrition: Formulation of semi-synthetic diet.
• Silkworm breeding: Evolution and maintenance of special silkworm breeds and preparation of hybrids.
• Silkworm endocrinology and insect plant relation: Isolation of plant based bioactive compounds, administration to silkworm and assessment of responses.
• Administration of phytoecdysteroid for synchronized cocoon spinning.
• The technical know-how for production of natural coloured silk.
• Product diversification.

1. Maintenance of bivoltine and multi-voltine semi-synthetic diet silkworm strains for original breed characters.
2. Formulation of viable semi-synthetic diets for young instar vanya silkworms viz., Antheraea assamensis helfer (muga) and Samia ricini donovan (eri) and standardization of commercial young instar diet rearing technology.

• Training on young instar mulberry silkworm, vanya silkworms viz., eri, muga and tasar rearing on semi-synthetic diet.
• Ph.D guidance- Two recognized Ph D. guides affiliated to Mysore University.

1. Laboratory facility to take up all research work in the field of silkworm physiology.
2. Facility for small-scale production of semi-synthetic diet.
3. Pilot plant facility for small-scale extraction of plant products.
4. Facility for quantification of active principles in phyto- extracts.
5. Facility for experimental silkworm rearing of about 300 dfls.

One Hundred and twentyfive (125).

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