Abstract

In tropical countries like India, mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is continuously reared throughout the year which makes it highly susceptible to pathogens and hence occurrence of diseases is a major constraint. Botanicals also have got greater relevance in the field of sericulture especially for disease management. Aqueous extract of botanicals were found promising against silkworm pest (bacterial and viral diseases of silkworm) (Manimegalai and Chandramohan, 2005& 2006). Chemical disinfectants, bed disinfectants, antibiotics and botanicals are being used for disease management as an integrated approach. Among several options, use of plant derived extracts is appropriate for the current scenario because of their cost effectiveness and ecofriendly nature. Besides the antimicrobial effects, the growth promoting factors of botanicals were also demonstrated (Manimegalai and Chandramohan, 2006). Presence of viral inhibitors had been reported in various plant species (Verma et al., 1985). The effect of P. corylifolia against the grasserie disease of B. mori had been reported (Sivaprakasam and Rabindra, 1996). Botanicals serve as an environment friendly management approach against diseases. In addition, the pathogens do not develop resistance to botanicals inspite of their repeated usage

Keywords: Bombyx mori, disease