Paper Title
Evaluation of The Leaf Productivity of Terminalia Arjuna And Its Impact on Commercial Traits of Tropical Tasar Silkworm (Antheraea Mylitta Drury) Under Organic Based Agroforestry System
Abstract
The tasar sericulture holds great promise that needs to be given special attention to promote conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources. It is a forest based agro industry depends upon nutritional status of Tasar food plants as it highly affects cocoon yield and seed quantity of tasar silkworm.Antheraea mylitta Drury (Order: Lepidoptera, Family: Saturniidae) is a semi-domesticated tropical tasar silkworm (sericigenous insect), derives almost all the essential nutrients for its growth from the primary host plant Terminalia arjuna and convert it into animal biomass. In order to ensure the productivity and quality of raw silk crop management practices is essential to maintain the soil fertility status and soil physical condition for the purpose of sustainable yield. In order to evaluate leaf yield and to bring back the productivity of soil application of organic manures is one of the answer. A field experimental study was conducted on the existing natural plantation of six years old medium sized bushes of Terminalia arjuna in Susnigaria, under Sankrail block of West Midnapur, West Bengal, India in order to ascertain the nutrient status of the harvested leaves treated with different manures along with inorganic NPK (50:25:25) and its impact on cocoon characters of Daba BV Ecoraces of Antheraea mylitta Drury. Treatments were arranged in a factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The experimental results revealed that application of vermicompost in combination with reduced doses of inorganic fertilizers have had a significant effect on growth, leaf yield of Arjun plantation as well as rearing parameters of Tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury.
Keywords: Terminalia arjuna, NPK fertilizer, Vermicompost, Ecoraces, Tasar silkworm