Abstract: The effect of feeding mulberry leaves with different mois ture contents on the 5th instar bivoltine silkworm (CSR3×CSR6) was studied. For this purpose tender leaves (with moisture 80%-85%), medium leaves (with moisture 65%-70%) and mature leaves (with moisture 55%-60%) were provided to silkworm. The growth, nutritional indices and nutritional efficiency parameters were studied and worked out by standard gravimetric procedure. The results indicated that nutritional parameters like ingesta, digesta, approximate digestibility, reference ratio and consumption index were recorded significantly higher in batches fed with higher moisture content leaves. Similarly, nutritional efficiency parameters like conversion efficiency of ingested and digested food into larvae, cocoon and shell were recorded significantly higher in batches fed with higher moisture content leaves. However, there was no significant difference observed between treatments in the case efficiency of conversion of digested food into shell and digesta required to produce one gram of shell.

Key words: Bombyx mori, leaf moisture content, nutrition efficiency, consumption, assimilation, conversion