A Comparative Study about Tensile Properties of A. assamensis Helfer (Muga Silkworm) Reared on Different Host Plants

The protein-based biomaterial of silkworm silk is made by the silk glands of some arthropods like silkworms, spiders, scorpions, mites, and fleas, etc. Growth and silk productivity of silkworm is influenced by the nutritional content which affects the fortification of food plant leaves with supplementary nutrients. It is needed to fulfill the nutritional requirement to promote better growth with elevated economic characters. The tensile properties of various silk are of important structural variants of silk fiber and the quality parameters of the degummed fiber can be measured with the variation of the tensile properties including strain, tenacity, young's modulus, toughness, etc. The Muga silk fiber possesses the highest tenacity of the silk threads among the other silk fibers. The fibers of the six different and the wild counterpart of Muga silkworm were tested for breaking tenacity, percentage elongation at break, Young?s modulus, and toughness in a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) (model: 3343), from Instron Corporation, UK interfaced with a PC. From the result counterpart, the maximum tenacity was reported in kotia and minimum in aherua reared on P. bombycina and L. monopetala whereas in L. solicifolia it was found to be maximum in kotia than jarua. In strain also have the same result reveals the better nutrient value present in the reared host plant in the concerned period. Young?s modulus and toughness of the silk thread were found to be different in result then tenacity and strain that maximum result recorded in bhodia and minimum in chotua reared on both the host plant P. bombycina and L. monopetala whereas in L. solicifolia was recorded to be maximum kotia than jarua. From the above result reveals that there is nutrient relationship between host plant and silk thread quality depend on the seasonal variety resulting selection of the host plants according to the rearing season for better production of the quality silk fiber.