author(s)
Shyam Sunder Rudroju, Sampath Akula, Sathish Janga, and Sujatha Kuntamalla

abstract
The present work has been undertaken to study the effect of leaf and seed extracts of Trichosanthes cucumerina L in the flacherie disease that infect mulberry silkworm larvae. The mulberry leaves fortified with different concentrations of the extract was fed to the worms orally and its influence on IVth instar larvae, silk gland and economic traits were studied. The methanolic extracts showed maximum antibacterial activity. The various concentrations (1:1, 1:2 and 1:3) of methanolic extracts increased the length and weight of silk gland on alternate days in IVth instar. Both extracts of T1 treatment not only showed highest zone of inhibition against all gram positive and gram negative bacteria but also influenced the larval and cocoon characteristics of Bombyx mori L Where T3 concentration showed lowest zone of inhibition against the bacteria except against S. albus, while T2 recorded moderately low antibacterial activity and cocoon weight (1.94± 0.11g, 2.1± 0.12g), pupal weight (1.54± 0.08g, 1.60±0.06g), shell weight (0.39± 0.01g, 0.450±0.01g), silk percentage of filament (20.31%, 23%) and filament length (8901± 17g, 9000± 0.12) were recorded over the control of both the plant extract of leaf and seed respectively In the present investigations moderate concentration of T. cucumerina extract have showed promoting effect on economical traits of silkworm