author(s)
KP Sahana, KG Banuprakash and KS Vinoda

abstract
The investigation was conducted to know the performance of newly fabricated self mountages viz., spiral, square and zig-zag mountage in comparison with mountages existing at field viz., Thalaghattapura ribbon chandrike, plastic mountage and bamboo mountage by involving using two silkworm breeds viz., Cross Breed (CB) and Double Hybrid (DH). The results for cocoon parameters showed that single cocoon weight was higher in bamboo mountage with DH (2.13 g) and that was least in plastic mountage with CB (1.62 g), cocoon shell weight was higher in spiral mountage with DH (0.498 g) and that was least in plastic mountage with CB (0.261 g), pupal weight was higher in DH with bamboo mountage (1.64 g) and that was least in CB with ribbon chandrike (1.27 g), floss weight highest in ribbon mountage with CB (0.329 mg) and same was least in bamboo mountage with DH (0.250 mg) and Cocoon Shell Ratio was highest and least in DH with zig-zag mountage (26.10 %) and CB with plastic mountage (16.67 %) respectively. The results for the cocoon reeling parameters indicated that, average filament length was longest in DH with bamboo mountage (1181.68 m) and shortest in CB with bamboo mountage (862.27 m), non-breakable filament length was relatively longer in DH with spiral mountage (449.57 m) and shorter in CB with plastic mountage (305.11 m), filament weight was significantly heavier in DH with square mountage (0.365 g) and it was significantly lower in CB with plastic mountage (0.252 g), raw silk percentage was highest DH on zig-zag mountage (19.60 %) and least in CB with bamboo mountage (14.71 %) and denier was significantly finer in CB with zig-zag mountage and that was coarser in CB with square mountage. The spiral and zig-zag mountages were found to give better results as that of bamboo mountage.