STUDIES ON MORPHOECONOMIC AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERS OF FEW PROMISING MULBERRY GENOTYPES UNDER DROUGHT PRONE CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF AHMEDNAGAR DISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA.

Mulberry, a sole food source of silkworm- Bombyx mori L. is grown for its foliage. Among the different factors, the mulberry leaf contributes more than one third (33%) for cocoon production. Mulberry leaf yield is a complex character and is highly influenced by the environment. Even the genotypes are same they may show significant variation particularly in the total yield, major elements, minor elements, protein content etc. which ultimately affect the quality of biomass and in turn the quality of silk due to the factors like nature of soil, season, temperature, frequency of irrigation etc. The comparative account of all the three varieties clearly suggest that S 1635 is equally compatible or to be precise better than V 1 and S 36 hence S 1635 can also be recommended for drought prone climatic conditions of Ahmednagar district.