Studies on the characterization and pathogenicity of microbial pathogens isolated from agricultural pests visiting mulberry fields in Kashmir

Despite so many efforts to revive the age-old silk industry of Jammu and Kashmir we are not able to harvest the tangible results due to multifarious reasons. Among these reasons outbreak of silkworm diseases caused by various microbial pathogens poses a great threat to the survival of this economically important insect. The extent of damage to cocoon crops on account of these diseases is huge (30-40%). Despite adopting all the disease management measures, the pathogen is still making its way toward the rearing areas and infecting the worms. During the present study, various agricultural pests were screened and characterized to identify the alternate hosts of silkworm pathogens. Morphological characterization of the isolated spores revealed that Nosema spp isolated from Pierisbrassicae measured 3.5µm x 1.8 µm in size with oval shape, while Beauveria sp isolated from Oxyaindica, Glyphodespyloalis and Cicadulinambila measured 3.7 µm x 2.5 µm, 4.2 µm x 2.3 µm and 3.9 µm x 2.4 µm respectively.