Mutagenic Effect of Diethyl Sulphate (DES) on the Chromosomes of Silkworm Bombyx mori L(Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

The silkworms of NB4D2 variety were treated with chemical mutagen Diethyl sulphate (DES). The larvae were subjected to two methods of treatments i.e., oral administration of the chemical mutagen and by injection of 8mM and 10mM concentrations of chemical mutagen through body wall. The lethal effect of the mutagen was studied in the subsequent generation. The effect was drastic on structure morphology of the meiotic chromosomes. Many structural, physiological and numerical aberrations were observed and documented. Certain numerical changes such as induction of polyploids were attributed to the improvements observed in the expression of commercial characters in the silkworm.