Silk propertiesof selected bombyx mori (lepidoptera: bombycidae) strains

This study assessed properties of silk produced by three selected strains of the domesticated silkworm Bombyx moriviz. ICIPE I, ICIPE II and Chun-Lei X Zheng Zhu reared in Kenya. Selected silk characteristics were evaluated and performance tested to determine its suitability as a textile material. The study established that winding breaks and elongation varied among the silkworm strains. The study also established that there were significant differences in the cleanliness and neatness that ranged between 97 to 94.4% and 93 to 88.9%. respectively. Tearing strength was between 393.89 to 395.30N for the warp yarns and 313.07 to 320.13 for the weft respectively. In this study ICIPE II had superior qualities compared to the other two strains.