Abstract

Production of silk thread (Bombyx mori L.) in Indonesia, especially in South Sulawesi, is declining. Therefore, the aim of this was to increase silkworm production by looking at the effect of the frequency of cleaning of rearing areas on silkworm durability and cocoon quality. This research was conducted at the Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership Center, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data analysis used one-way ANOVA, and if there were differences in the effect of treatment, a further Duncan test was carried out. The second analysis used was Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using XLSTAT. The results showed that the best treatment for the durability of young silkworms was treatment C (78.42%). In comparison, for mature silkworms the best treatment was 86.27% in treatment D. The best cocoon quality for the percentage of defective cocoons 2.67% was in treatment A. Weight of the cocoon was the highest (1.46 g) in treatment D and the best percentage of cocoon shell (16.18%) was in treatment B. PCA analysis showed a close relationship between the percentage of defective cocoons and the weight of the cocoons. The results also showed that treatments A and B had the same effect on silkworm survival and cocoon quality. This research provided information for farmers who are cleaning the place where silkworms are to order to increase silk production.