Oak silkworm. The meaning of the oak silkworm in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, bse

Career and finance 16.06.2019

OAK SILKMOTH

silkworm, butterflies of the genus Antheraea of ​​the peacock-eye family, bred for silk, from which flakes are made. Chinese D. sh. (A. pernyi) has been bred for over 250 years. In the USSR, it has been bred since 1937. Caterpillars are fed on various types oak. Gives usually 2 generations a year. The pupae hibernate in cocoons in special rooms at a temperature of 2°C. In spring, large butterflies come out of them (wingspan 10.5-11.5 cm). Japanese D. sh. (A. jamamai) lives in the forests and is bred in Japan along with the Chinese D. w.; wingspan on average 15.6 cm; overwintering eggs are laid on branches. In the USSR, in the Amur region and South Primorye a subspecies is widespread - Ussuri D. sh. (A. jamamai ussuriensis); wingspan 10.0-13.0 cm. Gives 1 generation per year; feeds on the leaves of the Mongolian oak. Wintering eggs are laid on leaves that fall under the snow cover. Cocoons D. sh. are not fully unwound and are mainly used in spinning. Silk Chinese D. sh. rougher than silkworm but very durable. Disadvantages of the Chinese L. cocoons: in addition to the difficult unwinding of cocoons, the low content of silk in cocoons (8-9% on average), as well as the caterpillars' high demands on the quality of feed and the laboriousness of rearing. Breeding D. sh. discontinued in the USSR as economically inexpedient.

Lit .: Breeding and acclimatization of oak silkworms, M., 1940; Milyaev A. P., Sidorchenko B. M., Oak silkworm, M., 1947; Oak silkworm, M., 1951; Sinitsky N. N., Gershenzon S. M., Sitko P. O., Karlash E. V., Breeding of oak silkworm, K., 1952; New in the biology of silkworms, M., 1959; Milyaev A.P. Handbook of sericulture, M., 1960.

V. V. Kuznetsov, P. A. Kovalev.

Big soviet encyclopedia, TSB. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what is OAK SILKMOTH in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

  • SILKWORM in encyclopedic dictionary:
    , -a, m. 1. Butterfly, caterpillar which spins cocoons for silk production (in 1 meaning). Mulberry sh. 2. Butterfly, ...
  • OAK in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
    , th, th. 1. see oak. 2. trans. Hard, inedible (colloquial). Oak apples. 3. trans. Rude, clumsy, stupid (colloquial). D...
  • SILKWORM
    silkworm "d, silkworm" dy, silkworm "yes, silkworm" dov, silkworm "du, silkworm" ladies, silkworm "yes, silkworm" dov, silkworm "house, silkworm" ladies, silkworm "de, ...
  • OAK in the Full accentuated paradigm according to Zaliznyak:
    oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky vyy, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, oaky, ...
  • OAK in the Dictionary of synonyms of Abramov:
    cm. …
  • SILKWORM
    butterfly, …
  • OAK in the dictionary of Synonyms of the Russian language:
    coarse, rough, coarse, uncouth, inedible, clumsy, clumsy, ...
  • SILKWORM
    1. m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which weaves cocoons from silk threads. 2. m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which is dangerous pest woody …
  • OAK in the New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language Efremova:
    adj. 1) Related by value. with noun: oak (1*1) associated with it. 2) Peculiar to oak (1 * 1), characteristic of it. 3) ...
  • OAK in the Dictionary of the Russian language Lopatin.
  • SILKWORM in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language:
    silkworm, ...
  • OAK in the Complete Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language.
  • SILKWORM in the Spelling Dictionary:
    silkworm, ...
  • OAK in the Spelling Dictionary.
  • SILKWORM
    butterfly, the caterpillar of which is a forest pest of the Siberian Highway. Pine sh. silkworm butterfly, whose caterpillar weaves cocoons that are used to make silk ...
  • OAK in the Dictionary of the Russian Language Ozhegov:
    Colloq hard, inedible oakapples. oak<= дуб дубовый Colloq грубый, неуклюжий, тупой Д. стиль. Дубовая …
  • SILKWORM
    silkworm, m. (zool.). Butterfly, caterpillar, which weaves cocoons from silk threads. Pine silkworm. Mulberry …
  • OAK in the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language Ushakov:
    oak, oak. 1. App. to oak. Oak Grove. Oak Leaf. || Made from oak. Oak coffin. 2. Rough, blunt, heavy...
  • SILKWORM
    silkworm 1. m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which weaves cocoons from silk threads. 2. m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which is a dangerous pest of wood ...
  • OAK in the Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova:
    oak adj. 1) Related by value. with noun: oak (1*1) associated with it. 2) Peculiar to oak (1 * 1), characteristic of it. …
  • SILKWORM
  • OAK in the New Dictionary of the Russian Language Efremova:
    adj. 1. ratio with noun. oak I 1., associated with it 2. Peculiar to oak [oak I 1.], characteristic of it. …
  • SILKWORM
    I m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which weaves cocoons from silk threads. II m. Butterfly, the caterpillar of which is a dangerous pest of wood ...
  • OAK in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language:
    adj. 1. ratio with noun. oak I 1., associated with it 2. Peculiar to oak [oak I 1.], characteristic of ...
  • TRAVELING SILKMOTH
    under the name P. silkworm refers to butterflies from the genus Cnethocampa Stph. (family Notodonudae), whose caterpillars have an instinct for wandering societies, in the form of ...
  • TRAVELING SILKMOTH
  • TRAVELING SILKMOTH in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron:
    ? under the name P. silkworm refers to butterflies from the genus Cnethocampa Stph. (family Notodonudae), whose caterpillars have an instinct for wandering in societies, in ...
  • OAK BLIND
    443530, Samara, ...
  • OAK RAVINE in the Directory of Settlements and Postal Codes of Russia:
    404175, Volgograd, ...
  • in the Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.
  • FORGOTTEN VILLAGE in Wiki Quote:
    Data: 2008-09-06 Time: 05:02:07 Quotes from the poem "The Forgotten Village", 1855 October 2 (author Nekrasov, Nikolai Alekseevich) "" Text published in full ...
  • WOODEN ARCHITECTURE in the Architectural Dictionary:
    a vast area of ​​architecture, the art of building from wood, which has a special specificity, determined by the nature of the material and construction techniques. Due to its affordability, durability,…
  • TULA
    Open Orthodox Encyclopedia "TREE". Tula, regional center in Russia. History The name of Tula as a city is mentioned in chronicles relating to ...
  • NIKODIM (ROTOV) in the Orthodox Encyclopedia Tree:
    Open Orthodox Encyclopedia "TREE". Nikodim (Rotov) (1929 - 1978), Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod. In the world, Boris Georgievich ...
  • USSR. ANIMAL RESOURCES in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB.
  • BUTTERFLIES in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
    Lepidoptera (Lepidoptera, from Greek lepis - scales and pteron - wing), an extensive (more than 140 thousand species) squad of insects with a complete ...
  • silkworms in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron.
  • SILKWORM in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron.
  • FOREST FAUNA in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    Among the animals inhabiting forests, the following categories must be distinguished: 1) those whose life is directly connected with the forest and whose very organization ...
  • RUSSIA. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY: FAUNA in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron.
  • NUN in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    or monk silkworm (Ocneria \ monacha L.) - a butterfly from the family. Liparidae, belonging to the group of silkworms Bombyces. Around 2 1/3...
  • OAK in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
    Oak (Quercus L.). - Trees and shrubs from the family Cupuliferae and subfamily Oak. This includes 200, but according to Bentham and Hooker ...

oak silkworm

Butterflies of the genus Antheraea of ​​the peacock-eye family, bred for silk, from which flakes are made. Chinese D. sh. (A. pernyi) has been bred for over 250 years. It has been bred in the USSR since 1937. Caterpillars are fed on various types of oak. Gives usually 2 generations a year. Pupae overwinter in cocoons in special rooms at a temperature of 2°C. In spring, large butterflies emerge from them (wingspan 10.5-11.5 cm). Japanese D. sh. (A. jamamai) lives in the forests and is bred in Japan along with the Chinese D. w.; wingspan average 15.6 cm; overwintering eggs are laid on branches. In the USSR, in the Amur Region and Southern Primorye, a subspecies is common - the Ussuri D. sh. (A. jamamai ussuriensis); wingspan 10.0-13.0 cm. Gives 1 generation per year; feeds on the leaves of the Mongolian oak. Wintering eggs are laid on leaves that fall under the snow cover. Cocoons D. sh. are not fully unwound and are mainly used in spinning. Silk Chinese D. sh. coarser than that of the silkworm (See), but very durable. Disadvantages of the Chinese L. cocoons: in addition to the difficult unwinding of cocoons, the low content of silk in cocoons (8-9% on average), as well as the caterpillars' high demands on the quality of feed and the laboriousness of rearing. Breeding D. sh. discontinued in the USSR as economically inexpedient.

Lit.: Selection and acclimatization of oak silkworms, M., 1940; Milyaev A. P., Sidorchenko B. M., Oak silkworm, M., 1947; Oak silkworm, M., 1951; Sinitsky N. N., Gershenzon S. M., Sitko P. O., Karlash E. V., Breeding of oak silkworm, K., 1952; New in the biology of silkworms, M., 1959; Milyaev A.P. Handbook of sericulture, M., 1960.

V. V. Kuznetsov, P. A. Kovalev.


Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

See what "Oak silkworm" is in other dictionaries:

    SILKWORM- SILKMOTH, a name that unites those representatives of insects of the Lepidoptera order, which at the caterpillar stage have well-developed silk-secreting glands and release silk fiber at certain periods of life. Some Sh… Big Medical Encyclopedia

    Silkworm Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Arthropods ... Wikipedia

    Aya, oh. 1. to Oak (1 sign). Daya grove. D. leaf. D. silkworm (butterfly of the peacock-eye family, the larvae of which feed on oak bark, bred to obtain silk). 2. Expand. Rough, clumsy, heavy. D. language, style. D. translation. 3. Unfold Badly… … encyclopedic Dictionary

    oak- oh, oh. 1) to oak 1) Da grove. Oak Leaf. Oak / silkworm (butterfly of the peacock-eye family, the larvae of which feed on oak bark, bred to obtain silk) 2) open. Rough, clumsy, heavy. Dubo / new language, style. Oak… Dictionary of many expressions

    The name P. silkworm refers to butterflies from the genus Cnethocampa Stph. (family Notodonudae), whose caterpillars have the instinct of wandering in societies, in the form of long columns or processions, which is why they got the name processional, or P. ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

    - (Bombycoidea) a group in the order of butterflies (Lepidoptera), embracing a number of families and systematically being very indefinite and artificial. The natural classification of the order of butterflies has not yet been sufficiently developed, and the Sh. group in ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

A dangerous pest of forests and cultural plantations, the gypsy moth has a wide distribution area. This pest can be found in Asia, Europe, North Africa, North America. It covers the entire territory of Russia, is found in the south, in Siberia and the Far East. Deciduous trees are especially affected by caterpillars. In the absence of food, silkworms move to young coniferous trees. Once in the nursery, insects can cause significant damage to plantings.

What does a gypsy moth butterfly look like

The gypsy moth is a butterfly belonging to the Lepidoptera order from the family of volnyanka. A distinctive feature of these insects is the noticeable differences between male and female individuals.

Differences in adults are noticeable in color and shape:

  1. Females - the size of the wings in the unfolded state reaches 90 mm. The thick body has the shape of a cylinder. A grayish fluff is noticeable on the abdomen. The antennae are thin and long.
  2. Male - wingspan 40-50 mm, body thin, covered with hairs. The color of the wings is brown, the surface is covered with a pattern of dark spots and broken lines. Antennae combed.

Gypsy moth butterflies prefer woodlands, dry places with enough light. The first centers of distribution are usually located on the edges. During droughts, large outbreaks of mass reproduction of silkworms occur. This species is the leader among pests in terms of the number of breeding outbreaks and the duration of these periods.

Silkworm breeding

Heavy females rarely fly, they sit on the bark of trees and attract males with the help of pheromones. Males start years a few days earlier. They are especially active in the evening. In search of a mate, they fly long distances. After fertilization, the females lay their eggs under the bark of trees at a height of 3-4 m. They are round, yellow or pinkish in color. Size - 1 mm, the number of eggs in the clutch of gypsy moth - 100-1000 pieces. In the egg state, the insect spends most of its life - about 8 months.

An embryo is formed inside the egg shell, which remains to winter. In spring, when the temperature rises to +10 0, the first caterpillars appear. For some time they sit motionless, then spread out over the tree. The body of small caterpillars is covered with bristles and air bubbles. This allows them to travel with gusts of wind. For movement over considerable distances, insects can release webs.

Interesting fact. The caterpillar is the only form of non-greenhouse that feeds, accumulating energy for the remaining phases of development.

The gypsy moth belongs to the cocoon moth family. The caterpillar appears with sixteen legs. At birth, it is light yellow, but quickly darkens and turns brown or black. There are several longitudinal rows of warts on the body.

Information. Gypsy moth eggs are extremely viable, they are able to withstand frosts down to -50.

After settling in a new territory, active feeding begins. Young caterpillars eat during the daytime, gnawing small holes in the leaves. After 3-4 months, they switch to eating at night, eating the leaf completely. In addition to foliage in the diet of pests, buds, young shoots, flowers. Depending on the climatic zone, caterpillars take from 50 to 80 days to develop. Then they pupate. This occurs in June-July, the pupal stage lasts 10-15 days.

Information. The optimum temperature for insect growth is +20-25, if it drops to +10, development stops. Male caterpillars go through 5 stages of larvae to the stage of adults (adult), females - 6 stages.

Distribution and harm

The pest has a wide distribution area. In Europe, it is found up to Scandinavia, in Asia it covers many countries: Israel, Turkey, Afghanistan, Japan, China, Korea. The story of the butterfly getting into North America is interesting. The insect was introduced artificially for crossbreeding experiments with other species. The larvae were able to spread from the experimental area to open forests. The problem that arose was not given due importance, and over the course of several years, the non-partners captured a vast territory. Only in 1889, the gypsy moth was recognized as a pest. But the insect is already firmly entrenched in the new territory.

Interesting fact. Due to the wide range of distribution of butterflies, they are divided into races. In Russia, there are Far Eastern, European, Siberian and other races.

The gypsy moth caterpillar exposes deciduous trees in forests and gardens. She prefers fruit plantations of apple trees, plums, apricots. In the wild, he chooses oak, birch, linden. Bypasses ash and alder. In total, the pest eats about 300 plant species, including conifers. The main division occurs on the European and Asian races. The Asian group is a real polyphage, feeding on various types of trees and bushes.

Varieties of gypsy moths

Butterflies of gypsy moths are classified as different species depending on the place of residence and nutritional habits. Common groups include:

This is a small representative of its kind. The size of the wings of females is 40 mm, males 30 mm. The insect is common in Europe and Asia. The caterpillar will grow up to 55mm and is gray-blue in color with white and yellow stripes. Pests live in colonies, create spider nests. When fighting the gypsy moth, it is necessary to cut and burn the branches where the ovipositor is seen. The trees themselves are sprayed with insecticides.

Male and female oddball

Walking silkworm

The marching silkworm is characterized by the ability of caterpillars to migrate to new feeding grounds. At the same time, they line up in a long chain, following each other. The first caterpillar, which is the leader, releases a silk thread along which the rest of the insects are guided. There are two types of marching silkworms - oak and pine.

Pine cocoonworm

Insects are common in the coniferous forests of Siberia and Europe. They damage pine plantations, less often than other species. Grayish-brown females are 85 mm in size, males - 60 mm, caterpillars - up to 80 mm. Caterpillars spend the winter in the ground under tree trunks. In the spring they rise to feed, pupate in July.

Siberian silkworm

The unpaired Siberian silkworm feeds on coniferous trees. This species damages spruce, pine, cedar and fir. The insect settled in the forest and forest-steppe zone of Siberia. The northern limit of its distribution runs along the Arctic Circle. The development of a silkworm from egg to butterfly in a cold region takes 2 years. In warm years, it can accelerate to a one-year cycle. Butterflies of the Siberian silkworm are distinguished by a variety of colors. There are adults of brown, gray, black color. The wingspan of females is 6-10 cm, males are more modest in size - 4-7 cm. Three dark jagged stripes run across the front wings. Hind wings are brown. The head and thorax are the same color as the forewings.

The clutch of butterflies is bluish in color, the size of the eggs is 2 mm. They are deposited in uneven piles of 100 pieces. They are located in the bark, on needles and twigs. When the larva appears, it eats half of the shell. Caterpillars grow up to 11 cm, their bodies are gray or black. There are blue hairs on the back. Insects are able to take a threatening posture. At the same time, they raise the front of the body and bend their heads. A bright yellow stripe runs along the sides. The body is covered with hairs, they are the longest in the front and on the sides.

The head of the caterpillar is brown, with orange spots on the abdomen. The pupa of the Siberian silkworm is dark, almost black. Its length is up to 5 cm, the cocoon is suspended on branches or between needles. Burning hairs are woven into its shell. There are three races of local silkworms:

  • larch;
  • fir;
  • cedar.

Silkworm caterpillars calmly endure the cold, they leave for wintering at a temperature close to 0 0. They crawl onto trees after wintering immediately after the snow melts. As it grows, frost resistance increases.

Information. With frosts down to -10, the caterpillars die, and they do not survive winters with little snow.

Pest Control Methods

Identification of the neparnik occurs by gnawed leaves, excrement, butterflies and ovipositors in the web. Basic information is taught by studying adults and the number of eggs in a clutch. This provides information for the forecast, allows you to determine the phase of the outbreak. Methods of pest control are chosen depending on the degree of their distribution.

Attention. The Siberian and Far Eastern races of silkworms represent a quarantine danger. A thorough inspection of cargo and vehicles coming from the Siberian region is being carried out. Pests are lured out with pheromone traps.

How to deal with gypsy moth in your garden? Trees should be carefully monitored. When signs of damage by caterpillars appear, start the destruction of the ovipositors. They are visible among the foliage, nests are cut and burned along with eggs. Caterpillars can be harvested by hand, a tedious procedure that can be done in small areas. An effective method is the device of glue rings, crawling caterpillars will stick to the surface of the traps. In autumn, egg clutches are scraped from the bark of trees.

Attention. Wear protective gloves when handling pests.

The use of insecticides is the most effective measure to control the gypsy moth in the garden and woodland. At the beginning of spring, trees are treated with Chlorophos, Metaphos, as well as organophosphorus compounds.

The last topic worked on by S.S. Chetverikov, as it were, combined all the experience of his previous scientific activity. The object of the study was a butterfly - the Chinese oak silkworm (Antheraeapernyi Guer. Men.) from the Saturnidae family, or eye silkworms. But the purpose of the work - breeding a new breed of this butterfly - was selective and genetic, as well as the methodology of work. Lepidopterology and genetics united with each other, which as a result helped to solve a practically important problem - breeding this silkworm within the European part of our country to obtain silk.

The initial material for the selection of the Chinese oak silkworm was delivered in 1938 from the Crimean breeding center for oak silkworm, where he, in turn, came from Bashkiria in 1937 as an ordinary bivoltine material. However, separate families were found in the Crimea, which produced a certain percentage of monovoltine individuals in their offspring. That is why at the beginning of breeding work, Crimean butterflies were used.

The task of the first rearing, carried out in 1938, was to obtain the largest and most diverse material for subsequent selection. Caterpillar cages were overloaded almost twice against the norm, which contributed to the development of epizootics. In total, 4500 cocoons were received from 106 families. In summer, the first generation (bivoltine) butterflies began to emerge, but 104 cocoons switched to wintering, that is, they showed monovoltineity. They came from 39 families. However, among these families, the percentage of monovoltism was very low, reaching 20% ​​in only one family. On average, the percentage of monovoltism in these 39 families was 5.3%. The remaining 4395 cocoons (almost 98%) turned out to be ordinary bivoltine ones.

Sergei Sergeevich calls a family a monovoltine family that has given at least one monovoltine cocoon, but at the same time he necessarily indicates the “percentage of monovoltineness”, that is, the number of monovoltine cocoons as a percentage of the total number of cocoons received from this family.

The main purpose of the selection was to obtain a monovoltine breed of the Chinese oak silkworm. But in the process of selection work, some other derived indicators were also taken into account. For example, the weight of the cocoon, its silkiness, etc. Unfortunately, selection was not carried out on the resistance of the silkworm to diseases.

From the spring of 1939, the selection work actually began (the first year of selection). At the same time, both inbreeding (crossing of butterflies from the same family) and outbreeding (interfamily crossing) were used, for which a new batch of cocoons was received from Voronezh this year. Butterflies that flew out of them were used for outbred crossing. Both of these methods gave positive results.

Already after the first year of selection work, a noticeable shift in the percentage of monovoltinity in the used families was obtained. In this regard, S.S. Chetverikov notes: “Of course, I am very far from ascribing an exclusive role to hereditary factors (genes) in determining voltinity. It is quite obvious that purely physiological and external (paratypic) influences are extremely important in deciding whether a given cocoon will turn out to be bivoltine or monovoltine. But it is also quite obvious and irrefutably proven by our data that the ability to produce monovoltine cocoons is subject to selection, which means that this ability is hereditary. Based on certain hereditary factors (genes), under certain physiological and environmental conditions, a given cocoon remains monovoltine. Without a hereditary base, the same external factors of monovoltinism cannot cause.

Further in the same work, he gives a clear definition of the concept of "monovoltine breed". He writes: “Thus, by a monovoltine breed, we understand a breed that has the hereditary ability, under normal laboratory conditions of our spring rearings (in the middle zone of the European part of the USSR), to produce only one generation a year, passing into a state of winter diapause at the end of July or in August". Further selection for monovoltine yielded from year to year an increase in the percentage of monovoltine cocoons in breeding families.

Unfortunately, Chetverikov's work was far from smooth. Many events of that time (1939-1947) hindered his work. Among them, the atmosphere of hostility and ill-will created around the name of Chetverikov and his work by the Lysenkoites must be placed in the first place.

The second condition that complicated his work was epizootics (jaundice, etc.), the fight against which, under the specific conditions of the Gorky stronghold for the oak silkworm, was very difficult. Many breeding families died from jaundice, fiasheriya and other diseases.

Finally, various organizational troubles and stupid "leadership" from the People's Commissariat of Agriculture and Glavshelk, who were in charge of the Stronghold, interfered with calm and successful work. At the beginning, it was the unwillingness to approve Sergei Sergeyevich as the director of the Stronghold. He was listed as a supervisor or scientific consultant, and one of the employees held the position of director. Sergei Sergeevich also experienced certain pressure from the ministerial leadership in the selection and placement of personnel. After the outbreak of the war, already in 1941, the Stronghold was liquidated, and further work on the silkworm was carried out by the Department of Genetics of the GSU on the basis of an agreement with Glavsilk.

The turning point in silkworm breeding came in 1943. The percentage of monovoltinity in most families reached 100. It was decided to report on the completion of the task of breeding a new breed of Chinese oak silkworm, which was called Gorky monovoltine I, and proceed to its consolidation, consolidation and production testing. . This task was completed over the next four years, 1944-1948. In particular, selection was carried out not only for monovoltity, but also for the weight of cocoons and their silk shell. In addition, the breeding of a new breed "Gorkovskaya Monovoltinnaya II" began, which was fed on birch leaves. Almost all cocoons obtained in 1944 turned out to be monovoltine (98.5% in 1944 and 99.3% in 1945). Rearings in 1946 and 1947 suffered greatly from the jaundice epidemic.

Summing up what has been said, it should be emphasized once again that the monovoltine breed of the Chinese oak silkworm was successfully bred by Chetverikov and the government award, the Order of the Badge of Honor, received by him for this work, was well deserved. The only drawback of the bred breed was its instability to infectious diseases, in particular to jaundice. This shortcoming could be eliminated by further selection for immunity to jaundice, which, as is known from the example of the silkworm, is quite possible.

Unfortunately, in 1948, after the August session of VASKhNIL, S.S. Chetverikov was fired. After the dismissal of S.S. Chetverikov systematic selection work with the silkworm breed was not carried out. Industrial feeding took place without sufficient control from the staff of the Stronghold and often led to the death of the reared caterpillars.

As a result, a very interesting and one-of-a-kind breed of the Chinese oak silkworm was destroyed, while some participants in this case and even outside observers often, in order to attribute rearing failures not due to inept and unreasonable care of the caterpillars, but due to the instability and negative properties of the caterpillar itself. various demagogic statements were launched into the course.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to save, or rather, restore this breed again. The culture of the Chinese oak silkworm was withdrawn from the plan due to its unprofitability, more precisely, due to the lack of need for flax, as stated in the decision of the Ministry.

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