Summary in English

The institution specialised in sericulture in Padua was founded in 1871 by a decree of king Vittorio Emanuele II and is a section of the Institute for Experimental Agrarian Zoology of Florence (Ministry of Agricultural and Forest Politics). The current director is Dr. Luciano Cappellozza and the seat of the Section is owned by the Provincial Administration of Padua, which has proposed a project for its restructuring. In addition to the new seat of the institution, a museum with live collections of insects will be built. It will comprise exhibitions on sericulture, apiculture and a general part about Lepidoptera. The sericultural part will show the silk collections of the Section as well as old instruments and machines used for the rearing of the silkworm and the reeling of the cocoon.

We are involved in scientific projects on sericulture and moriculture, and contribute to the conservation of two germplasm banks of ca. 50 varieties of Morus spp. and ca. 120 strains of Bombyx mori. In order to carry out these important activities, the Section owns a mulberry field, also used for experiments, that provides the leaves necessary for the rearing and breeding of the various Bombyx strains.

The research and experiments are subject to the following:

1)                 Rearing Bombyx mori on artificial diet

·        Physiological studies of the midgut of B. mori with the aim to create new or ameliorate the artificial diets.

·        Studies and selection of Bombyx strains with quantitative and advantageous characters in terms of diet requirements and silk production, as well as studies on clock genes that influence the metabolic and reproductive activities.

·        Studies with the artificial diet and its effects on the the development of the larvae and the silk glands.

·        Studies of the composition of mulberry leaves aiming for new formula and/or improvements of the artificial diets.

2)                 Studies on micropropagation, taxonomy and production of Morus alba and M. multicaulis with the scanning electronic microscope (SEM).

·        SEM observations of phenological characteristics of various cv of M. alba and multicaulis.

·        Producing reference tables for the characterisation of the various cv.

·        Studies of the effects of in vitro propagation concerning the growth and genetic stability of the most widespread varieties of M. alba and multicaulis.

·        Evaluations concerning the vegetal productivity of various cv of M. alba and multicaulis cultivated in different environments under different irrigation regimes.

The following publications have been made on the topics described above:

1)       Sbrenna G., Micciarelli A., Cappellozza L.& Cappellozza S. (2000) Rearing of a polihybrid strain of Bombyx mori (Lepidopetra Bombycidae) on artificial diets containing different amounts of mulberry leaves. Redia, LXXXIII: 175-186.

2)       Leonardi M. G., Fiandra L., Casartelli M., Cappellozza S.& Giordana B. (2001) Modulation of leucine absorption in the larval midgut of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera Bombycidae) on artificial diets containing different amounts of mulberry leaves. Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Part A (129): 666-672.

3)       Leonardi M.G., Marciani P., Montorfano G., Cappellozza S., Giordana B.& Monticelli G. (2001) Effect of fenoxycarb on leucine uptake and lipid composition of midgut brush border membrane in the silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera Bombycidae). Pest. Biochem. Physiol., 70: 42-51.

4)       Fiandra L., Grimaldi A., Casartelli M., Leopardi M. G., Milani A., Cappellozza S., De Eguileor M.  & Giordana B. (2002) Effetto di ormoni e sostanze ormono-simili sulla fisiologia intestinale nelle larve di Bombyx mori. Atti del XIX Congresso Nazionale Italiano di Entomologia, Catania 10-15 giugno (in press).

5)       Piccin A., Cisotto P., Sandrelli F., Moreau S., Cappellozza S., Zordan M.  & Costa R. (2002) “Riverse genetics” e caratterizzazione funzionale di geni negli insetti. Atti del XIX Congresso Nazionale Italiano di Entomologia, Catania 10-15 giugno (in press).

6)       Cappellozza S., Cappellozza L., Colonna G. M., Faragò S.  & Dradi G.  (2002) Introduzione di callo ottenuto da micropropagazione di Morus spp. nella dieta artificiale per l’alimentazione di Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera Bombycidae). Atti del XIX Congresso Nazionale Italiano di Entomologia, Catania 10-15 giugno (in press).

7)       Cappellozza S., Faragò S., & Berlin A. (2002) Dallo studio dell’entomologia applicata alla progettazione di ausili didattici per la scuola primaria: il kit “SETAVIVA” per l’allevamento del baco da seta. Atti del XIX Congresso nazionale di Entomologia, Catania 10-15 giugno (in press)

8)       Botton A., Barcaccia G., Cappellozza S., Da Tos R., Bonghi C. & Ramina A. (2002) Valutazione della diversità genetica di 48 varietà di gelso (Morus L.) tramite l’impiego di marcatori AFLP. Atti VI giornate scientifiche SOI, I: 99-100.

9)       Dolci M., Cappellozza L., Cappellozza S. (2002) Effects of the introduction of a JH analogue into the artificial diet of the silkworm. Proceedings of the XIXth Congress of the International Sericultural Commission, Bangkok, Thailand: 133-137.

Other important activities are the collaboration with the “Regione Veneto” for the control of the quality and health of the Bombyx eggs to be reared for commercial production, imported to Italy by the National Association of silkworm rearers, as well as the collaboration with other numerous institutions on national and international level, such as the F.A.O. (Food and Agricultural Organisation).

Moreover, we provide biological material and instruments of historical interest for exhibitions and conferences. With request from schools for teaching purposes we also post eggs of the silkworm. Furthermore we provide material used by the “Stazione Sperimentale per la Seta di Milano” for a didactic kit for the rearing of Bombyx mori on artificial diet.

The director Dr. L. Cappellozza is a member of the editorial committee of the international journal “Sericologia” that is edited by the International Sericultural Commission.

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