The silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) belongs to an important category of insects that have succeeded in their domestication around 5,000 years ago and utilization by humans for their specific needs. The vital studies discovered artificial sex control, radiation-induced mutagenesis, reinterpretation of the heterosis, and genetic principles of the quantitative traits in the silkworm. In quality traits, the cocoon quality depends on the genotypes and their hybrids in the silkworm. Less development and use of high-productivity breeds and hybrids with better indicators of silk quality caused less boost in raw silk output, silk yield, and cocoon silkiness in the sericulture industry. For developing such types of breeds and hybrids, one must know how the various qualitative and quantitative traits reached inheritance through various gene actions in silkworms. The productivity characteristics of different sexes in such types of organisms vary, and mostly, one sex contributes to key economic traits. It follows from this that a comprehensive assessment of sex determination, as well as the expansion of its practical application in industrial sericulture, will contribute to improving economic efficiency in the future. This is the basis for increasing the scale of production in leading countries that develop silk production.
Silkworm (B. mori L.), B. mаndarina, B. mori, sex-marking, eggs, lethal, mutation, larva, cocoon
This review focused on various past studies conducted on the sex genetics in silkworms (B. mori L.), which transpired in leading sericulture countries, such as China, India, Japan, Korea, Bulgaria, and Uzbekistan. The present worldwide research data will serve as a key source and opportunity for advancing future research on silkworms.