Effect of potassium, sodium and its mixture supplementation on: II- differential haemocyte counts and absolute differential haemocyte counts of Mulberry Silkworm Bombyx mori (L.)

Two bio salt minerals, potassium sulphate, sodium sulphate and a mixture of both bio salts at the effective concentration of 1% which were added to the mulberry leaves of silkworm B. mori L., to evaluate their effect on the differential haemocyte counts (DHC) and absolute differential haemocyte counts (ADHC). Daily changes of five haemocyte types were investigated as, prohaemocytes, plasmatocytes, coagulocytes, spherules and oenocytoides. The data revealed that Larvae treated with potassium sulphate positively affected the DHC and ADHC of prohaemocytes during the 8th day of mature stage. Larvae treated with potassium and sodium sulphate mixture presented the maximum increase of DHC and ADHC of plasmatocytes during the end of larval stage. The DHC of coagulocytes was fluctuated during the last larval instar in both treated and untreated larvae but ADHC of treated larvae with sodium sulphate was higher than control during the most developmental periods of the last larval instar. When larvae treated with sodium sulphate an increase in spherule cell ADHC was observed during the larval stage , the maximum peak was (61x103 cell/larva) at 5th day in comparison to (28 x103 cell/larva) of control. Larvae treated with potassium sulphate showed also a maximum peak (81x103cell/larva) comparing to (26x103 cell/larva) during the 10th day for control. Larvae treated with potassium sulphate presented an increases of DHC of oenocytoids about (3.1%) in comparison to (1 and 2%) in untreated larvae during the 4th and 7th days, and the ADHC trend was positively enhanced during the last larval instar of treated larvae.