Mirzakhodjaev B.
D.Sc., Scientific Secretary, Research Institute of Sericulture

Mirzakhodjaev A.
Ph.D, Head of the Laboratory of Mechanization, Research Institute of Sericulture

Tajenova A.
doctoral of Research Institute of Sericulture

Radjabov I.
doctoral of Research Institute of Sericulture

Abstract
Due to the global climate change and the spring frosts that have become more frequent in recent years, leading to the death of silkworm caterpillars of the first ages from lack of feed, there is an urgent need to find effective and cheap means to replace and preserve the natural food – mulberry leaf. One of the new and progressive drying methods for sericulture products is the method of sublimation dehydration in vacuum. In the laboratory of the Research Institute of Sericulture, an experimental spring feeding was carried out with a sublimated and restored mulberry leaf of the caterpillars of the silkworm of the Ipakchi 1 breed, in the amount of 200 pieces for each variant. For feeding, a mulberry leaf was used, collected before the fall of leaves in the autumn of 2022. For freeze drying of mulberry leaves, the following mode was selected: pre-freezing at t = -50 °C, then freeze drying at condenser temperature t = +40 °C, residual vacuum pressure P = 0.3 mmHg. Rehydration (hydration) and enrichment of the leaf was performed a day before feeding to caterpillars. The rehydration of the leaf was carried out in a high humidity mode. Further, the feed was enriched by introducing sucrose, ascorbic acid and potassium-phosphorus additive (K₂HPO₄) into the leaves.

When the leaf was rehydrated in a high humidity environment with the addition of K₂HPO₄ to the leaf, the viability of the caterpillars was 75%, and the duration of feeding was on average 12 days.

Sublimation drying of the leaf and its subsequent rehydration in a high humidity environment and enrichment of the dried leaf can be used to expand the forage base of sericulture, as well as to create artificial food recipes based on mulberry leaf.

 Keywords: silkworm caterpillars (bombyx mori L), mulberry leaves, freeze drying, rehydration, enrichment, feeding.

Mamedov M.
Head of of Breeding, Processing, Production And Marketing Department
Scientific Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, Goygol, Azerbaijan

Ibragimova A.
Specialist of Breeding, Processing, Production And Marketing Department
Scientific Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, Goygol, Azerbaijan

Azizova A.
Technician of Processing And Production Of Livestock Products Laboratory
Scientific Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, Goygol, Azerbaijan

Najafova T.
Laboratory assistant of Processing And Production Of Livestock Products Laboratory
Scientific Research Institute of Animal Husbandry, Goygol, Azerbaijan

Abstract
In the article, as a result of the conducted scientific research, the development dynamics and productivity indicators of local and foreign sheep breeds and crossbred lambs obtained from them in the western region of the Republic of Azerbaijan are given. For this purpose, crossbred lambs with semi-fine wool (crossbred) were obtained by crossing local fat tail coarse and semi-coarse-wool sheep with fine-wool breeders. Since imported sheep breeds are difficult to adapt to local conditions, crossbreeding was carried out by crossing them with local sheep breeders.

 Keywords: breeds of sheep, male lamb, female lamb, hybrid, live mass, fine-wool, coarse-wool.