Breeding Strategies in Silkworm (Bombyx mori) for Environmental Adaptation: A Structured Narrative Review

2026-06-28T10:00:45+00:00

Climate variability increases the exposure of Bombyx mori to heat, humidity extremes, variable mulberry quality and pathogen pressure. The insect's long domestication history improved silk output but also narrowed genetic diversity and increased dependence on managed rearing. This structured narrative review evaluates conventional selection, hybrid breeding, marker-assisted selection, population genomics, transcriptomics and genome editing as strategies for environmental adaptation. English-language literature published from 2000 to 26 June 2026 was identified using combinations of major bibliographic databases and reference-list searches. Studies were assessed according to clarity of genetic material, stress definition, controls, replication, outcome measurement, statistical analysis and source traceability. Owing to substantial heterogeneity in strains, stress treatments and endpoints, the evidence was synthesised thematically rather than meta-analysed. Phenotypic selection and multi-environment hybrid testing remain the most deployment-ready approaches because they measure survival, productivity and silk quality simultaneously. Marker-assisted selection can accelerate introgression when loci are independently validated, whereas pan-genomic and genome-wide association resources expand the search for adaptive alleles and improve parent selection. Transcriptomics and functional studies identify heat-shock, antioxidant, immune and silk-gland pathways, but expression changes require causal validation. CRISPR-based studies have established efficient editing and produced promising antiviral and heat-resistant lines, although regulatory, pleiotropic and seed-system constraints limit immediate field deployment. The review concludes that climate-adaptive breeding should use a staged pipeline combining germplasm conservation, controlled stress screens, measured environmental covariates, cost-effective molecular support and multi-season, multi-location validation. In emerging African sericulture systems, investment in field phenotyping, parental-stock management and delivery of locally tested hybrids is as important as investment in advanced genomics.

Bioremediation Potential of Actinobacteria in Heavy Metals Contaminated Soils in Kipkenyo Dumpsite, Eldoret, Kenya

2026-05-14T12:55:39+00:00

Contamination of soils by potentially toxic elements poses significant environmental and health hazards globally, especially in mismanaged waste disposal sites. This is due to deposition of solid and liquid substances in the dumpsites and industrial pollutions into the soil which form toxic chemicals as well as evaporation of harmful gases into the atmosphere. This study assessed the bioremediation potential of Actinobacteria in heavy metals contaminated soils in Kipkenyo dumpsite, Eldoret, Kenya. Initial concentrations of Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Nickel, Iron, Manganese and Zinc were quantified using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The dumpsite soil samples were characterized to identify the species of bacteria present. The most abundant species were isolated, cultured and used as a positive control in the bioremediation experimental set up. The isolated bacteria were identified using morphological characteristics and biochemical tests using Bergy’s manual of determinative bacteriology. Streptomyces spp. was isolated and cultured from soil samples from the University of Eldoret arboretum. The data was analyzed using R programming language version 4.4.2. The initial concentrations of heavy metal elements in Kipkenyo dumpsite soil samples had significant variations (P˂ 0.05). The final concentrations of elements also showed significant changes in samples treated with either Streptomyces spp. or Bacillus spp compared to that of negative control. Bacillus spp. was the most abundant in the dumpsite soil samples. Zinc had a higher degradation percentage (82.68% in Streptomyces spp. and 80.68% in Bacillus spp.) while chromium had the least percentage degradation (6.49% in Streptomyces spp. and 10.39% in Bacillus spp.). Streptomyces spp. had a higher percentage degradation in most heavy metal elements compared to Bacillus spp. These findings underscore the potential use of native actinobacteria in bioremediating heavy metal-contaminated soils and serve as a basis for creating environmentally friendly dumpsite rehabilitation techniques.

Journal of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems

Breeding Strategies in Silkworm (Bombyx mori) for Environmental Adaptation: A Structured Narrative Review

Bioremediation Potential of Actinobacteria in Heavy Metals Contaminated Soils in Kipkenyo Dumpsite, Eldoret, Kenya