Azolla Protein Concentrate (APC) mixed with dry Spirogyra Powder (SP) at 4:1 ratio was evaluated in the diet of Labeo rohita fry as a substitute of fish meal. One hundred and sixty fry (avg. wt. 1.3±0.2 g) were distributed in five experimental groups with each of four replicates and fed for 60 days. Five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were prepared by replacing fish meal with APC-SP mixture on equal protein basis viz., T1 (0%); T2 (25%); T3 (50%); T4 (75%) and T5 (100%). Crude protein content of the APC increased to 44.96% than the dry azolla containing 24.06% CP. Growth and nutrient utilization of the Labeo rohita fry were evaluated in terms of percent weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, net protein utilization, protease activity, in vitro protein and carbohydrate digestibility. Highest percent weight gain (135.57), SGR (1.45%), protease activity (18.56 units mg protein-1), protein digestibility (93.16%) carbohydrate digestibility (35.08%), FCE (0.75), PER (1.9), NPU (28.90) was recorded in control (0% APC-SP), which was similar with T2 and T3 groups but decreased significantly (p<0.05) as the APC-SP content increased in the diet. There were no histological changes except the vacuolation of hepatic cells with increased concentration of APC-SP in the diet. No mortality was registered in any of the experimental groups signifying no adverse effect of feeding APC-SP. It concludes that APC is a good source of protein and can be used to the maximum extent of 16.25% by replacing 10% fish meal in the diet of Labeo rohita fry. PDFFulltextXMLReferencesCitation
How to cite this article
T.P. Sheeno and N.P. Sahu, 2006. Use of Freshwater Aquatic Plants as a Substitute of Fishmeal in the Diet of Labeo rohita Fry. Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 1: 126-135.