Effect of dietary Citrullus lanatus seed on growth, nutrient utilization and hematological parameters in Cirrhinus mrigala

Abstract

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of dietary Citrullus lanatus seed on growth, nutrient utilization and hematological parameters in C.mrigala. Four isonitrogenous diets were kept in different proportions: WSM0 (Control diet), WSM15, WSM30 and WSM45 inclusion of watermelon seed meal was 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% respectively. The 30 fingerlings were randomly distributed in replicate for each treatment in plastic tank and fed 5% body weight throughout the study period of 50 days with weight measurement at every 10 days and proper feed adjustment. The results showed that growth performance in terms of weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR) and Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was best found in fingerlings fed on a 30% protein diet. It was observed that FCR reduced as dietary protein level increased. The minimum FCR was found to be 1.05±0.021 at 30% and the maximum was 1.41±0.45 at 45%. SGR was found to be 2.31, 2.37, 2.54 and 2.39 in WSM0, WSM15, WSM30 and WSM45 respectively. The present study was showed significant Hematological performance of Cirrhinus mrigala. Proximate composition of the body revealed that dietary protein significantly affects the body protein level. Fingerlings fed on 30 % protein diet obtain a significant (P<0.05) higher body protein as compared to other diets. Thus the present finding suggests that a practical diet having 30% protein provides sufficient nutrients and energy to support the acceptable growth in the fingerlings of C. mrigala.