The Effects of Substituting Soyabean Meal for Breadfruit Meal on Diets Acceptability, Growth Response and Cost of Diets Fed to <i>Heterobranchus bidorsalis</i> (&#9792;) X <i>Clarias gariepinus</i> (&#9794;) Hybrid

Abstract

The effects of substituting soyabean meal for breadfruit (Tricuria africana) meal in diets fed to Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) hybrid fingerlings on diet acceptability, growth responses and cost benefit of fed catfishes were studied. The acceptability of breadfruit based diets by Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) hybrid fingerlings was studied using the “time to strike and acceptability index” and their growth responses studied using “weight gain and specific growth rate”. The cost benefit arising from feeding Breadfruit meal based diets to 1000 Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) hybrid fingerlings for nine weeks was estimated. The results indicated that substituting soyabean meal for breadfruit meal in diets fed to Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) fingerlings slightly decreased the time to strike dietary pellets. Diets containing 0 % breadfruit meal (diet A – control) were not easily stroked by fed catfishes when compared to the diets containing 100 % breadfruit meal (diet G). Furthermore, increased substitutions of soyabean meal for breadfruit meal in diets fed to catfishes slightly improved the acceptability of diets; the best acceptable diet being diets C, E and G, there was statistically no significant difference in the acceptability of the control diets and diets having breadfruit meal. Increasing substitutions of soyabean meal for breadfruit meal in diets fed to Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) hybrid fingerlings led to weight increases in all dietary types with exception of diet G and higher growth induction in catfishes fed all diets with exception of diet B. Diets C had induced better mean growth than the control and other experimental diets, although statistically, there was no significant difference between the control diets and diets having breadfruit meal. Increased incorporation of breadfruit meal in diets fed to catfish hybrid fingerlings led to slight increased in the cost of diets. The cost benefit analysis revealed that catfishes fed diet C had comparatively better cost of diet per unit weight gain. The benefits derived by incorporation of Breadfruit meal in diets fed to Heterobranchus bidorsalis (♂) x Clarias gariepinus (♀) hybrid are discussed.

Key Words: Heterobranchus bidorsalis, Clarias gariepinus, African catfish hybrid, breadfruit meal, acceptability, growth responses, cost

Bio-Research Vol.2(2) 2004: 27-33