GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND NUTRIENT UTILIZATION OF HETEROBRANCHUS BIDORSALIS FED OREGANO (ORIGANUM VULGARE) LEAF AS HERBAL ADDICTIVE.
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaf as herbal additive on the growth performance and nutrient utilization of Heterobranchus bidorsalis. Oregano is known to possess bioactive compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant and growth promoting properties, making it a potential natural alternative to synthetic growth enhancers in aquaculture. In this experiment, juveniles of Heterobranchus bidorsalis were fed diets containing graded in supplemented levels of Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaf powder over a ten weeks feeding trial. A total of two hundred and twenty-five Heterobranchus bidorsalis juveniles with an average body weight of (4.6g) were assigned to five treatments with three replicates (15 per replicate) in a randomised design. Five diets containing 40% crude protein were formulated with Oregano (Origanum vulgare) at varying supplemented levels of0.0g/kg (control, Trt 1), 0.5g/kg (Trt 2), 1.0g/kg (Trt 3), 1.5g/kg (Trt 4) and 2.0g/kg (Trt 5). Growth performance and nutrient utilization parameters such as weight gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio were evaluated. The results showed that fish fed Oregano-supplemented diets recorded significant improvements in growth and nutrient utilization compared to control group. The results showed that Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaf supplemented at 0.5%improved growth performance and nutrient utilization of Heterobranchus bidorsalis juveniles and it is highly recommended at the exact inclusion level. These findings highlight the potential of Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaf as a safe, effective and sustainable herbal additive that can enhance fish productivity and support environmentally friendly aquaculture practices.
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