Evaluation of Growth, Haematological, Biochemical and Oxidative Stress Parameters of Clarias gariepinus Fed with Alstonia boonei and Mitracarpus scaber

Synthetic agents as growth promoters in aquaculture has become unpopular, hence, the need for better alternatives. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary plants on growth performance, haematological, biochemical and oxidative stress parameters in African catfish. Fish were fed on basal diets for 84 days, the control and six other experimental diets containing different levels of Alstonia boonei (0.5%,1.0% and 1.5%) and Mitracarpus scaber (0.5%,1.0% and 1.5%) of the basal diets. Fish were weighed bimonthly, blood samples were collected and analyzed. At the end of the experiment, the final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), Average Daily Growth Rate (ADGR) and Specific Growth Rate (SGR) of fish fed with A. boonei and M. scaber were significantly higher than that of control (P<0.05). The values of RBC and haemoglobin of the M. scaber (0.5%) group were significantly higher than the other groups including the control. The values of Heterophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (HLR) and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) in the control group were significantly higher than those of the treatment groups. Biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers did not show any significant difference between the treatment groups and the control (P>0.05). The findings clearly indicated that the plants enhanced growth performance in fish with little or no deleterious effects.