Introduction: The investigation was performed to compare the influence of using
different pituitary gland extract types (dried and fresh) from common carp
(Cyprinus carpio) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) on fecundity, sex
hormones, and artificial spawning performance of African catfish.
Methods: Pituitary glands were collected from sixty-four male catfish and sixtyfour
carp broodstocks to formulate four treatments: dried catfish pituitary gland
extract (DPGcatfish), fresh catfish pituitary gland extract (FPGcatfish), dried carp
pituitary gland extract (DPGcarp), and fresh carp pituitary gland extract (FPGcarp).
Sixteen ripe females (920 to 1190 g) and sixteen ripe males (1060 to 1150 g) with a
sex ratio (1:1 male ♂: female ♀) were chosen for each treatment.
Results and discussion: The highest fecundity and reproductive performance
were observed in the DPGcatfish-treated group, followed by the DPGcarp-treated
group. The latency periods were recorded as 12 h for DPGcatfish, 17 h for FPGcatfish,
12.5 h for DPGcarp, and 21 h for FPGcarp. DPGcatfish treatment significantly
improved (P ≤ 0.05) ovulation performance, reproductive output, fertilization
and hatching success, and circulating estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
levels. In contrast, both fresh pituitary treatments (catfish and carp) resulted in
noticeably lower outcomes. The results indicate that DPGcatfish extract
consistently outperformed other treatments across all measured spawning
parameters, suggesting its effectiveness in enhancing seed production in
African catfish aquaculture. |
