GROWTH RESPONSE, NUTRIENT UTILIZATION AND APPARENT NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY OF NILE TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) FINGERLINGS FED VARYING INCLUSION LEVELS OF GERMINATED TROPICAL KUDZU (PUERARIA PHASEOLOIDES) SEED MEAL

This study investigates the use of germinated Pueraria phaseoloides (Tropical kudzu seed): GPPSM in practical diets for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings. Fish (mean initial weight 1.4±0.1 g) were fed five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets formulated, at 35% crude protein and 9% lipid-containing different levels of inclusion of GPPSM and designated as D1 (0 % inclusion), D2 (10 % inclusion), D3 (20 % inclusion), D4 (30 % inclusion) and D5 (40 % inclusion) for 56 days. 20 fish per hapa were accommodated in Fifteen net hapa (0.5×0.5×1m3) suspended in two outdoor concrete ponds (8m × 5m × 1.5m) with the aid of kuralon twine tied to plastic poles, the concrete ponds were filled to 5/6 of its volume (40m3) with filtered and dechlorinated tap water. The fish were fed at 5% body weight three times daily. The results showed that fish fed D3 and D4 had the highest significantly values in all the growth and nutrient utilization values measured and were significantly different (P0.05) from fish fed D1 and D2. There was no significant difference in the percentage survival and apparent nutrient digestibility among all the fish fed the experimental diets. The general assessment shows that fish fed all the experimental diets did well in all the growth parameters measured and D4 had a better feed utilization than the other fish fed the experimental diets. In conclusion, the inclusion of GPPSM up to 30% is suitable and had no negative impact on the growth, survival and nutrient utilization of O. niloticus fingerlings. This study also shows that GPPSM can be a potential ingredient for the aquafeed industry