Gonadosomatic and Hepatosomatic Indices of Clarias gariepinus fed Moringa oleifera Leaf Meal Finisher Diets

The gonadosomatic index, GSI which expresses gonad weight as a percentage of total body weight, is an important indicator of reproductive development, gonadal maturation, and reproductive readiness in fish. The HSI reflects liver participation in vitellogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of partial replacement of fishmeal with Moringa leaf meal, MLM on liver and gonads of Clarias gariepinus when used in finisher diet. Four diets were formulated to contain 35% crude protein. MLM was included at 0 % (control), 6.5 %, 13 % and 19.5 % in the diets. Clarias gariepinus juveniles of average weight 96.0784 ± 5.0 g and length 19.60 - 22.51cm were used for the 90 days feeding trial. Feeding was to satiation twice daily. The highest mean GSI in males was observed in fish fed 6.5% MLM, followed by the control group (0.50 ± 0.13). Female C. gariepinus exhibited considerably higher GSI values than males. Female GSI ranged from 7.14 ± 1.95 to 14.39 ± 1.49, with significant difference observed among treatments (P < 0.05). Fish fed 0% MLM (13.66 ± 3.46) and 6.5% MLM (14.39 ± 1.49) were not significantly different (P>0.05). HSI did not follow a dose-dependent pattern in males and remained within normal physiological range with the highest value (1.33 ± 0.34) obtained at 6.5% MLM inclusion. Female C. gariepinus exhibited HSI values ranging from 1.03 ± 0.08 to 1.51 ± 0.03. The control diet produced the highest HSI (1.51 ± 0.03) as females showed a reduction in HSI with increasing MLM inclusion. Findings posit that 6.5 % dietary inclusion of MLM in finisher-diet supports efficient nutrient partitioning between hepatic metabolism and reproductive development while maintaining normal liver physiology.

Finisher-diet; Reproductive development; Gonadal maturation; Hepatic stress; Liver function

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