Dietary Supplementation of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) Leaf Powder on Growth Performance and Nutrient Utilization of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Fingerlings.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with Cucurbita pepo leaf powder on growth performance, nutrient utilization, haematological indices, biochemical profile, and carcass composition of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. A total of 225 fingerlings with an average initial weight of 5.03 ± 0.05 g were randomly distributed into 15 tanks representing five dietary treatments with three replicates each over a 56-day feeding trial. Five isonitrogenous diets containing 40% crude protein were formulated with graded inclusion levels of C. pepo leaf powder at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 g/100 g diet. Fish fed diet CP4 (1.5 g/100 g) achieved the highest final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and feed intake, with the lowest feed conversion ratio, indicating improved feed efficiency. Polynomial regression estimated an optimum inclusion level of approximately 1.7 g/100 g diet. Haematological parameters including packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cells, and white blood cells increased significantly (P < 0.05) with supplementation, reflecting improved physiological and immune status in supplemented groups. These results demonstrate that dietary C. pepo leaf powder enhances physiological status and immune response. Biochemical indices such as total protein, albumin, globulin, and cholesterol were also improved in supplemented groups. Therefore, C. pepo leaf powder can serve as a sustainable and cost-effective phytogenic feed additive in aquaculture diets.