Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology (SJST) (Feb 2023)

Stress response of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, when fed diets supplemented with sweet potato (I. Batatas) shoots and exposed to ammonia

  • Lander Cezar Plantado,
  • Francis Nuestro Baleta,
  • Patricia Magistrado-Candelaria,
  • Diomerl Edward Bondad Baldo,
  • Love Joy Pallaya-Baleta,
  • Mylene Concina Navarro

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 45, no. 1
pp. 24 – 28

Abstract

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The present study investigated the hematology, survival and behavior of Oreochromis niloticus that received formulated diets (FD) with Ipomoea batatas shoots (IbS) as powder or extracts, when exposed to sub-lethal dose of ammonia. The study had four experimental treatments: a control treatment that received formulated diets (FD) only and three treatments that received FD with 5% I. batatas shoots powder (FD+PIbS), hot-water extract (FD+HWEIbS), and crude ethanol extracts (FD+CEEIbS). After 12 weeks of feeding, the fish were exposed for 21 d to a sub-lethal dose of ammonium chloride causing the stress response. During the exposure an increase in the leukocyte indices (white blood cells, WBC; neutrophils, NEU; lymphocytes, LYM; monocytes, MON) was observed in the fish that received FD only while the fish that received FD with I. batatas remained comparable. In contrast, the erythrocyte indices (red blood cells, RBC; hematocrit, HCT; hemoglobin, HGB) of the fish that received I. batatas were elevated and significantly different (P<0.05) from the control group. The platelet (PLT) count of the fish that got FD+HWEIbS was significantly higher than in the other treatments. In terms of survival rate, the fish that received FD+HWEIbS was top ranked. The swimming activity of the fish was reduced during the exposure, as a change in behavior. In conclusion, nutritional supplementation of I. batatas, particularly as hot-water extract, enhanced tilapia's resistance to physiological stress such as from ammonia exposure, as evidenced by its haematological profile and high survival.

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