Effects of paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse on water quality, bacterial biofilm production and growth and survival of rohu, Labeo rohita (Hamilton)

• Published in: Aquaculture research Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 635 - 642
• Main Authors: Mridula, R.M, Manissery, J.K, Keshavanath, P, Shankar, K.M, Nandeesha, M.C, Rajesh, K.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.05.2005
• Subjects: animal growth; aquaculture tanks; Bacteria; bacterial biofilm; biofilm; carcass composition; digestive enzymes; fingerlings; fish culture; Freshwater; freshwater aquaculture; freshwater fish; growth; hydrochemistry; Labeo; Labeo rohita; mortality; nucleic acids; phytoplankton; straw; substrate; sugarcane bagasse; water quality; zooplankton; India
• ISSN: 1355-557X; 1365-2109
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2005.01263.x

Sugarcane bagasse (T1), paddy straw (T2) and their mixture (T3) were added to mud‐bottomed, manured cement tanks in triplicate to study the effect on bacterial biofilm production and growth and survival of rohu, Labeo rohita. All tanks were stocked with fingerling rohu at 10 000 ha−1. The total plate count (TPC) of bacteria in water and on substrate did not differ significantly between treatments. The mean phytoplankton and zooplankton density in water was the highest in T2, followed by T3 and T1. The growth of fish was significantly (P<0.05) higher in T2 and T3 compared with T1. Significantly higher RNA values were recorded in T2 and T3 compared with T1. Similarly, T2 and T3 registered higher DNA values than T1. RNA:DNA ratio was higher in T2 compared with T1. However, T3 did not differ significantly from T1 and T2. Both intestinal and hepatopancreatic protease and lipase activity was higher in T1 and T2 compared with T3 and both differ significantly from T1. Intestinal amylase activity was higher in T2 and T3 compared with T1, whereas hepatopancreatic amylase activity was higher in T2 compared with T1 and T3. The results demonstrated that production of L. rohita can be significantly increased by the introduction of biodegradable substrates into culture systems where fertilization is employed.