Soursop (Annona muricata) leaf meal improves growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in plastic tanks

The application and effects of Soursop (Annona muricata) as a dietary additive in aquaculture remains largely unexplored. This research assessed the impact of adding soursop leaf meal (SLM) on growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Six diets were formulated with graded levels of Soursop leaf meal (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%). Thirty-five fish were randomly stocked in each 305 Litre plastic tank and fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 84 days. There were significant effects of dietary soursop leaf meal (p< 0.05) on final length, final weight, weight gain, daily growth rate, specific growth rate, food conversion ratio, survival, feed intake, and condition factor. Quadratic regression revealed that optimal dietary soursop leaf meal requirement at 0.85%. The information derived from this work will be beneficial to fish farmers seeking to improve feed nutrient quality and fish growth performance and feed utilization.