Androgenic Potentials of Indian Spinach (Basella alba) Aqueous Leaf Extract for Production of All-Male Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

The precocious maturity and unregulated reproduction of tilapia result in stunted growth and low commercial value, making it difficult for fish farmers to raise them to table size. This study was conducted to assess the androgenic potentials of Indian spinach (Basella alba) aqueous leaf extract (ALEB) for the production of all-male Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). An experiment was set up for 60 days to evaluate the efficacy of ALEB in the masculinisation of tilapia to address this challenge. A total of 225 O. niloticus fry were stocked in 15 rectangular tanks (45 cm × 45 cm × 30 cm). Five treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5: 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 g/l) were applied, with each treatment triplicated. ALEB was prepared by boiling 18 g of powder in 1500 ml of distilled water for 30 minutes and filtering with Whatman No. 1 filter paper. Fresh solutions were prepared weekly.