A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the use of Treculia africana seed hull meal (TASHM) as replacement for maize in diets for the African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata. Seeds of T. africana were parboiled, dehulled, milled and used to replace maize at 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% (diets I, II, III and IV, respectively) in isoproteic diets (20% crude protein). Juvenile A. marginata (n = 36; 30±1.5 g) were randomly allotted to the four dietary treatments and replicated thrice with three snails per replicate. All the juvenile snails were stocked in cages. The diets were fed to snails once daily at 2% body weight for 70 days. Performance of snails was based on body weight gain, shell length, shell width, shell aperture increase and survival. No mortality was recorded. Mean body weight gain of the snails fed diet III was significant different (p<0.05) from those of snails fed the other diets (I, II, and IV). Mean body weight gain of snails fed diets II and IV was not significant different (p>0.05) while the mean body weight gain of snails fed diet I had significant difference (p<0.05) from that of snails fed diets II and IV. However, no significant difference (p>0.05) existed in the feed conversion ratio of the snails on all the diets. The effect of the diets on all the morphological parameters of snails did not differ significantly (p>0.05).
PAPER TITLE :NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF AFRICAN BREADFRUIT (TRECULIA AFRICANA) SEED HULL AND ITS USE IN DIETS FOR TH
JOURNAL Of SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY | VOLUME 2 NUMBER 1 2011
Paper Details
- Author(s) : EJIDIKE, B. N1. and AJILEYE, O
- Abstract:
