THE EFFECT OF MORINGA SEED POWDER Moringa oleifera ON GONADAL INTEGRITY OF MOZAMBIQUE TILAPIA Oreochromis mossambicus
Tilapia is endemic to Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), with more than 70 species being identified in this region only. Despite this, culture efforts of this species by rural and peri-urban SSA communities are insignificant. Tilapia has all the required traits to make it a suitable species for culture, however, its precocious breeding strategy often limits the potential of the species to be used for cost-efficient food production. Limited access to advanced biotechnologies to manage the precocious breeding of tilapia hampers the ability of especially resource-poor farmers in SSA to farm with tilapia for food security purposes. Developing a suitable and cost-effective method to control precocious breeding in tilapia may assist resource-poor communities to farm cost-effectively with tilapia. Certain medicinal plants contain bioactive components that have an antifertility action, and thus have the potential to control precocious breeding in tilapia. The study therefore investigated the potential of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed powder to control the breeding of tilapia in culture systems. Sustainable availability of Moringa seeds in SSA countries, contributes to the attractiveness of this product as a potential antifertility treatment for tilapia.
Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed powder (MSP) was added to a commercially formulated tilapia diet (NutroScience (Pty) Ltd, South Africa) which served as the basal diet (BD). Moringa seed powder was included at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 g/kg, respectively, and fed to sexually mature Mozambique tilapia males (20-40g; 5 fish per replicate, 5 replicates per treatment) for 60 days to evaluate the effect on gonad integrity. Figure 1a represents a normal tilapia testis (fed 0g MSP/kg BD), with no visible lesions. Figure 1b represents the pathological changes that were observed in gonads obtained from fish fed diets containing 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0g MSP/kg BD, with the disintegration of sperm and necrosis of the testicular cells being clearly visible. The study indicated that including MSP at 5.0g/kg BD and higher inclusion levels has an antifertility effect, significantly affecting gonad integrity and sperm production in sexually mature O. mossambicus males.
Moringa (Moringa oleifera) seed powder (MSP) was added to a commercially formulated tilapia diet (NutroScience (Pty) Ltd, South Africa) which served as the basal diet (BD). Moringa seed powder was included at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 g/kg, respectively, and fed to sexually mature Mozambique tilapia males (20-40g; 5 fish per replicate, 5 replicates per treatment) for 60 days to evaluate the effect on gonad integrity. Figure 1a represents a normal tilapia testis (fed 0g MSP/kg BD), with no visible lesions. Figure 1b represents the pathological changes that were observed in gonads obtained from fish fed diets containing 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0g MSP/kg BD, with the disintegration of sperm and necrosis of the testicular cells being clearly visible. The study indicated that including MSP at 5.0g/kg BD and higher inclusion levels has an antifertility effect, significantly affecting gonad integrity and sperm production in sexually mature O. mossambicus males.