Therapeutic Effect of Dietary Turmeric (Curcuma longa) on Growth Performance, Hematology Profile and Immunity Parameters of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Medicinal plants are rich in diverse nutrients and antioxidants that promote growth and have immunostimulating activities for fish. In aquaculture phytomedicines have gained importance worldwide because they are easily available, non-toxic to aquatic life. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is among the most suitable natural ingredient due to its biological effects. Therefore, a study has been conducted to determine the effect of turmeric on the growth performance, hematology and immunity of common carp Cyprinus carpio. For this purpose, 180 fingerlings of common carp with average initial weight (30.23±0.04 g) were divided into six groups containing five treatment groups. Each tank was stocked with 10 fingerlings. Treatments were maintained in triplicates. Fish were fed with basal diet supplemented with graded level of turmeric at different concentrations i.e. TE0 (control), TE1 (1.0%), TE2 (2.0%), TE3 (3.0%), TE4 (4.0%) and TE5 (5.0%). Fish were fed twice a day at 3% body weight for 12 weeks. Results showed that fish growth was higher in all treatments as compared to the control group. The feed efficiency ratio (FER), feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR) and condition factor (K), of fish fed with turmeric enriched diet were found to be better than the control group. TE4 diet exposed to 4% Turmeric, showed maximum growth in terms of growth performance and feed utilization. Moreover, haematology profile and immunity parameters also improved by turmeric supplementation. The result of the present study shows that turmeric has the potential to enhance the growth performance of common carp. Overall, the TE4 % dietary group showed better growth performance and immunity than the control group and other treated groups.