Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Papaya (Carica Papaya) Seed and Pulp Meal on the Growth of Nile Tilapia (oreochromis niloticus) Reared in Concrete Tank in Togo

A study on the growth performance of Oreochromis niloticus was carried out, from June to August 2020, with diets incorporating papaya seeds and pulp meal (Carica papaya). Therefore, 600 mono-sex fry male of Nile tilapia (average weight ≈ 2 g) were distributed in 12 concrete tanks (0.6 m3) at a density of 50 fishes per tank. They were fed four isoprotein diets (32% PB) in triplicate including a commercial feed (CF), a local feed containing 30% palm kernel meal cooked in water for one hour (LF) to which 5g of seeds powder (SF) was added or 4g of pulp powder (PF) of papaya/kg of diet, for 70 days. Then, after a 2-day fasting period, 5 fish from each batch were dissected in order to assess growth through the study of digestive transit. At the end of this trial, encouraging results were obtained. Survival rate was generally in the order of 90% for all batches. The best zootechnical performances were observed in the fish fed with SF and PF (FCR = 1.78 and 1.99; PER = 1.72 and 1.51; SGR = 3.48 and 3.56 %/d). In addition, feed transit was slower in all intestinal compartments of fish of these batches. Incorporating papaya products is a promising option for the growth of O. niloticus.