Growth Performance and Muscle Composition of Carps (Labeo rohita, Catla catla, Cirrhinus cirrhosus and Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) at Different Protein Diets under Polyculture Farming

This study investigated the effects of three supplemental diets varying in protein percentage (T1- 28%, T2- 30%, and T3- 32%) on the fillet composition of Rohu (Labeo rohita), Catla (Catla catla), Mrigal (Cirrhinus cirrhosus), and Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) reared in ponds with supplemental diets. The control treatment with no supplemental feeding was also included to conduct the experiment. Fish from control ponds had substantially lower mean muscle protein concentrations than fish from ponds that received supplemental feeding, with 28% and 30% protein diets producing the most muscle protein. Compared to other treatments, fish fed a diet containing 32% protein had significantly (p<0.05) higher muscle lipid concentrations (2.22%). The muscle carbohydrates were greater in fish from ponds fed 28% protein diets. The Rohu (L. rohita) had the highest percent of muscle protein among the three sampled fish species, while Silver carp (H. molitrix) had the lowest, with all other species having intermediate values. The Mrigal (C. cirrhosus) and Silver Carp (H. molitrix) had the highest carbohydrate in their muscles, while Rohu (L. rohita) had the least carbohydrate content. During polyculture of cyprinids in ponds, the supplemental feeding of diets with protein ranging from 28 to 30% protein can be recommended as an optimal protein diet to attain the higher growth performance of carps avoiding the wastage of feed at the farmer’s level in semi-intensive polyculture farming.