Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the haematological profile of Heterobranchus bidorsalis fingerlings fed processed Delonix regia seeds at different inclusion levels of diets. Ten isonitrogenous diets (40% crude protein) were formulated with processed D. regia seed at 0% (Control), 10, 20 and 30% inclusion, respectively. The parameters analysed were pack cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), hemoglobin (HB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular heamoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular heamoglobin concentration (MCHC). Different among the groups were tested using analysis of variance. Raw Delonix regia seed meal had significant effect (P<0.05) on RBC, HB, MCV, MCH and MCHC respectively across the dietary treatments. RBC, MCV, MCH and MCHC differs significantly (P<0.05) across the dietary treatments for fish fed fermented D. regia seeds. All the haematological parameters differ significantly (P<0.05) across the dietary treatments with the exception of PCV, MCV and MCHC respectively for fish fed cooked D. regia seeds. It is therefore concluded that significant variations exist among the processing methods on the health status of the fish. It is recommended that inclusion of D. regia up to 20% will have no deleterious effect on their health status.

Key words: Haematological profile, Delonix regia, processing methods, Heterobranchus bidorsalis, inclusion levels.