Production of organic grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and GIFT tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the growth and production of grass carp and tilapia cultured organically using napier grass in Bangabanbhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh from MarchJune, 2013. Three stocking ratios were tested: grass carp at 0.6 fish/m 2 with GIFT tilapia at 0.3 fish/m 2 (T 1 ), grass carp at 0.6 fish/m 2 with GIFT tilapia at 0.6 fish/m 2 (T 2 ), grass carp at 0.6 fish/m 2 with GIFT tilapia at 0.9 fish/m 2 (T 3 ) and grass carp only at 0.6 fish/m 2 as control (T 4 ). Chopped fresh napier grass leaf was the sole nutrient input and provided twice daily. The water quality parameters were within suitable ranges for fish culture. Grass carp attained a daily growth increment ranging from 2.80-3.73 g/day and GIFT tilapia from 1.30-1.86 g/day. The combined yields was significantly higher (P<0.05) in stocking ratio of 1:1 (2.72 t/ha / 90 days) compared to other stocking ratios. The result indicates on the basis of benefit-cost-ratio that the farmer's income will be around double or more in the combined production of organic grass carp and tilapia with stocking ratio of 1:1 than the other stocking ratios. The density of grass carp should be further studied.

Opportunities for Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Improvement Using Molecular Genetics

“…It is mainly used to feed livestock in cut and carry feeding systems [3,16,17]. It is a multipurpose forage crop that can be grazed directly, or made into silage or hay [18] and there have also been reports of using Napier grass as fish food, for example for feeding grass carp and tilapia in Nepal [19,20] and Bangladesh [21]. A recent report from Nigeria also indicated that young shoots of Napier grass were used as a cooked vegetable [22].…”