Feeding snails (Archachatina marginata) with leaves: growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, proximate composition and minerals contents of snail meat.

This study explored the dietary impacts of some plant leaves (Centrosema pubescence leaves, Moringa oleifera leaves and Ipomea batata leaves) on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of Archachatina marginata reared in confinement. A twelve (12) weeks feeding trial on nine hundred and sixty (960) African giant land snails (A. marginata) fed various leaves was evaluated. The snails were allotted randomly on their experimental diets. The experimental diets were kitchen waste (leftover food) designated as the control (T1), C. pubescence leaves (T2), M. oleifera leaves (T3), and I. batata leaves (T4). Each treatment had two hundred and forty snails and was replicated four times with sixty snails each per replicate. The proximate compositions of these leaves were analyzed and showed significant values on the moisture content, crude protein, ether extracts, crude fiber, ash, and Nitrogen free extracts respectively. Data were collected on the performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, proximate composition and minerals contents of snail meat. The results on the final weight, weight gain, average weight gain and FCR of snails showed that T4 (121.46, 36.10, 0.52 g and 1.49) were significantly (p < 0.05) different across treatment groups. Results on carcass characteristics showed that T4 had superior live weight, dressed weight, foot and dressing percentage values compared to the other groups. Also, T4 revealed significantly (p < 0.05) different across the diets on nutrient digestibility, proximate compositions of snail meat and the mineral composition of the snail meat compared to the other treatments. The study concluded that T4 (I. batata leaves) significantly influences the performance, carcass characteristic and mineral compositions of the snail meat and should be recommended as snail diet for optimum performance at an affordable cost.

Pattern of color inheritance in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus): an expression of a Mendelian law.

In this study the pattern of color of inheritance based on Mendel's laws on the Clarias gariepinus strain was evaluated, to ascertain the different traits of albino, normally pigmented, and a combination of both traits that could be passed across from the parent stocks to the progenies. Since albinism is caused by a series of genetic abnormalities resulting in the reduction of melanin production, partial diallel cross between normally pigmented and albino fish was carried out using two females (albino and normal pigmented brood fish) weighing 2.5 kg and 3 kg, respectively; they were used in crossing two males (albino and normal pigmented brood fish) that weighed 1.5 kg and 1 kg, respectively. They were paired with normal pigmented (♂Np × â™€Np) and albino C. gariepinus (♂Ae × â™€Ae) fish to produce a pure strain of normally pigmented and albino strain, respectively. To produce the hybrids, they were paired (♂Np × â™€Ae) and (♂Ae × â™€Np), respectively. The outcomes of this study showed that crossbreeding between normally pigmented females and albino males produced all normally pigmented F1 generation, while some quantity of albino (36.67%) at crossing male albino to normally pigmented females were produced. However, the pure strains breed true (100%). Each hybrid exhibits heterosis after 56 days of rearing compared to the normal strain that was crossed, although the normally pigmented fish gives a better SGR. Hence, there is a need to investigate if sex is linked with albinism.