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¹ Naresuan University, Faculty of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Agricultural Science, 65000 Phitsanulok, Thailand
² Kasetsart University, Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Aquaculture, 10900 Bangkok, Thailand DOI : 10.4194/1303-2712-v21_10_03 Viewed : 1866 - Downloaded : 2833 The potential benefits of ripe cultivated banana CV. Kluai Namwa (Musa sapientum Linn.) as a natural feed supplementation in practical diet on growth performance, feed utilization, innate immunity and disease resistance against Streptococcus agalactiae infection in hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus x O. mossambicus) were evaluated. Fish were fed with the test diet containing different levels of ripe cultivated banana (RCB) supplements (10, 30 and 50 g/kg diet) compared with the negative control and positive control diet for 60 days. Results showed that growth parameters, feed efficiency and lysozyme activity values in the positive control group (vitamins and minerals premix added) were significantly higher than the negative control group (without any premix supplements) but differences among the RCB supplementary diet group and the positive control group were not statistically significant. After challenged with Streptococcus agalactiae, the cumulative mortality of fish in the positive control group was lowest (0%), the percent survivals were 62.22%, 66.67%, 83.33% and 88.89% in the negative control, 10RCB, 30RCB, and 50RCB treatments, respectively. These results showed that the RCB supplementary diets had unaffected on growth performances and could be potential as an immunostimulant to improve fish health for red tilapia aquaculture. Keywords : Red tilapia, Musa sapientum, Immune stimulants, Intensive culture, Feed supplementation