Growth Performance, Sperm Quality and Testicular Morphometry of Buck Rabbits Fed Dietary Levels of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L) Leaf Meal
[1]
Wafar Raphael James, Department of Animal Production and Health, Faulty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Federal University Wukari, Wukari, Nigeria.
[2]
Tarimbuka Luka Isa, Department of Health and Production Technology, Adamawa State College of Agriculture, Ganye, Nigeria.
[3]
Iliya Deacon Samuel, Department of Health and Production Technology, Adamawa State College of Agriculture, Ganye, Nigeria.
[4]
Makinta Aja, Department of Animal Health and Production, Mohammed Lawan College of Agriculture Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
A study was conducted to determine growth performance, sperm quality and testicular morphometry of buck rabbits fed dietary levels of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L) leaf meal. Thirty (30) buck rabbits mixed breeds between the aged 11 - 12 weeks; weighing 950±0.25 were used for the study. The buck rabbits were randomly assigned into five dietary treatments, designated as T1, T2 T3 T4 and T5 containing 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of pumpkin leaf meal respectively. Feed and water were offered ad libitum throughout the experimental period (52 days). At the end of the study period, three buck rabbits per treatment were sacrificed; internal organs and reproductive parts were carefully dissected and grouped. Internal organs were weighed and testicular morphometry and cauda epididymal sperm characteristics were determined. The result showed that growth performance, testicular morphometry and sperm characteristics as well as the internal organ weights of the buck rabbits were not significantly (P> 0.05) effected by the dietary inclusion of pumpkin leaf in the diets. It can be concluded that pumpkin leaf meal can be included up to 20% in a buck rabbit diets without negative effect on testicular morphometry, sperm quality and internal weight organs of buck rabbits.
Performance, Morphometry, Sperm Quality, Buck Rabbit, Internal Organ Weight
[1]
Onyimonyi, A. E and Onukwufor, J. O. Effect of toasted bambara nut waste on performance of growing pullets. Proceeding of the 28th Conference of Nigerian Society for Animal Production. 2003 28: 234-239.
[2]
Ben Salem, H., Atti, N., Prilo, A., Nefzauoi, A. Polyethylene glycol in concentrate or feed blocks to deactivate condensed tannins in Acacia cyanophylla forage. Effects of intake, digestion and growth by barbine lambs. Animal Science. 2009 (75) 127-135.
[3]
Wafar, R. J and Tarimbuka, L. I 2016. Effects of Quantitative Substitution of Groundnut Cake with Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) Leaf Meal on Growth Performance, Carcass yield and Blood Profile of Weaner rabbits. Federal UniversityWukari (FUD) Trends in Science and Technology Journal. 20161 (1) 238-242.
[4]
Odeyinka, SM., Oyedele, O. J. & Odedire, J. A. Reproductive performance of rabbits fed Moringa oleifera as a replacement for Centrosema pubsescens. 9th World Rabbit Congress. June, 10th-13th 2008, Verona-Italy.
[5]
Ahemen, T, Abu, AF and Orakaanya. Sperm quality ant testicular Morphometry of rabbits fed dietary levels of water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic) leaf meal. Agriculture and Biology Journal of \north America 2013 4 (3): 352-357.
[6]
Amata, IA, Bratte, L and Ofuoku, AU. Effect of partial replacement of growers mash with Gliricidia sepium Leaf meal on the growth of chinchilla rabbits and its implication for extension advisory services. African Journal of livestock Extension. 2009 7, 60-64.
[7]
Nuhu, F. Effects of Moringa leaf meal (MOLM) on nutrients digestibility, growth, carcass and blood indices of weaner rabbits. M.sc thesis animal science department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. 2010.
[8]
Ngoshe, A. A; Igwebuike, J. U and Adamu, S. B. Effects of Feeding Carrot (Daucus carota L) Meal on Haematology, Blood Chemistry and Carcass Characteristics of Growing Rabbits in a Semi-Arid Environment of Borno State of Nigeria. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 2013 12 (1), 12-19.
[9]
Facciola, S. Comucopia. A source book of edible plant, Kamping publication, Califonia USA. 1990 Pp 677.
[10]
Oloyede, F. M., Agbaje, G. O. and Obisesan, I. O. Effect of NPK fertilizer on fruit yield and yield components of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo Linn.). African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 2013 Vol. 13 (3), 7756-7771.
[11]
Fadupin, G. T., Osuoji, U., Ariyo, O. 2014. Effect of Blanching on Nutrient and Anti-nutrient Content of Pumpkin (cucurbita pepo) Leaves. African Journal of food and nutrition 2014 12 (2) 18-24.
[12]
Adebayo, A A. Adamawa State in Maps. Paraclete Publishers, Yola, Nigeria 1999. Pp 112.
[13]
Zemjanis R. Collection and evaluation of semen. In: Diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in animal reproduction. The Williams and Wilkins Co. Baltimore. 1977 Pp 242.
[14]
A. O. A. C. Official Methods of Analysis of the Official Analytical Chemists, 19th Edn. (Horwitz, W., Ed), Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC 2010.
[15]
Harborne, JB. Phytochemical Methods: A guide to modern techniques of plant analysis. London. NewYork. Chapman and Hall. 1973.
[16]
Hang, W. and Lantzsch, HJ. Comparative methods for the rapid determination of oxalate and phytate in cereal products. Journal of Science Food Agric 1983 34: 1423-1426.
[17]
Wilson, C. W., Shaw, P. E. and Knight, R. J. 1982. Analysis of oxalic acid in carambola (Averhoa carambola L.) and spinach by HPLC. Journal of Agricultural andFood Chemistry, 1982 30; 1106.
[18]
Wheeler, E. I. and Ferrel, R. E. Methods for phytic acid determination in wheat and wheat fractions. Cereal Chemistry., 1971 84: 312-320.
[19]
Steel, R. G. D. & Torrie, J H. Principles and procedures of statistics. 2nd edition. McGraw- Hill Incorporated. Tokyo Japan 1980 Pp 633.
[20]
Obi, IU.. Statistical method of detecting differences between treatments means. 2nd edition, snap press, Enugu, Nigeria. 1990.
[21]
Nkafamiya, I. I., Oseameahon, S A., Modibbo, U. U. and Haggai, D. Vitamins and effect of blanching on nutritional and antinutritional values of nonconventional leafy vegetables. African Journal of Food Science, 2010 4 (6), pp. 335 341.
[22]
Agunbiade, J. A, Bello, R. A and Adeyemi, OA. Performance characteristics of weaner rabbits on cassava peel-based balanced diets. Nigerian Journal of Animal production 2002. 29 171-175.
[23]
Yakubu, B and Wafar, R. J. Effects of Processing Methods of Leptadenia hastata on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Carcass Characteristics of Weaner Rabbits IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) 2014 7, Issue 1 Ver. II, 53-58.
[24]
Fasanya, O. O. A and Ijaiya, M. O. Effects of varying levels of dietary protein on the performance of rabbits. Nig. Journal of Animal prod., 2002 29: 168-170.
[25]
Jokthan, G. E., Alawa J. P., Adamu, A. M and Adeyinka, I. A. The effects of different fibre sources on the performance of young rabbits. Proc. of the 28th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production (NSAP), 2003 375-377Pp.
[26]
Ajayi, A. F, Farinu, G. O, Ojebiyi, O. O and Olayeni, TB. Performance Evaluation of Male Weaner Rabbits Fed Diets Containing Graded Levels of Blood-Wild Sunflower Leaf Meal Mixture. World Journal of Agricultural Sciences. 2007 3 (2) 250-255.
[27]
Bitto, I. I. and Gemade, M. Preliminary investigations on the effect of Pawpaw peel meal on growth, visceral organ and endocrine gland weights, testicular morphometry and the haematology of male rabbits. Global Journal Pure & Applied Science 2001 7 (4); 611 – 625.
[28]
Ogunlade, J. T., Ewuola, E. O. and Gbore, F. A. Testicular and epididymal sperm researves of rabbits fed fumonisin contaminated diets. Int. Digital Organisation for Scientific Information. 2006 1 (1): 35-38.
[29]
Bitto, I. I., Sende, C. T. and Eze, P. U. Preliminary investigations on to the effect of cassava peel meal on testicular morphometry and some biochemical characteristics of serum in cockerels. Global Journal Pure & Applied Science 2000 (2) 6 161-165.
[30]
Perry G, Petterson D. Determining reproductive fertility in herd bulls. University of Missouri Agriculture publication 2001; 2011: 1-8.
[31]
Ogbuewu, I. P., Okoli, I. C. and Iloeje, M. Semen quality characteristics, reaction time, testis weight and seminiferous tubule diameter of buck rabbits fed neem (Azadiractita indica A juss) leaf meal based diet. Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine 2009 7 (1) 23-28.
[32]
Oyeyemi, M. O., Ajala, O. O, Akusu, M. O and Agbesola, O. O. Effects of starvation on semen characteristics of WAD bucks. Proc. 1st Ann. Conf. ASAN. Sept. 22-24, 1998 Lagos, Nigeria Pp 128-130.
[33]
Oyeyemi, M. O. and Okediran, B. S. Testicular parameters and sperm morphology of chinchilla rabbits fed with different planes of soy meal. Int. J. Morphol., 2007 25 (1): 139-14.
[34]
Ajayi, A. F, Raji, Y. and Togun, V. Caudal Epididymal Sperm Characteristics and Testicular Morphometrics of Rabbits fed graded levels of a Blood-wild sunflower leaf meal (BWSLM) mixture diet. J. Compl. Integr. Med. 2009 (6) 1. 26.
[35]
Arthur, G. H. Noakes D. E and Pearson, H. Veterinary reproduction and obstetrics. Baillere Tindal, London, 1975 509-589Pp.
