Performance of Commercial Feeds on Growth and Economics of Indian Major Carps in Pond Culture
Subhadip Samanta *
Department of Aquaculture, Sanjeev Agrawal Global Educational University, Bhopal, India.
Abhishek Giri
RSETI, MoRD, Govt. of India, India.
Shriparna Saxena
Department of Aquaculture, Sanjeev Agrawal Global Educational University, Bhopal, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aquaculture has emerged as a major contributor to global food production, with countries like India relying heavily on freshwater systems where Indian Major Carps form the backbone of production. In semi-intensive pond culture, feed plays a critical role in determining growth performance, feed efficiency, and overall profitability, with commercial feeds increasingly replacing traditional farm-made diets.However, variations in nutritional composition among commercial feeds necessitate field-based evaluation to identify the most efficient and economically viable options for carp farming under practical conditions.A six-month field experiment (October 2025–March 2026) was conducted to evaluate the performance of three commercially available fish feeds on growth, feed utilization, and economic returns of Indian Major Carps (IMC) under semi-intensive pond culture conditions in Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India. The study followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three treatments: Feed A (25% protein), Feed B (30% protein), and Feed C (28% protein), each in triplicate. Fish were stocked at 3000 fingerlings per acre in a composite culture ratio (Catla:Rohu:Mrigal = 30:40:30) and fed twice daily. Growth parameters such as weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate, and feed utilization indices (FCR and FER) were recorded. The results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) among treatments. Fish fed with Feed B exhibited the highest mean final weight (710.67 ± 10.07 g), weight gain (695.34 g), and SGR (3.02% day⁻¹), followed by Feed C and Feed A. Feed utilization efficiency was also highest in Feed B, with the lowest FCR (1.41). Water quality parameters remained within optimal ranges across treatments. Economic analysis indicated that Feed B yielded the highest net income (₹3,86,750/ha) and benefit–cost ratio (5.90), despite higher feed cost. The study demonstrates that nutritionally balanced commercial feeds significantly enhance growth performance, feed efficiency, and profitability in carp culture.
Keywords: Indian major carps, commercial feed, growth performance, feed conversion ratio, economics, pond culture