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Protein requirement of juvenile soft‐shelled turtle Trionyx sinensis Wiegmann
Author(s) -
Nuangsaeng B,
Boonyaratapalin M
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1355-557x.2001.00049.x
Subject(s) - biology , juvenile , zoology , turtle (robot) , body weight , weight gain , feed conversion ratio , dietary protein , endocrinology , fishery , ecology
A study was conducted to determine the dietary protein requirement of the juvenile soft‐shelled turtle Trionyx sinensis Wiegmann . Six isocaloric diets containing approximately 4.9 kcal g −1 of gross energy and 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50% or 55% of crude protein were fed to turtles weighing nearly 5.1 g each for a 14‐week experimental period ( n = 3). The turtles were raised in aquaria provided with a dry area for feeding and were fed to satiation twice a day. Feed consumption and body weight were determined every 2 weeks. There was a general increase in body weight with protein concentration of feed. After 6 weeks of feeding, the turtle fed 45%−55% protein diets had significantly higher body weight than those fed 30%−35% protein diets. At 14 weeks, the body weight and the feed conversion ratio with 45% protein diet were significantly better than with 30% and 35% protein diets, but were not significantly different compared with 50% and 55% protein diets. The protein and energy retention tended to increase with dietary protein, increasing from 30% to 45% and decreasing thereafter. Survival of turtles fed diets with 50% and 55% protein was significantly higher than those fed with 30%−40% protein. The protein accretion increased with dietary protein concentration. A broken‐line regression analysis of the final body weight indicated that a 46.48% dietary protein level optimally supports the performance of the juvenile soft‐shelled turtle.