Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part B (2025)

The study investigated the effects of dietary Carica papaya leaf powder (PLP) on the growth, survival, and feed efficiency of Labeo Catla fry over a 60-day experimental period. Five dietary treatments were formulated, incorporating PLP at inclusion levels of 0% (control), 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%, with all diets maintaining a consistent protein content of 30%. Growth parameters, including mean weight gain, specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER), were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the treatment with 7.5% PLP (T3) exhibited the highest mean weight gain (2.263±0.145 g), SGR (3.225±0.099%/day) and survival rate (97.500±2.887%), while achieving the lowest FCR (1.923±0.043) and the highest PER (1.734±0.039). These findings indicate that PLP enhances protein digestion and nutrient absorption, likely due to bioactive compounds such as papain. However, higher inclusion levels (>7.5%) showed diminishing returns, possibly due to anti-nutritional factors like alkaloids and saponins. The study highlights the potential of PLP as a natural growth promoter and survival enhancer for Labeo Catla, emphasizing the need for species-specific dietary formulations. The results suggest that a 7.5% inclusion level is optimal for this species.