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J. Env. Bio-Sci., 2018: Vol. 32 (1): 137-142 ISSN 0973-6913 (Print), ISSN 0976-3384 (On Line)

EVALUATION OF BREEDING PERFORMANCE OF LABEO ROHITA USING GONADOPRIM

AS AN INDUCING AGENT
Abhishek Kumar and Rikhi S. Chauhan*
Department of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries,
G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar-263145, India
[*Corresponding author E-mail : rikhichauhan@rediffmail.com]

Received: 25-05-2018 Accepted: 28-05-2018

The use of inducing agents for successful breeding of fish is a common practice and has been evaluated at several occasions. The
commercially available inducing hormones in readymade form are becoming very popular and found to be efficient in successful
breeding of fishes. During the course of present study, a new inducing agent, Gonadoprim, was used to study the breeding
performance of the Labeo rohita in comparison to Gonopro-FH and pituitary gland extract (PGE). The experiment was conducted to
evaluate fecundity, latency period, egg fertilization percentage and hatching percentage in Labeo rohita. The spawning success
using Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH and PGE was 100%, 100% and 90%, respectively. The corresponding latency period was 10 hrs, 11
hrs and 11.30 hrs. Fertilization using Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH and PGE was 99.2%, 99.1% and 90.5% and corresponding hatching
was 91.5%, 88.8% and 86.0%, respectively. The evaluation of responsiveness of three inducing agents Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH
and PGE on fecundity, fertilization rate and hatching revealed that Gonadoprim works better in spawning success (100%), relative
fecundity (127623 eggs/kg body weight), fertilization (99.2%) and hatching (91.5%) than Gonopro-FH and PGE induced bred Labeo
rohita. The results of the present study would be useful for appropriate management of induced breeding in Labeo rohita and other
carps.
Kye words: Evaluation, Breeding, Labeo rohita

The fish production of the country has increased from 0.75
million tonnes in 1950 to over 10 million tonnes at present,
recording over thirteen fold increase (FAO, 2016). At the same
time, carps contribute more than 80% of the total aquaculture
production. Such growth has been possible due to impressive
developments in aquaculture, mainly through carp culture in
freshwater ponds. The major constraints for scientific
development of large scale commercial culture of several fish
species is the deficiency of quality seed of uniform size, and
free from diseases and parasites at the time of stocking in
culture ponds (Chauhan et al., 2003). The major breakthrough
achieved in 1957 in induced breeding of Indian major carps
using pituitary extract has greatly contributed for the rapid
development of carp culture in India without having to depend
heavily on the riverine collection of fish seed (Chaudhari and
Alikunhi, 1957). Many ready to use inducing agents are now
available in the market. The introduction and application of
synthetic hormones like ovaprim, ovatide and others have
brought revolution in the artificial propagation and breeding of
carps (Nandeesha et al., 1990; Singh et al., 2002).
The role of environmental factors in spawning of Indian major
carps and Chinese carps has been studied by a number of
workers (Verghese and Rao, 1968; Chaudhari and Singh, 1984;
NAAS Rating (2017)-4.43
Someshekarappa et al., 1990). Among several inducing agents
used in fish breeding, salmon gonadotropin releasing hormone
(LHRH) analogue in combination with dopamine antagonist
was found to be effective in fish breeding (Lin and Peter, 1996).
Brazuska (2006), Rokade et al. (2006) and Afzal et al. (2008)
also worked on different inducing agents used for spawning in
fish. The effect of hormonal dose on egg output and fertilization
rate has been worked out by More et al. (2010) and Motilan et
al. (2014).
In the present investigation, gonadoprim, gonopro-FH and
pituitary gland extract (PGE) were used to induce final
maturation and spawning in freshwater fish, Labeo rohita, to
study the comparative effectiveness of gonadoprim in
comparison to other inducing agents.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The experiment was conducted in circular Chinese hatchery.
Two to three years old male (90) and female (60) L. rohita were
collected from production ponds and stocked in broodstock
pond (0.1 ha) in the month of November. The stocked fishes
were fed with artificial feed made of deoiled mustard oilcake
(50%), rice polish (48%) and mineral-vitamin mixture (2%) at
the rate of 3% body weight of stocked fishes in two split
 KUMAR AND CHAUHAN (138)

dosages - one in the late morning and the other in late No. of fish ovulated
Spawning Success (%) =  100
afternoon. Total no. of fish injected

Broodstock selection and conditioning: Healthy disease Num ber of egg s la id

free ripe males and females were collected using seine net in
the pond in morning between 8:00-9:00 hrs on the day of
breeding trials. The male and female fishes were kept in same
tank using partioning for the male and female and continuous
water flow was maintained to ensure sufficient aeration. The
average weight of the females and males were 721±10g and
586±10 g, respectively. The selected male and female fishes
were kept in rectangular conditioning tanks for about 6 hrs.
No feed was given during conditioning of fishes.
Collection and preparation of pituitary gland extract
(PGE): The pituitary glands were collected from Indian major
carp in the month of June and preserved in absolute alcohol
immediately after collection. Collected pituitaries were
mascerated and homogenized in distilled water. The solution
was centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 15 minutes and the clear
supernatant was used for injection.
Method of injecting and dose of hormone to brooders:
The selected brooders were injected intramuscularly with three
inducing agents, Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH and PGE at required
dosages based on the sex and weight of fish. The inducing
agents and their recommended dosage used for the experiment
are given in Table 1. The injected brooders were transferred
into breeding pool for evaluation of breeding performance.
The numerical estimation of eggs was done by volumetric
method .
R elativ e fec und ity =  1000
W e ight o f fis h in gram
Av. no. of fertilized eggs in a sample
Fertilization(%)=  100
Total no. of eggs in sample (fertilize d  unfertiliz ed )
No. of hatchlings
Hatching (%) =  100
No. of fertilized eggs kept for hatching
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Water quality parameters in breeding pool and hatching
tank: In the Chinese circular hatchery, the water flow rate of
15-20 liters/minute was maintained all through in breeding pool.
In addition showers were also in operation. The details of
average water temperature, dissolved oxygen, free carbon
dioxide, pH and total alkalinity in breeding pool and hatching
tank during different trials of breeding have been given in the
Table 2.
The optimum range of water temperature for hatching of Labeo
rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala eggs was recorded as 24oC to
28oC (Mohan, 2000). Chauhan et al. (2003) recorded water
temperature of 29 to 32 °C as suitable for induced breeding of
L. rohita with Ovatide.The alkalinity of 90-120 ppm found safer
and best suited for hatchery operation (Gupta et al., 2006).
Breeding performance of L. rohita: Details of selected fishes
conditioned and injected with inducing agents have been
included in the Table 3.

Chauhan et al. (2003) used Labeo rohita broodfish of the size

of 0.70-1.50 kg for induced breeding using different inducing
Table 1: Hormones used for breeding and their respective
agents. Other workers used fishes from 1.0 to 1.5 kg for
standard dosages
induced breeding (Tiwana and Raman, 2012; Indira et al., 2012).

Inducing agent Sex First dose Second dose Spawning success: Results regarding the spawning success
Pituitary gland extract male Nil 3 mg/kg bw of experimental fem ale Labeo rohita, induced with
female 3 mg/kg bw 6 mg/kg bw
Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH, PGE extract as primary dosage
are shown in Table 4. During the experiment 100 % ovulation
Gonopro-FH male 0.2-0.3ml/kg bw Nil
rate has been found for Gonadoprim and Gonopro-FH treated
female 0.5ml/kg bw Nil
fishes followed by PGE treated fishes (90 %). Various authors
Gonadoprim male 0.1-0.2ml/kg bw Nil reported breeding success ranging from 75 to 100% in induced
female 0.3-0.4ml/kg bw Nil bred fishes (More et al., 2010; Tiwana and Raman, 2012).
(139) EVALUATION OF BREEDING PERFORMANCE OF LABEO ROHITA

Table 2: Details of water quality parameters in breeding pool and hatcning tank
Parameters 1st treatment 2nd treatment 3rd treatment
Breeding pool Hatching tank Breeding pool Hatching tank Breeding Hatching tank
pool
Water Temperature (°C) 29.0 29.1 28.1 29.0 26.4 28.0
pH 7.6 7.0 7.5 7.1 7.4 7.1
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l) 7.6 6.3 7.0 7.5 7.6 7.6
Free CO2 (mg/l) 0.50 0.45 0.21 0.20 0.1 0.10
Total Alkalinity (ppm) 85.0 88.0 89.0 99.0 95.0 95.0

Table 3: Details of selected fishes for induced breeding

Inducing agents Weight of injected fish (kg)
Gonadoprim Female Male Male
0.740 0.455 0.550
0.660 0.490 0.650
0.835 0.525 0.670
0.675 0.770 0.840
0.695 0.530 0.740
0.855 0.560 0.635
0.730 0.690 0.940
0.735 0.720 0.740
0.850 0.550 0.660
0.820 0.570 0.920
Gonopro-FH 0.620 0.575 0.715
0.905 0.520 0.850
1.130 0.675 0.715
0.810 0.710 0.690
0.910 0.430 0.605
1.400 0.550 0.575
1.200 0.470 0.535
0.714 0.595 0.580
0.781 0.630 0.900
0.575 0.760 0.680
PGE 0.870 0.590 0.610
1.100 0.890 0.780
0.760 0.760 0.700
0.560 0.710 0.820
0.700 0.830 0.525
0.700 0.700 0.635
0.700 0.500 0.820
1.00 0.600 0.910
0.660 0.800 0.660
0.950 0.830 0.780
 KUMAR AND CHAUHAN (140)

Table 4: Spawning success in experimental L. rohita

Inducing Total wt. of Dosage No. of No. of female Spawning success

Agents female female spawned
injected (%)
(kg)

Gonadoprim 7.595 0.4 ml/kg body weight 10 10 100

Gonopro-FH 9.045 0.5 ml/kg body weight 10 10 100

PGE 8.00 9 m g/kg body weight 10 09 90

Table 5: Egg laid and fecundity in experimental L. rohita

Inducing Agent No. of female injected Total wt. of female (kg) Total eggs produced Avg. no. of eggs /kg
body wt.
Gonadoprim 10 7.595 969300 127623
Gonopro-FH 10 9.045 954080 105481
PGE 10 8.00 827410 103426

Table 6: Fertilization and hatching in L. rohita induced bred with different inducing agents
Inducing Agents Dosage No. of eggs No. of fertilized No. of Hatchlings Fertilization Hatching
laid eggs (%) (%)
Gonadoprim 0.4 ml/kg body 969300 959750 878171 99.2 91.5
weight
Gonopro-FH 0.5 ml/kg body 954080 946300 840314 99.1 88.8
weight
PGE 9 mg/kg body 827410 739410 635897 90.5 86.0
weight

Relative fecundity: Results regarding the relative fecundity
of experimental female L. rohita, induced with Gonadoprim,
Gonopro-FH and PGE extract are shown in Table 5. During
the experiment, total number of eggs produced per kg body
weight by Gonadoprim treated fishes (127623) was highest
followed by Gonopro-FH treated fishes (105481) and least
number of eggs were obtained in PGE injected fishes (103426).
Tiwana and Raman (2012) reported that fecundity rate was
better under the Ovaprim treatment (0.38 lac eggs/kg) as
compared to the Ovatide (0.37 lac eggs/kg) and PGE (0.35
lac eggs/kg) in L. rohita. Khan et al. (2006) reported that
fecundity rate was better in Ovaprim (0.58 lac eggs/kg)
treatment as compared to the Ovatide (0.49 lac eggs/kg) in L.
rohita. Nandeesha et al. (1990) reported relative fecundity in
C. mrigala induced with Ovaprim at varying doses (0.25 to
0.40 ml/ kg), ranging from 54909 to 165263 with an average of
110463 number of egg/ kg body weight. Mishra et al., (200l)
observed a relative fecundity of 85526 eggs/ kg fish induced
with 0.5 ml/ kg of Ovatide. The differences in the relative
fecundity may be due to differences in environmental parameters
in different experiments at different places as also opined by
Nikolsky (1963).
Latency period: During the experiment least latency period
of 10 hours was observed in Gonadoprim induced fishes
followed by Gonopro-FH (11 hours) and maximum latency
period was observed in PGE induced fishes (11 hours 30
minutes). Chauhan et al. (2003) found latency period of 9-12
hrs for Ovatide treated rohu, 8-13 hrs for Ovaprim treatment
and 5-10 hrs for PGE treated rohu.
Fertilization and hatching rate: Results on fertilization and
(141) EVALUATION OF BREEDING PERFORMANCE OF LABEO ROHITA

hatching of eggs of L. rohita are shown in Table 6. During the
experiment highest average number of fertilized eggs obtained
per kg body weight was found in Gonadoprim treated fishes
(126602) followed by Gonopro-FH treated fishes (104531) and
least average number of fertilized eggs obtained per kg
bodyweight was found in PGE injected fishes (93600). During
the experiment, highest fertilization rate (99.2%) and hatching
rate (91.5%) were found in Gonadoprim treated fishes followed
by Gonopro-FH injected and PGE injected fishes.
Tiwana and Raman (2012) found 61.30% fertilization rate in
Ovaprim induced rohu followed by 58.5 % by Ovatide and
55.96% with PGE. Indira et al. (2012) found 75-90% fertilization
rate in Ovaprim induced carps and lower fertilization rate of
65-80% were observed in PGE treated carps. More et al. (2010)
revealed that percentage of fertilization ranged between 88.11-
97.94% in Ovaprim treated carps and 53.19-85.48% with PGE
treated carps. Chauhan et al. (2003) found 81.16 % fertilization
for Ovatide treated rohu followed by 79.18% for Ovaprim and
least 64.26% by PGE treated rohu. Nandeesha et al. (1990)
found a fertilization percentage of 85.43 in C. mrigala with the
use of Ovaprim when induced breeding trials were conducted
in various states of India during May to July (temperature ranged
25-30°C). Das (2004) evaluated breeding performance of Indian
carps using 'ovopel' and found 95% fertilization in eggs produced
The evaluation of responsiveness of three inducing agents
Gonadoprim, Gonopro-FH and PGE on fecundity, fertilization
rate and hatching of experimental L. rohita revealed that
Gonadoprim works better in spawning success (100%), relative
fecundity (127623eggs/kg body weight), fertilization (99.2%)
and hatching (91.5%) than Gonopro-FH and PGE induced bred
Labeo rohita. These results would be useful for appropriate
management of induced breeding in L. rohita and other carps.
ACKNOWLRDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to the Head, Department of
Aquaculture, College of Fisheries, G. B. Pant University of
Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand for
providing facilities to conduct present study.
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