Abstract:
To explore the effects of dietary fish meal replacement by mixed vegetable protein (equal amounts of soybean meal and rapeseed meal) on the growth and reproduction performance of adult red swamp crayfish (
Procambarus clarkii), nine diets including six levels of mixed vegetable protein and with/without crystalline lysine and methionine supplementation were formulated for a 10-week trial. The results indicated that the weight gain rate, absolute fecundity of adult crayfish, and
GSI of female crayfish decreased significantly (
P<0.05) as the dietary vegetable protein level increased. Compared with the control group, proper inclusion (33.8%) of vegetable protein in the diet significantly (
P<0.05) improved the growth of crayfish without impacting the absolute fecundity and gonadosomatic index (
GSI). Amino acids supplementation in the diets containing vegetable protein prevented the depression of growth and fecundity. In addition, high plant protein inhibited the growth of adult red swamp crayfish and reduced the reproductive capacity, and the addition of lysine and methionine reversed these defects. In addition, although the food formula of each group is different, the gland index of
Procambarus clarkii is consistent with the change of absolute fecundity.