Archives of Current Research International

This study evaluated the growth-promoting potential of Amla (P. emblica) powder as a dietary supplement for P. pangasius fingerlings. Four diets containing 0% (control), 1.5%, 3.0%, or 4.5% Amla powder were evaluated for their effects on growth, feed utilisation, survival, and culture-water quality. Water temperature (25.10-26.70 °C), pH (7.9-8.5), total alkalinity (110-140 mg/L), and mean dissolved oxygen (6.4-6.8 mg/L) were monitored fortnightly. These variables remained broadly comparable among treatments throughout the experiment. Growth performance was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the supplemented groups than in the control. The 3.0% treatment (T2) produced the highest net weight gain (27.20 g), percentage weight gain (103.03%), and specific growth rate (1.18), compared with 18.05 g, 69.96%, and 0.88, respectively, in the control. Feed conversion was also most efficient in T2, which recorded the lowest feed conversion ratio (2.45), whereas the control recorded 3.18. Survival reached 80% in T1 and T2 and 70% in the control and T3. One-way analysis of variance followed by Duncan's multiple range test indicated significant differences among treatments for the evaluated performance indices. Under the conditions of this study, dietary supplementation with 3.0% Amla powder provided the most favourable combination of growth, feed utilisation, and survival without detectable deterioration of the measured water-quality variables.