Artificial spawning of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) with different forms and sources of pituitary gland extract: influence on fecundity, sex hormones, and reproductive performance

IntroductionThe investigation was performed to compare the influence of using different pituitary gland extract types (dried and fresh) from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) on fecundity, sex hormones, and artificial spawning performance of African catfish. MethodsPituitary glands were collected from sixty-four male catfish and sixty-four carp broodstocks to formulate four treatments: dried catfish pituitary gland extract (DPGcatfish), fresh catfish pituitary gland extract (FPGcatfish), dried carp pituitary gland extract (DPGcarp), and fresh carp pituitary gland extract (FPGcarp). Sixteen ripe females (920 to 1190 g) and sixteen ripe males (1060 to 1150 g) with a sex ratio (1:1 male ♂: female ♀) were chosen for each treatment. Results and discussionThe highest fecundity and reproductive performance were observed in the DPGcatfish-treated group, followed by the DPGcarp-treated group. The latency periods were recorded as 12 h for DPGcatfish, 17 h for FPGcatfish, 12.5 h for DPGcarp, and 21 h for FPGcarp. DPGcatfish treatment significantly improved (P ≤ 0.05) ovulation performance, reproductive output, fertilization and hatching success, and circulating estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone levels. In contrast, both fresh pituitary treatments (catfish and carp) resulted in noticeably lower outcomes. The results indicate that DPGcatfish extract consistently outperformed other treatments across all measured spawning parameters, suggesting its effectiveness in enhancing seed production in African catfish aquaculture.