ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Data source :  Google Scholar QueryDate : 2016-12-24 Cites : 4

Effects of Photoperiod on the Haematological Parameters of Clarias Gariepinus Fingerlings Reared in Water Recirculatory System

Haematological analyses has been routinely used in determining the physiological state of animals and known to be affected by different environmental factors, the present study was therefore designed to assess the effect of 24 hours of light (00D: 24L), 24 hours of darkness (24D: 00L) and 12 hour light / 12 hours darkness (12D: 12L) photoperiod on the haematological parameters of the African Catfish. At the end of the six weeks experiment, it was observed that some haematological parameters such as Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), the Mean White Blood Cells (WBC), Mean Red Blood Cells (RBC), Haemoglobin content (HGB), Platelet count (PLT) showed significant difference (P<0.05), while Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) did not differ significantly (P>0.05). However MCHC and MCH were noticed to increase as the light period increased while the other parameters reduced as the light period increased. The findings indicate that exposure of the African Catfish to continuous light for six weeks duration elicits response in the haematological profile of the fish.