Effect of different levels of ethanolic extract of Salicornia persica halophytic plant on growth indices, body composition and antioxidant enzymes activities of the Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp

The main objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of ethanolic extract of the Salicornia plant on growth indices, body composition and immunity of the western white leg shrimp juveniles. Experimental treatments consisted of 0 (control), 1, 3 and 5 grams of ethanolic salicornia extract per kg of base diet. Each treatment consisted of triplicates containing 50 juveniles at each tank. Shrimp were fed 3 times daily about 5% of body weight for 45 days experimental period. At the end of the experiment period, 5 shrimp from each tank were randomly selected and growth parameters, body composition analysis and immunity indices were measured. The results showed that there was a significant difference in each of the measured growth indices between the control and other treatments and the best performance was observed in the diet containing 5 grams of ethanolic extract (p<0.05). Body compositions and immunity indices results showed that the best performance was related to 5 g ethanol treatment and had a significant difference with other treatments (p<0.05). The output of the current research revealed that the usage of the Salicornia extract has positive effects on growth, body composition and immunity of the western white leg shrimp. Therefore, usage of salicornia extract of 5 g/Kg is recommended in the shrimp farms.