Effects of Varying Diet Compositions on the Reproductive Performance of Archachatina marginata

Abstract

Reproduction is an important factor in ensuring the sustainability of snail farming. Feeding on the other hand is essential in achieving this cause. The nutritional quality of a diet is associated with the diet’s ingredient. Hence, the study was carried out to assess the reproductive rate of Archachatinamarginata (Swaison) species fed with varying diets for optimum yield and sustainable management. A total of 60 snails were randomly assigned to five feed (treatments), each with four replicates. The experiment was laid in a completely randomized design. The treatments used are: cucumber (T1); 21% crude protein (T2); 23% crude protein (T3); 21% crude protein + cucumber (T4); and 23% crude protein + cucumber (T5). Data on the egg number,weight and size of snails were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and one way analysis of variance. The result showed significant difference (p < 0.05) in the number, weight and size of eggs obtained from the various treatments. T5 and T4 showed highest output in the three reproduction parameter while T1 gave the lowest output. No significance difference was observed on the reproductive performance for A. marginata species fed with the mixture of cucumber + 21% crude protein (T4) and cucumber + 23% crude protein (T5). Furthermore, the study recommended the diet mixture of cucumber and 21% crude protein for reduced cost of production and optimal reproductive performance of A. marginata.