Author(s): Weerasingha Rochana, Wickramaarachchi Niroshan, Somasundaram Tiruchenduran, Muhammad Aliyu Sulaiman and Dhanushka Mahesh

Abstract: Recently the use of chitosan as immunostimulants in aquaculture has been given attention. Four diets (T₁: Basal diet; T₂: 2% extracted chitosan (EC); T₃: 2% commercial chitosan (CC) and T₄: 4% CC) were used to study the effects of chitosan as a growth stimulator and its subsequent impact on immune response in juvenile tiger shrimp. Each diet was randomly assigned in triplicate groups of 60 Juveniles (0.1g ± 0.01) and distributed in 12 glass tanks of 50L. After 42 days of the feeding trial, shrimp were faced with a challenge test of white spot syndrome virus for 6 days. Final weight (FW), percent weight gain (PWG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of shrimp fed diets with chitosan are significantly higher than those of shrimp fed diet T₁ (0% chitosan) (P<0.05). Nevertheless, FW, PWG and SGR of shrimp fed 2% CC are significantly higher than those of shrimp fed 4% CC (P<0.05). No significant difference was recorded in FW, PWG & SGR of shrimp fed T₂ (2% EC) and T₃ (2% CC) (P>0.05)_. Also, no significant difference was recorded in survival of shrimp during the feeding trial and challenge test (P>0.05). The study revealed that chitosan would be a growth promoter and/or immunostimulant in juvenile tiger shrimp diets with the optimum level of 2%. Considering cost, the locally extracted chitosan is affordable and beneficial for shrimp diets compared to CC.

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