A preliminary study on the use of the local variety of ipil-ipil Leucaena leucocephala as a protein source for prawn feed

A study was carried out to determine the effect of 10 or 20% leaves or seeds in the diet of Penaeus monodon , and the extent to which local ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala ) could replace head shrimp meal. A brief description is given of the experimental methodology, and details of composition of the diet, proximate chemical composition of the diets, mean weight gain and survival of Penaeus monodon larvae fed shrimp head meal and ipil-ipil as protein sources, are presented. Mean weight gains for all groups were poor and not statistically significant. Survival rates for those fed 10% ipil-ipil were significantly higher than those fed 20% diets. Wherever the survival rate was high, mean weight gain was low and vice versa. The presence of the toxic alkaloids mimosine in ipil-ipil could have caused the low survival rate.