Ahmed Oluwasegun Akinola, Adeyinka Oye Akintunde and Martha Dupe Olumide
Babcock University, Department of Agriculture and Industrial Technology, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria
Akinola, A. O., Akintunde, A. O. & Olumide, M. D. (2025). Reproductive potentials of Japanese quails to administration of Parquetina nigrescens leaf extracts. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31(1), 190–198
This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Parquetina nigrescence leaf extract (PNLE) on the reproductive abilities of Japanese quails. The study was carried out at the Poultry Unit of the Teaching and Research Farm, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. Two hundred (200) day-old quails were purchased from a commercial hatchery. Parquetina nigrescens leaves were harvested around Babcock University, Ilishan, Remo, Ogun State Nigeria. Six hundred grams of the leaf was cut into smaller pieces and soaked into 1 liter of water for 72 h, it was then filtered with a muslin cloth and the filtrate was given to the birds according to the treatments. The birds were randomly distributed into five treatments; each treatment was replicated four times with 10 birds per replicate. Treatment 1 (T1); without PNLE served as the control, T2, T3, T4, and T5 received PNLE at 0.20, 0.40, 0.60, and 0.80 ml/liter of water respectively. Data on growth performance, hemato-biochemical, and reproductive responses were collected and subjected to analysis of variance using a statistical analytical system.
According to the results obtained, all the parameters for growth were not significantly influenced (p > 0.05) by the administration of PNLE except feed conversion ratio (FCR). The best FCR (3.18) was recorded in T4. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the production performance of the Japanese quails. Although, there was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in the ovary weight and the relative ovary weight with the T1 and T2 having the highest values (ovary weight 1.5 g, relative ovary weight 1.03% and 0.9% respectively). The administration of PNLE did not have a significant effect (p > 0.05) on testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone concentrations but birds administered with the highest level of PNLE had significantly least (p < 0.05) concentration of estrogen. It was therefore concluded that an inclusion level of 0.60 ml of PNLE per litter of water enhances the FCR of Japanese quails and administration at 0.20 ml of PNLE improves the reproductive parameters of Japanese quails.