Journal of Agricultural Science March, 2010 193 Effects of Medicinal Plant (Kigelia Africana) on Sperm Quality of African Catfish Clarias Gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) Broodstock Eunice Oluwayemisi Adeparusi Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Federal University of Technology, PMB 704, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria Tel: 234-805-600-2360 E-mail: ayoadeparusi@yahoo.com Adekunle Ayokanmi Dada (Corresponding author) Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Federal University of Technology, PMB 704, Ondo state, Nigeria Tel: 234-805-450-4173 E-mail: dadaayokanmi@yahoo.com Olakunle Victor Alale Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Federal University of Technology, PMB 704, Ondo State, Nigeria Tel: 234-803-259-1057 E-mail: allenvicky@yahoo.com Abstract The effects of K. africana fruit (Lam. Benth), family bignoniaceae, were investigated on the sperm quality of C. gariepinus, (mean body weight, 396.05±7.04). Five diets with crude protein of 40% were formulated with different inclusion levels of K. africana powder. D1 (control) has 0 g/kg of the powder, while D2, D3, D4 and D5 has 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg of the K. africana powder. A total of 120 C. gariepinus were randomly distributed in triplicate into 15 concrete tanks (2×2×1.5m) at stocking density of 8 fish per tank and constant water level of 1m was maintained in the experimental tanks. The tank contained pond water (PH ≈ 7.2, oxygen≈ 4.3 mg/l, temperature≈ 26. 2 0 C). The fish were fed at 3% of body weight twice a day between 8.00-9.00 am and 4.00-5.00 pm for a period of 90 days. The qualities of the milt were assessed by aid of microscope and by fertility tests. The male brood fish fed 100 g/kg had significantly higher (P<0.05) sperm counts (6.5± 1.2x10 9 sperm/m), % motility (92%), fertilization ability (90.88±1.03), lower milt volume (1.45±0.71) and motility duration of (39.00±1.4). However, significant differences were not observed in the length and weight of the testes among the diet groups (p>0.05). The results of the study has shown that K. africana fruits possess promising pro-fertility which can be exploited in fish seeds production and 100 g/kg of K. africana based diet was the best tolerance level of inclusion, which could give satisfactory and efficient result on the sperm quality and fertility of C. gariepinus Keywords: Kigelia africana, Sperm quality, Fertility, Clarias gariepinus 1. Introduction Aquaculture is a fast growing sector in Nigeria contributing less than 5% of the total fish supply but at a growth rate of about 2% per year (Moses, 2006). Among the culturable fish in Nigeria includes C. gariepinus, which is a major tropical aquaculture species in Africa (Ayinla and Akande 1988) and most popular with fish farmer and consumers. C. gariepinus commands a very good commercial value in Nigerian markets (Ayinla et al, 1994). It has been noted that farming is hardly imaginable without availability of fish seed ( Chondar 1980). Based on a 1992 United Nations Development Project (UNDP) assisted base line study, the total annual fingerlings requirement for Nigeria was 250,000 million while the domestic production stood at 7.2 million (Nwokoye et al. 2007). In fish reproduction under controlled conditions, attempts are made to obtain sperm of the highest quality and hence to produce the highest possible numbers of good quality seeds. Several factors that affect fish seeds quality includes