Journal Article

The effect of bay leaf (Syzygium polyanthum) enrichment in artificial feed on growth and profitability of barramundi (Lates calcarifer) cultivation

Kurnia, Dita Juni, Nugroho, Ristiawan Agung, Kurohman, Faik, Nursanto, Didik Budi, Wijayanto, Dian

2026

Overview

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is one of the leading aquaculture commodities in Indonesia. Artificial feed enrichment with nutraceutical ingredients can enhance fish immunity and growth. This research used bay leaf (Syzygium polyanthum) liquid to enrich the artificial feed for barramundi culture. The effect of the enrichment on the growth performance (specific growth rate - SGR, and weight gain rate - WGR), survival rate (SR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and economic returns (benefit cost ratio - BCR) of barramundi were then examined. The experiment was conducted for 53 days using fingerlings with an initial average weight of 11.10±0.28 g per fish, reared in 0.5 m3 tanks stocked with 34 fish per tank. Commercial pellets were enriched with bay leaf liquid in three different dosages: 1% (treatment A), 2% (treatment B), and 3% (treatment C). Fish were fed at 4% of biomass per day. This research found that the WGR ranged from 72.64 to 73.98%, SGR ranged from 2.50 to 2.60% day-1, SR ranged from 94 to 100%, FCR ranged from 1.34 to 1.46, and BCR ranged from 1.96 to 2.11. Treatment B showed the best overall performance, although statistical analysis indicated no significant differences among treatments. The optimization analysis suggested that the optimal dosage was between 1.7 and 1.8%, while the path analysis revealed a strong relationship between technical aspects (SGR, FCR, SR) and financial aspects (BCR).

• Publisher: Published by Bioflux in cooperation with The Natural Sciences Museum Complex (Constanta, Romania)