Carbofuran induced changes in breeding of a freshwater fish, Labeo rohita (Hamilton)

Abstract

The effect of carbofuran, a carbamate pesticide, on the breeding performance of the freshwater fish Labeo rohita (Hamilton) has been investigated in the present study. Breeding of L. rohita was conducted after treatment with three sublethal concentrations, i.e. 0.06, 0.15 and 0.30 mg L⁻¹ of carbofuran for 96 h. The present investigation showed that the number of total eggs and total amount of eggs (litre per kg body weight) decreased significantly (p < 0.01) at all concentrations of carbofuran in comparison to controls, while the reduction in fertilization percentage at all concentrations of carbofuran was not significantly different from controls. The reduction in hatching percentage, the expected number of hatchlings, and the expected number of hatched larvae were significantly (p < 0.01) different between treated and control groups at all carbofuran concentrations. No significant differences for the 96 h survivability of hatched larvae were reported at all concentrations of carbofuran.

Keywords:

• breeding
• Labeo rohita
• carbofuran

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to give their sincere thanks to Dr J. P. Verma, Mr. Vijay Shankar Chourasia and Mr. Sumanta Mukherjee for their technical help and cooperation during the study period.