EFFECTS OF DRY ABELMOSCHUS ESCULENTUS FRUIT MEAL ON THE PERFORMANCE OF GROWING SNAILS (Achatina achatina)

ABSTRACT

It has been documented that okra may improve growth and performance of snails. This research aimed at investigating the effects of dry Abelmoschus esculentus fruit meal on the performance of growing snails. There were four treatments and six replicates. T1 was the control die t(0%) Okra while T2-T4 had 0.25%-0.75% dry Abelmoschus esculentus fruit meal respectively. Each replicate was allotted 10 grower snails while each treatment had 60 snails each all assigned in a completely randomized design giving a total of 240 snails. Compounded feed, pawpaw leaves and water were given for about 3 months. Daily feed intake, the shell length, shell diameter and weight gain were also evaluated at the end of the experiment.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Snails by nature due to their unappealing physiology are considered disgusting. Crawling around and wreaking havoc in gardens but in many parts of the world such as France, Germany, and Portugal, snails are actually a delicacy. They are of great benefits to man directly and indirectly. In addition to containing significant sources of protein and low fats, snails are also good sources of iron, calcium, vitamin A, and a number of other minerals (Pires et al., 2021). The protein in snail is similar to that of pork and beef, but snail come with a much lower fat content (Adagbada et al.,2011;Okafor-Elenwo&Imade,2019). Due to its high iron quantity, they can improve iron-deficient anemia. All of the above factors are excellent reasons why snail rearing should be done .

When it comes to religious uses, snails are widely used in divination. “the Greek poet Hesiod wrote that snails signified the time to harvest by climbing the stalks while the Aztec moon god Tecciztecati bore a snail shell on this back symbolizing rebirth (Monroe, Don (3 March 2006).

To the environment, the snail slim is an excellent nitrogen rich fertilizer. They also help in keeping the balance of the environment. Their decomposing activities helps break down dead plant and animal matter, returning the energy to the soil, restarting the cycle in the food chain(

Snail exportation is a huge source of income. Statistics shows that top world snail exporters in 2020 have the following net worths(:

• Morocco -16.3% of the world’ s exports ($10 million)

• Lithuania – 8.98% ($5.54 million)

• Romania – 7.83% ($4.83 million)

• Indonesia – 7.72% ($4.76 million)

• Serbia – 6.98% ($4.31 million)).

Okra as a phytogenic additive has been shown to improve meat quality of other animals such as broilers as well as that of snails. This is because it possesses antibacterial, anthelmintic, and antioxidant properties there by improving on health status. Hence, due these characteristics Abelmoschus esculentus is considered and excellent additive to snail diet.

Statement problem

Snails are becoming a highly consumed delicacy in our society due to its high source of protein. And due that, its demand has greatly increased making it scarce and very costly. With this level of demand and its rapid fall in quantity the balance was lost. Therefore, devices were put in place on how to increase the growth performance of snails. Hence Abelmoschus esculentus came in as an additive.

Research question

What effect does Abelmoschus esculentus have on the performance of growing snails?

Hypothesis:

Snails that will have the dry Abelmoschus esculentus fruit in their feed will perform better than those without it.

Main  Objectives:

• To improve on the growth and production of snails

 Specific objectives

• To determine Abelmoschus esculentus fruit meal on the feed intake and weight gain or grower snails
• To assess the effect of dry Abelmoschus esculentus fruit meal on the shell morphometric characteristics of grower snails
• To evaluate the cost effectiveness of including dry Abelmoschus esculentus fruit meal in the diet of grower snails