LAUSR

Two dietary experiments were performed to evaluate the impact of the herb Mentha piperita as a dietary supplement on Catla catla. In Experiment 1, fingerlings (0.45–2.60 g) were fed on diets supplemented with M. piperita at different levels (P1, P2, P3, and P4 at 2, 4, 6, and 8 g Kg−1 of feed) and C1 served as the control with no peppermint supplementation. In Experiment 2, fingerlings (0.40–3.15 g) were fed with diets containing autochthonous probiotic bacteria Bacillus coagulans (3000 colony forming unit g−1) along with M. piperita (PP1-PP4 at 2, 4, 6, and 8 g Kg−1 of feed) and feed C2 served as control containing probiotics but no peppermint. Significantly (P < 0.05) high values of growth parameters, digestive enzyme activities, low reed conservation ratio, low excretion of ammonia, and orthophosphates were observed in fingerlings fed with P3 for Experiment 1 and PP3 for Experiment 2. Hematological counts, phagocytic activity, and respiratory burst activity were also enhanced in fingerlings fed with M. piperita supplementation revealing that dietary administration of peppermint at optimum level can enhance the growth, digestibility, and immunity of C. catla fingerlings; however, incorporation of B. coagulans showed better growth and immunity revealing that synergistic effects of M. piperita and autochthonous probiotic in C. catla diets can lead to its sustainable aquaculture.