Biological and economic effects of Cynodon dactylon extract on growth, immune–antioxidant responses, survival under WSSV challenge, and cost–benefit outcomes in whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)

Badrouj, Malahat; Salarzadeh, Alireza; Yahyavi, Maziar; Kamrani, Ehsan

Volume 16, Issue 1 (Autmn 2026) J. Aqua. Eco 2026, 16(1): 16-32 | Back to browse issues page

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Badrouj M, Salarzadeh A, Yahyavi M, Kamrani E. Biological and economic effects of Cynodon dactylon extract on growth, immune–antioxidant responses, survival under WSSV challenge, and cost–benefit outcomes in whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931). J. Aqua. Eco 2026; 16 (1) :16-32
URL: http://jae.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-1155-en.html

Biological and economic effects of Cynodon dactylon extract on growth, immune–antioxidant responses, survival under WSSV challenge, and cost–benefit outcomes in whiteleg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931)

Malahat Badrouj

, Alireza Salarzadeh ^*

, Maziar Yahyavi

, Ehsan Kamrani

Abstract: (24 Views)

The farming of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, represents a major component of global aquaculture and contributes significantly to food security and coastal economies worldwide. However, outbreaks of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) remain one of the most serious biological challenges affecting this industry, often causing severe mortality and substantial economic losses. In this context, the present study evaluated the biological and economic effects of dietary supplementation with Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon, extract in shrimp culture. Shrimp were fed diets containing graded levels of the extract (0, 200, 400, 800, and 1200 mg kg⁻¹) for 42 days prior to experimental WSSV challenge. The results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with Bermuda grass extract significantly improved growth performance, innate immune responses, antioxidant capacity, and post-challenge survival in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). Quadratic regression analysis identified the biological optimum inclusion range at approximately 900–1100 mg kg⁻¹, whereas economic evaluation indicated that 800 mg kg⁻¹ provided the highest return on investment (ROI). Overall, the findings suggest that dietary supplementation with Bermuda grass extract at 800–1000 mg kg⁻¹ can be considered an effective and economically sustainable strategy for improving health status, growth performance, disease resistance, and production profitability in L. vannamei culture systems

Keywords: Cynodon dactylon, Litopenaeus vannamei, dose–response optimization, WSSV challenge, cost–benefit analysis

Full-Text [PDF 1139 kb] (12 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Published: 2026/05/12