EFFECT OF Curcuma longa EXTRACT ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND ANTIOXIDANT STATUS OF SHEEP REARED UNDER ELEVATED ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE IN BIDA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to investigate the growth performance and serum antioxidant capacity using three different concentrations of Curcuma leaf extracts (CLE) included per litre of water in growing male sheep under elevated environmental temperature (320 C and relative humidity of 78%). Thirty equalized mixed sex Yankassa breed, aged 8–12-month-old with weight ranged from 16–17kg were randomly divided into five groups in a completely randomized experiment. Treatments comprised of the following: the control group with no extract administration (Control), 1mls CLE, 2mls CLE, 3mls CLE and 5mls Vitamin C representing T1-T5 respectively. The results showed that CLE increased the final weight (FW) and Weight gain (WG) in 3mls CLE group, with the FW increasing with a concomitant increase in CLE concentration. There was no significant improvement of CLE on enzymatic antioxidant’s parameters, however, a numeric reduction in the lipid peroxidation values was observed. In conclusion, CLE improved the growth performance in a dose-dependent manner. Further research could be designed to evaluate the enzymatic antioxidant potential using higher extract concentrations.