ISSN: 2578-501X
Authors: Shima JN, Ebonyi CO, Odo JI*, Alamba RS and Odo EE
The widespread increase of pesticides application in crops frequently leads to the contamination of the fresh water ecosystem. One of the most commonly used pesticides in Nigeria is Primextra Gold® (atrazine) herbicide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of Primextra Gold® (atrazine) on the juveniles of the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. The toxicity was carried out using 120 healthy fish that were divided into six treatments (control inclusive) with each treatment having ten fish and the setup was replicated. The fish were exposed to 0.00 (control), 0.15, 0.29, 0.44, 0.59 and 0.74mg/L concentrations of Primextra Gold® (atrazine) for two weeks. During the exposure period, physicochemical parameters were determined. After two weeks of the experiment, blood samples were collected for heamatology using standard methods. Data obtained were subjected to ANOVA at P<0.05using Minitab 17. Results of the physico-chemical parameters of water exposed to concentrations showed that there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in the amount of dissolved oxygen with increase in concentrations of the herbicide while pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity increased. Temperature showed no significant difference (P˃0.05). Haematological parameters reduced significantly (P<0.05) in amount of PCV, Hb and RBC with increase in concentrations. Meanwhile WBC increased significantly (P<0.05) with increase in concentration. A haematological change observed during the exposure is an indication of anaemia, leukocytosis, and haemoglobinaemia. The study revealed that Primextra Gold® (atrazine) was moderately toxic to Clarias gariepinus juveniles and affected the haematology as well as Physicochemical parameters of the exposed water. These results show that the contamination of water by pesticides either directly or indirectly could be lethal to fish or may reduce fish productivity. Elevated concentrations of undesirable chemicals in edible fish tissue can affect the health of humans eating these fishes.
Keywords: Clarias gariepinus; Heamatology; Herbicides; Primextra Gold® (Atrazine)
