Plant extracts could replace hormones in farmed tilapia
Mehmood M, Asad F, Jamal R, Nadeem A, Shaheen Z
Crop Improvement
Malabar spinach, a common leafy green climbing many backyard trellises, is being studied as a natural substitute for a synthetic hormone linked to cancer risk in fish farming.
Tilapia farms want all-male fish because males grow bigger and faster, so for decades farmers dosed young fish with a synthetic hormone to force that outcome. That hormone raises safety worries, so scientists are now testing whether extracts from plants like puncture vine and Malabar spinach can do the same job without the environmental baggage, alongside newer tools like gene editing.
Key Findings
17α-methyltestosterone has been the industry-standard hormone for tilapia sex reversal for decades despite carcinogenicity concerns
Plant extracts from Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine) and Basella alba (Malabar spinach), plus animal by-products like cattle and carp testes, are emerging biodegradable alternatives
Genetic strategies including YY male technology and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing are explored as longer-term solutions for controlling sex determination
chevron_right Technical Summary
Fish farmers use hormones to make tilapia populations all-male because males grow faster, but the standard drug raises environmental and safety concerns. This review shows that plant extracts, including puncture vine and Malabar spinach, are being tested as safer, biodegradable alternatives to synthetic hormones.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Achieving monosex male tilapia: a critical review of hormonal, biodegradable and genome editing strategies.
Nile tilapia culture faces significant challenges due to early maturation and uncontrolled reproduction, leading to stunted growth and overpopulation. The primary solution is producing all-male pop...
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Tribulus terrestris is an annual plant in the caltrop family (Zygophyllaceae) widely distributed around the world. It is adapted to thrive in dry climate locations in which few other plants can survive, and is a highly invasive species.