• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• 제26권1호
• /
• pp.48-57
• /
• 2023

One of the ways to increase the production for aquaculture is through the cultivation of monosexuals by ensuring genital reversal from which energy for reproduction is diverted towards growth. Masculinization has been identified as one of the most prominent techniques, where sex development was directed from female to male. This approach only altered the phenotype and not the genotype. The red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) was a relatively new commercial commodity, and the males were known to grow faster than females. Hence, it was proposed to use monocultures comprising an all-male population to increase yield using steroid hormone, synthetic 17α-methyltestosterone. However, this technique generated residues that detrimentally affect human health, the environment, and cultivated organisms. Therefore, finding new safe natural steroid sources was essential, and one of which is exploring of natural hormones extracted from the viscera of sea cucumbers (Holothuria scabra Jaeger). This study focused on the determination of male formation and testosterone levels among juvenile crayfish, after immersing in sea cucumber steroid extract (SCSE). A completely random design with factorial was used with two variables, encompassing the varied doses (0, 2, 4 mg/L, 2 mg/L 17α-methyl testosterone as control group) and immersion times of 18 and 30 h. The result showed the dose-dependent ability of SCSE increase the male genital formation and promote the testosterone level of juvenile crayfish. In addition, the testosterone was influenced by dose and immersion duration time, with the highest level of testosterone observed in treatments of 4 mg/L SCSE with 30 h immersion was 0.248 ng/mL, while the male percentage was 77%. In conclusion, the combination of dose and immersion time significantly affected growth and testosterone levels.