A. Overview
Yucca schidigera, commonly known as Mojave yucca, is a flowering plant native to the Mòjave Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sonoran Desert of southeastern California, Baja California, New Mexico, southern Nevada, and Arizona.
Yucca Schidigera is a small tree in the family Agavaceae and grows to 5 meters tall, with a densely twisted crown arranged bayonet-like leaves on a conspicuous basal stem. The leaves are 30–150 cm long and 4–11 cm broad at the base, convex, thick, very stiff and yellow-green to blue in color.
Because the leaves of the Yucca tree have a fibrous structure, the natives often use the leaves to make ropes, shoes, and clothes. The black seeds of the Yucca plant can be ground for starch, and the flowers and fruit are edible. Their roots can be used medicinally in shampoos. In addition, the extracts from the Yucca plant can be used in animal husbandry such as: making medicine to treat diseases from protozoa for animals, reducing urea and ammonia levels in animal blood and are often used to reduce bad odors, reducing the concentration of ammonia in the air, ..
One of the important active ingredients extracted from the Yucca plant is Saponin. Active ingredients are used to treat a number of important diseases in animals. Currently, saponins extracted from Yucca schidigera have been mass-produced and commercialized.
B. Mechanism of action of active ingredients
The saponin molecule has two main components: one or more water-soluble branched-chain carbohydrates and a central fat-soluble steroid. They have created the properties of a natural bleach.
The surfactant extracted from the stem of the Yucca plant has a synergistic effect with ammonia, reducing free ammonia. As food passes through the stomach, ammonia is trapped by the Yucca extract present in the food. They can also combine with ammonia outside the animal's body. The aqueous Yucca extract has the ability to combine with ammonia molecules and convert them to other non-toxic nitrogen compounds. The mechanism of ammonia reduction of Yucca extracts is not well understood, but many studies have suggested that it is related to the carbohydrate content of the branched-chain of the saponin molecule. In addition, the compounds stilbenes (C14H12) abundant in the bark of the Yucca tree have also been implicated in the ability to absorb ammonia.
Saponins also have the ability to kill protozoa in the digestive tract of animals. The mechanism of action on protozoa is that saponins combine with cholesterol or sterols of the cell membrane, causing the cell membrane of the protozoa to be destroyed. Some studies also show that saponins have the ability to selectively inhibit some gram-positive bacteria
Thanks to the above mechanism, Yucca extract is widely applied in livestock, especially aquaculture with two main roles:
· Used as a supplement in shrimp, fish, frog food, ... as saponins have also been shown to have the ability to increase the division of immune cells, and stimulate the production of antibodies.
Used as a water treatment agent (especially ammonia) the carbohydrate component in the branch chain of the saponin molecule has the effect of reducing NH3
C. Applications of Yucca in Aquaculture
Yucca plays an important role in aquaculture, especially shrimp and fish, in solving a number of pond problems and aquatic health conditions such as:
· Absorb and prevent extremely quickly gases such as ammonia (NH3), the concentration of H2S increases in the pond, increases the dissolved oxygen content in the water and stabilizes the pH suitable for the living environment of shrimp and fish.
· Improve the quality of pond water, create a clean pond environment, the water is free of sebum. Help shrimp and fish grow quickly, prevent the development of pathogens or diseases.
Quickly and safely solve the phenomenon of shrimp and fish floating, pulling the flock due to lack of oxygen in the water.
Residual elimination in shrimp and fish muscle when combined with sorbitol and vitamin C feeding.
Normally, Yucca is often used in two ways: one is mixed with fish food as a kind of nutrition. The second is to mix with the water in the pond to clean the living environment of shrimp and fish.
Use as a nutritional supplement in shrimp and fish feed
Yucca herbal extract in powder form is one of the necessary ingredients to supplement in the feed of shrimp and fish. For the management and reduction of blood ammonia and urea levels, animal waste and other compounds. When adding yucca extract to feed, aquatic products have better growth ability, drastically reducing mortality.
Use as a water treatment agent
NH3 is a toxic gas for shrimp and fish. Extracts from yucca plants have the effect of absorbing NH3 in salty and sweet aquaculture water. However, if the content of yucca in the water is too high, it will affect the respiratory activities of aquatic animals, especially fish. Therefore, it is necessary to use yucca in the rearing process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Yucca helps to manage water quality in shrimp and fish ponds. Rapidly reduces the increase of organic matter from excess food and waste of shrimp and fish.
Stimulates the breakdown of waste products. Clean the water environment to avoid the phenomenon of fat, yellowfish meat, blackfish skin.
Reducing algae in the pond, increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water as well as minimizing the phenomenon of hypoxia in the bottom layer when there is an increase in oxygen deficiency.
When adding yucca extract to feed, shrimp and fish grow better, reduce mortality
Notes when using Yucca
Yucca extract should be used during the day and should not be used at night. Because if using yucca in the evening, it is very easy to shock (especially shrimp in the molting cycle) easily leading to the mass death of shrimp.
The yucca extract can be used periodically with probiotics. But aquaculture farmers should use yucca a few hours before using probiotics. Because yucca has certain antibacterial properties.
· Do not use yucca at the time when shrimp have just molted simultaneously. Because of the saponin content in yucca, it has the ability to stimulate shrimp to molt more. If the shrimp have just molted, but the molting is stimulated, it will weaken the shrimp.
Need to choose a good yucca extract product by reputable suppliers
How to use raw yucca in aquaculture:
Ø Yucca 90%:
Prevention of toxic gas: 1kg/1,000-3,000m3, once every 2 weeks.
Toxin treatment: 1-2kg/1,000m3, once every 3 days.
Treatment of water source for shrimp hatcheries: 7g/m3 of water, once a week.
Shrimp pond: 400g/1,000m3 of water in the first 2 months, once every two weeks. At the end of the growing season, the dose is doubled compared to 2 months
Source by Vincors
