Performance of natural oil blend formulation (NOBF) against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) agent in Penaeus vannamei boone, 1931

The white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is lethal in penaeid shrimp. Successful efforts made to develop a natural oil blend formulation (NOBF) by blending Eucalyptus globulus, Pinus sylvestris, and Lavandula latifolia in different compositions with anti-WSSV properties. A bioassay challenge trial conducted using 1 g of specific pathogen-free Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931 shrimp in 4 replicates of aquaria for each group. The NOBF dose of 0.4 ppm applied throughout the trial period by mixing in the aquarium water daily, starting seven days before the challenge. The efficacy of NOBF against WSSV was measured using the per os method of a challenge. The cumulative mortality in the positive control group reached 100 % after ten days of the challenge. The NOBF was applied in the commercial shrimp ponds to study its efficacy and palatability. A study in 8 ponds in a WSSV prone area in Indonesia, demonstrated no significant difference in crucial water quality parameters, especially on algae as natural food. The NOBF applied ponds had higher productivity (1.28 Kg of shrimp per m3) as compared to control (1.18 Kg of shrimp per m3). The FCR of NOBF group was lower (1.41) than control (1.53). The survival rate of the NOBF group was higher (86.96%) than control (80.36). The trial outcomes show that NOBF is safe and user-friendly, with properties to reduce pathogen load.