Green Synthesis of Chromium Nanoparticles and Their Effects on the Growth of the Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii Post-larvae.

This study deals with synthesis of chromium nanoparticles (CrNPs) from potassium dichromate using the aqueous extract of Allium sativum. They were characterized through UV-VIS light, FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, and FT-IR, which revealed uniform, mono-dispersive, and highly stable CrNPs of 31-64-nm size. The Artemia nauplii was enriched with 4.94 mg/L of CrNPs (24-h LC) at different durations (½, 1, 2, and 4 h) and then fed to Macrobrachium rosenbegii post-larvae (PL) for 30 days as live feed. The results showed that ½- and 1-h enriched Artemia nauplii led to significant improvements in nutritional indices including growth and survival, and concentrations of tissue biochemical constituents, such as total protein, amino acid, carbohydrate, and lipid of M. rosenbergii PL (P < 0.05), which suggests that this concentration of CrNPs was non-toxic to M. rosenbergii PL. This was confirmed by the insignificant alterations recorded in activities of SOD and CAT (P > 0.05) in M. rosenbergii PL fed with ½- and 1-h enriched Artemia nauplii as live feed. After that, SOD and CAT activities started to increase. Therefore, this optimized concentration of CrNPs (4.94 mg/L) is recommended for enrichment of Artemia nauplii for ½-1-h duration as a sustainable material in the nursery of M. rosenbergii.