Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Induced breeding of fishes has evolved from the use of crude pituitary extracts to synthetic hormone formulations.
Synthetic agents like Ovaprim and Ovatide provide greater consistency, ease of use, and higher spawning success compared to raw pituitary glands.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let us analyze each of the given statements:
- Statement (A) is incorrect because synthetic formulations like Ovaprim are highly preferred over raw pituitary glands. Extracting pituitary glands is tedious, depends on the fresh availability of mature donor fish, and carries risks of disease transmission.
- Statement (B) is correct. Ovaprim is a patented synthetic hormone formulation containing a GnRH analogue (Salmon GnRH) and a dopamine antagonist (Domperidone). It is available as a ready-to-use liquid in 10 ml vials, provides consistent potency, has a long shelf-life, and yields highly reliable breeding results.
- Statement (C) is correct. Ovatide is an indigenous, cost-effective hormonal formulation developed in India by Hemmo Pharma. It is widely used by fish farmers as an efficient substitute for imported Ovaprim.
- Statement (D) is incorrect because Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) is a peptide hormone consisting of a chain of amino acids, not a steroidal hormone (steroidal hormones are lipid-soluble compounds derived from cholesterol).
Therefore, only statements (B) and (C) are correct.
Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct statements are (B) and (C), which correspond to Option (C).