WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2017 23 A large section of the Indian population is dependent on animal source of protein like meat, fish and eggs, among which fish is consumed by one-quarter of the population, numbering around 300 million (Barik 2016). It is estimated that about 16 million t of fish will be required to feed the growing population by 2025, nearly double the present production. This is a big task with the current challenges of resource competition, water scarcity, climate change, growing disease outbreaks and several other environmental and social issues. Freshwater aquaculture contributes significantly to India’s economy and the food security and livelihoods of the masses. Fish production in India has increased from 3.8 million t in 1990-91 to 10.8 million t in 2015-2016 with a contribution of 7.2 million t from the inland sector and 3.6 million t from the marine sector (DAHD 2016-17). In India, carps are the mainstay of freshwater aquaculture. The Indian major carps — catla Catla catla, rohu Labeo rohita and mrigal Cirrhinus mrigala — contribute 70 to 75 percent of total freshwater fish production, followed by silver carp, grass carp, common carp and catfishes forming a second important group, contributing 25 to 30 percent (Chaudhari and Alikunhi 1957). Currently, most commercial fish farmers in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha states practice carp polyculture with 90 percent rohu and 10 percent catla. Genetically Improved Jayanti Rohu: A Boon to Freshwater Aquaculture in India A. Rasal, M. Patnaik, K. Murmu, P. Nandanpawar, J.K. Sundaray and K.D. Mahapatra The aquaculture sector should be more profitable and produce more fish per unit area in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Marine and brackishwater aquaculture sectors have limitations with problems of large-scale adoption to increase fish production. This imposes the responsibility of bridging the future gap between additional fish demand and supply on freshwater aquaculture. Only about 40 percent of the available area of 2.36 million ha of ponds and tanks has been put to use and an immense scope for expansion of area exists under freshwater aquaculture (Ayyappan et al. 2011). Therefore, it is necessary to increase the present national average annual productivity from about 3 t/ha to at least 5 t/ha to meet the increasing demand for fish in the country. Species and system diversification are important approaches for enhancing fish production through aquaculture. The technologies of induced carp breeding and polyculture in static ponds and tanks virtually revolutionized the freshwater aquaculture sector. Genetic improvement can further enhance fish production through exploitation of additive genetic variance for economically important traits such as growth and disease resistance. In this context, use of genetically improved Jayanti rohu developed by ICAR-CIFA can play a major role towards sustainable aquaculture production. Jayanti rohu broodstock. Rohu was selected as the candidate species for selective breeding due to its high consumer preference, relatively good growth performance in multispecies carp culture system and low susceptibility to diseases. The salient features of Jayanti rohu are substantial additive genetic variance and negligible heterosis for growth. An average genetic gain of 18 percent per generation has been obtained after eight generations of selection. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 24) The attractive appearance of Jayanti rohu. Selecting Jayanti rohu broodstock.
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