The use of DNA based markers in genetics programs has been widely adopted in many agricultural industries. When using DNA markers in a shrimp selection program , it is relatively easy to quantify survivals and determine genetic distance from specific shrimp or families in actual production environments. The main limitation when applying this technology to shrimp genetic programs is the time and cost to do many samples. Therefore, the real benefit this technology offers has been limited.
In 2019, API installed a High Throughput DNA G enotyping S ystem that allows API to genotype thousands of shrimp samples daily using a fully automated system. This new high throughput genotyping system allows APi to get the full benefit of conducting a DNA based shrimp genetics program. The Author will give a brief overview on the API genetic program and how we are maximizing the potential of this new technology. The Author will present actual production data reflecting the genetic improvements that have been experienced to date. Shrimp broodstock companies have generally focused on marketing one or two lines of production shrimp, ie . a fast growth line and a disease resistant line. Using this new high throughput genotyping technology, it is now possible to develop custom selected shrimp lines for particular production systems and or environments.