RESPONSE TO SELECTION FOR BODY WEIGHT IN THE THIRD GENERATION OF MASS SELECTION OF THE AFRICAN CATFISH Clarias gariepinus IN INDONESIA

Bambang Iswanto*, Imron, Huria Marnis, and Rommy Suprapto
 
Research Institute for Fish Breeding
Jl. Raya 2 Pantura Sukamandi - Patokbeusi, Subang, West Java, Indonesia 41263
bambang.is031@kkp.go.id
 

African catfish, Clarias gariepinus is a economically important aquaculture species in Indonesia. It has been several times introduced into Indonesia for aquaculture purposes. However, several years after their introductions, they had experienced genetic deterioration lead to the poor growth performance. Thus, genetic improvement program should be conducted in order to improve the growth performance. Genetic improvement for African catfish in Indonesia was being conducted by Research Institute for Fish Breeding at Sukamandi through selective breeding program using mass selection since 2010. Collection and characterization of the founder populations, namely Paiton, Sangkuriang, Dumbo and Egyptian strains, building the synthetic base population through complete diallele crossing of the founder populations, mass selection of the first and second generations was conducted during 2010-2013. Later, in 2014 it has been followed mass selection of the third generation. The present paper reported the response to selection for body weight in the third generation.

Fifty-two pairs of the selected (fast growing, in term of body weight) individuals of the second generation were mated to produce the third generation. As a comparison, five pairs of average-sized individuals were mated to produce the control population, as a second generation representative. Larval rearing, nursery and growout phases of either third generation and the control populations were respectively held for 25 days in the aquaria, 30 days in the concrete ponds and 60 days in the earthern ponds. At the end of each rearing periods, individual samplings of body weight were undertaken.

At the end of larval rearing phase, mean body weight of the third generation was 0.21±0.26 g, heavier than that of the control population (0.20±0.15 g). Then, mean body weight of the third generation at the end of the nursery phase was 6.12±2.93 g, heavier than that of the control population (5.80±3.50 g). Later, mean body weight of the third generation at the end of the growout phase was 198.67±82.82 g, heavier than that of the control population (165.22±71.09 g). Those results revealed that response to selection for body weight of the third generation of mass selection of the African catfish during larval rearing, nursery and growout phases resulted in positive results, respectively were about 8.72% (0.02 g), 5.46% (0.32 g) and 20.24% (33.45 g).