Quantitative genetic changes in reproductive performance of giant freshwater prawn after 10 years of selection for increased growth rate

Contents Effect of long-term selection for improved growth on reproductive performance of giant freshwater prawn (GFP) Macrobrachium rosenbergii has not been reported in the literature. The present study aimed to measure correlated responses in reproductive traits and to estimate genetic parameters for these characters in a GFP population selected for high growth over ten generations from 2007 to 2016. A total of 959 breeding females (offspring of 515 sires and 810 dams) had measurements for seven reproductive traits (weight before spawn WBS; weight after spawn WAS; Fecundity FEC or number of larvae per female at hatching; first age to reach post-larvae PLAGE; zoea (e) weight ZOEAWT; larval survival during hatchery phase SURV1 and survival from PL to tagging SURV2. The restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and mixed model analysis were used to estimate genetic parameters and evaluate selection responses for the seven traits studied. Our REML analysis showed that heritability for these traits ranged from 0.04 to 0.42 (SE: 0.19-0.28). Female body weight either before or after spawning had strong positive phenotypic correlations with fecundity (0.52-0.98). By contrast, the phenotypic correlations of WBS/WAS with larval and fry survivals were not significant (-0.08-0.05). Genetic correlations among fecundity-related traits studied were not different from zero due to their high standard errors. Correlated responses in reproductive traits were measured by comparing least squares means of the selection line and control group. Females of the selected line for high growth had significantly greater weight before or after spawning than that of the control group. There were, however, no statistical differences between the two lines in the other traits. It is concluded that selection for high growth did not have detrimental impact on reproductive performance of breeding females in the present population of GFP.