Selecting Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) for growth in low-input environments

Abstract

This chapter presents the results from a selective breeding experiment with Nile tilapia in a low input pond environment. The environment was defined as low input as the pond only received chicken manure for fertilisation. No pellets were given to the fish during larval rearing or grow out. The results show that good growth can be obtained under these conditions. Heritability for growth was high (0.6) and harvest body weight almost doubled over two generations of selection. A conclusion is that selecting Nile tilapia in low-input environments is cheap and sustainable and can be particularly relevant for resource-poor farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.