RGCA_Establishment of a Satellite Nucleus of the GIFT Strain at Rajiv Gandhi Center for Aquaculture: Second Year Annual Report - April 2020 to March 2021

Abstract

Rajiv Gandhi Center for Aquaculture (RGCA), India, and WorldFish have been collaborating since August 2009 that led to the establishment of GIFT satellite breeding nucleus and breeding program in India. Phase I of the collaboration running from 2011 to 2016, saw the establishment of a fully pedigreed genetic improvement program for GIFT tilapia in India after the transfer of 100 families (in two batches) from Jitra, Malaysia. Phase II collaboration agreement was signed between RGCA and WorldFish in Jan 2019. The objectivs of Phase II of the collaboration (2019-2023) is to continue to improve the genetic performance of the GIFT strain in India and aims to further develop viable dissemination models that can facilitate the long-term delivery of high-quality tilapia seeds to the Indian aquaculture sector. GIFT germ plasm was supplied to RGCA in 2011 and 2016. Considering 2011 as G0, RGCA had 62 unique families of G7 in 2019. Using the mating list and mating design provided by WorldFish, RGCA Genetics and breeding team produced G8 families, reared them as per RGCA SOP and collected all the relevant data to enable selection of G8 fish for future breeding. RGCA has successfully produced 41 families of G8. The first annual report for the period April 2019 to March 2020 was submitted in April 2020 and the same was approved by RGCA/MPEDA.