Improving growth performance of fingerlings of <i>Clarias anguillaris</i> through intraspecific hybridization

Abstract

The development of aquaculture in Africa has been very slow due to lack of feeds and high quality seed (fingerlings). Hybridization is employed to combine desirable characteristics from one species to another to improve the genetic quality of parental stock with respect to fast growth, high percentage survival, resistance against unfavourable environment and diseases. This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance of three strains of local Clarias anguillaris obtained from Onitsha (Rain forest), Makurdi (Guinea Savanna) and Maiduguri (Sahel Sananna) in Nigeria through intraspecific hybridization. The three strains were hybridized and the percentage survival, weight and length parameters were determined. The percentage survival was significantly higher in parental and intraspecific mating combinations. The mean values of initial and final weight at indoor rearing showed no significant differences (P>0.05) between the parental and intraspecific mating combinations. However, the mean values of final weight at the outdoor rearing showed significant differences (P<0.05) between the parental and intraspecific mating combinations. The initial length revealed significant differences (P<0.05), while the final length are not. The Maiduguri parental strain recorded highest length gain of 8.97cm and Onitsha strain hybridized with Maiduguri strain recorded 7.93cm. However, Onitsha strain hybridized with Maiduguri strain showed superiority in growth performance in both indoor (16.05 g) and outdoor (1127.43 g) experiment. This could be further propagated to mass produce fingerlings for farmers.

Keywords: Hybridization, Clarias anguillaris, growth performance, fingerlings