Genetic Assessment for Growth Performance in Diallel Cross of Wild and Cultured Giant Freshwater Prawn,Macrobrachium rosenbergii

The present study evaluates the growth performance of wild and cultured strains of giant freshwater prawn (GFP) in 2 × 2 diallel crosses as an initiation to improve its aquaculture production. A wild population was sampled from Vembanad Lake (Kerala) and from the farm-reared strain domesticated and cultured for several generations from grow-out ponds (Tamilnadu). From the four cross-combinations juveniles were produced using single pair mating. A total of 3,840 prawns (1,528 males and 2,312 females) were harvested after 15 weeks of grow-out hapas culture. The fixed effect included in the model was sex (male or female) and the age at harvest fitted as linear covariates. Total length, total weight, and carapace length of each prawn were recorded at the harvest. Additive genetic estimates of the crosses showed that the wild stock had higher length and weight (12.17% and 22.33%), while the cultured stock had lower length and weight (−18.26% and −22.98%). However, the average heterosis in the crossbred...