Abstract

PULGARIN, C. E et al. GENETIC PARAMETERS OF WEIGHT IN COMMERCIAL GROWTH PHASE SURVIVAL AND BLACK SPOT IN RED TILAPIA (Oreochromis sp.) IN COLOMBIA. Rev. Med. Vet. Zoot. [online]. 2012, vol.59, n.2, pp.119-130. ISSN 0120-2952.

The aim of this study was to quantify the genetic effects for commercial weight as, pond survival and degree of black spot for red tilapia (Tilapia ssp). A total of 86 families were evaluated, the average weight at commercial size was 181.4 g with males being significantly heavier than females. Pond survival, spotted area and presence/absence of black spots did not differ between sexes. The estimated heritabilities (h²±S.E.) for harvest weight and pond survival were 0.23±0.02 0.05±0.03, respectively. No heritability was found for spotted area and for presence/absence of black spots indicating that these traits are more affected by environmental conditions rather than by additive genes. We found a significant positive favorable correlation between harvest weight and survival (0.26; P < 0.05). The results of this study show that through selective breeding is possible to improve the performance of red tilapia for commercial growth and survival. While selection to reduce black spots in the studied population should show  little progress.

Keywords : red tilapia; heritability; genetic correlations.

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