Principles of Genetics and Breeding

13.1.7.1.1. Cross breeding in common carp

In common carp, negative effects of inbreeding may result in a 10 to 20% reduction in the growth rate as a result of a single generation of sib mating.

Common carp crossbreds exhibiting heterosis are the basis for the carp culture industries in Israel, Vietnem, China and Hungary.

Heterosis of growth, i.e., superiority of crossbreds over the better parent, was repeatedly demonstrated in crosses among different strains or European carp, as well as between European and Chinese strains and European and Japanese strains.

A higher tolerance to two diseases (epidermal epithelioma and a swimbladder in inflammation) has been demonstrated for crossbred carp.

Crossbred carp fingerlings are routinely stocked into commercial fish ponds in Israel and Hungary.

Based on experimental results, several crossbreds (two in Israel, three in Hungary) were chosen for commercial application, whose growth rate and other qualitative gave about 20% better performance than the parental lines and other control strains.

The majority (80%) of Hungarian carp production was made of broodstocks of parental lines developed for crossbreeding and disseminated from Szarvas.

Almost all Israeli carp production was made of broodstocks of parental lines developed for crossbreeding and disseminated from Dor.

In Indonesia, a breeding programme based on crossbreeding among 10 strains of common carp, some of which were developed using artificial gynogenesis and sex reversal, is being carried out.

Commercial crossbreeding between Vietnamese white carp and Hungarian carps, and between Hungarian and Indonesian yellow carp is being carried out.