AHr Jayanti rohu

Background

Among the IMCs, farmed rohu is an economically predominant freshwater aquaculture species in South Asia, with a proportion of above 60% in carp polyculture systems owing to its taste, consumer preference, and market demand (Mahapatra et al., 2007; Gjerde et al., 2019; Rasal and Sundaray, 2020). Genetically improved strains consistently deliver superior growth, higher yields, and better feed efficiency than local strains, boosting overall aquaculture production and profitability (Dey et al., 2013, Bedir et al., 2025). Despite documented average gains of 12.5% in growth per generation, only 10-20% of global aquaculture production currently originates from genetically improved stocks (Mair, G.C., 2007; Gjedrem, T., 2012; Houston et al., 2022).  The Jayanti rohu is a genetically improved strain of rohu developed through a selection program initiated at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIFA), Bhubaneswar, India, in collaboration with AKVAFORSK, Norway with six founder populations (Reddy et al., 2002). Growth and disease resistance are two important traits in any aquaculture selective breeding program.

Diseases are responsible for major economic losses to the carp culture industry. An informal estimate (fish farmer’s information) of losses due to diseases alone ranges from 10 to 15%. Like other fish species, rohu (L. rohita) also suffers from diseases such as epizootic ulcerative syndrome, aeromoniasis, edwardsiellosis, etc. Bacterial infections constitute one of the most important causes of disease problems in various types of fish production systems in India. Extensive use of chemotherapeutants and antibiotics for curing of fish diseases may lead to the development of antibiotic resistant strains and human health problems due to potential contamination and tissue residues. Various vaccination strategies have been employed with different bacterin preparations against A. hydrophila in carps and catfishes but with limited success (Yin et al., 1996 and Nayak et al., 2004). No effective commercial vaccine is currently available to prevent or control this infection on a long-term basis. In such conditions, selective breeding offers possibilities of protection against disease on a long-term basis. The AhR-Jayanti rohu is a disease resistant variety of rohu against bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila developed through selective breeding by ICAR-CIFA that shows higher growth and disease resistance. At present, there is no genetic improvement program for rohu in any private or government carp hatchery exists in the country. Poor growth and increased incidence of diseases are resulting lower yield and economic loss to the carp farmers.

Technology Details-

Selection for disease resistance in fish may be performed directly on basis of survival data obtained in controlled challenge trials, or indirectly using information from immunological or molecular markers linked to differential survival. To develop AhR-Jayanti rohu the full-sib families from on-going selection programme were challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila through the intraperitoneal route to produce a resistant line of rohu with a higher survival (73.33%) as compared to the susceptible line (16.67%). The first generation of resistant line showed a higher survival (56.67%) over the susceptible line in the challenge test. By improving the disease resistance of aquaculture stock, India could reduce the cost of production, positively affect both the local environment and human health by reducing the use of antibiotics and other chemical treatments and gain a major advantage in the production of these important food species. ICAR-CIFA has been working as a Nucleus Breeding Center for genetically improved AhR Jayanti rohu. Jayanti rohu farmers in Odisha achieved 31% higher production per hectare (ha), 35.7% faster growth and 45.6% higher return on investment (ROI) compared to local farmers in Odisha. On-farm trials further confirmed 40-62% higher growth in Jayanti rohu, with yields ranging from 4000-5500 kg ha-1, compared to 2600-3500 kg ha-1 for local rohu after 10 months of culture at a stocking density of 6000 fingerlings ha-1 across three locations in Odisha (Rasal et al., 2026). The breeder seeds are being supplied to 19 of its multiplier units (commercial carp hatcheries) for raising brooders followed by large scale seed production and supply to the farmers across the country.