Question

Which of the following variety of fish was developed by the CIFA through selective breeding?

• A. GIFT Tilapia
• B. GI Common carp
• C. GI Mrigal
• D. Jayanthi rohu

Hint:

Jayanthi rohu, released in 1997, is India's first genetically improved food fish variety. It was developed by ICAR-CIFA through a selective breeding program for Rohu.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
ICAR-CIFA (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture), based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, is India's leading research institute for freshwater aquaculture.
CIFA conducts genetic improvement programs to develop high-yielding varieties of commercial fish.
Detailed Explanation:
Jayanthi rohu is the first genetically improved variety of an Indian Major Carp. It was developed by ICAR-CIFA in collaboration with the WorldFish Center.
- The program used family-selection techniques on different wild founder populations of Rohu (Labeo rohita) collected from major Indian rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and local hatchery stocks).
- Through successive generations of selection, the team developed a strain with a $17\%$ average genetic gain in growth rate per generation.
- Released in 1997 (coinciding with the 50th year of India's independence, hence named "Jayanthi"), this strain also exhibits better disease resistance against columnaris disease.
Other options like GIFT Tilapia were developed by WorldFish internationally, while GI Common carp and GI Mrigal are separate genetic programs.

Step 2: Final Answer:
The variety of fish developed by CIFA through selective breeding is Jayanthi rohu.