Study on growth performance and realized heritability in mass selection strain of silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus)

Abstract Silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) is among the highly favored marine edible fishes in China. To determine whether sustained advancements can be realized and to assess the genetic parameters of P. argenteus across three generations. Measurements of growth traits were conducted in the control and breeding groups of third-generation P. argenteus at 60, 90, and 120 days. Utilizing Pearson correlation and path analysis, we identified the growth traits correlated with the body weight of the third-generation P. argenteus. The results indicated that the growth traits significantly correlated with body weight were body length and fork length. At 120 days, body weight, body length, and fork length exhibited high levels of realized heritability, measuring 0.55, 0.57, and 0.56, respectively. Genetic gains for body weight were 29.70%, significantly surpassing those for body length and fork length. Meanwhile, the selection response for body weight, body length, and fork length was approximately comparable. At the harvest on day 120, the breeding group was 33.93% larger than the control group in terms of body weight. These results indicated that through mass selection, the body weight of P. argenteus were successfully improved, leading to an enhancement in its growth performance. The research results provide theoretical support and technical guidance for the further development of P. argenteus breeding.