Live gene bank of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) strains and races at Szarvas,
Hungary
GORDA, S
Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation, Szarvas,
Anna-liget 8., H-5540 Hungary
Abstract
At the beginning of last century various common carp strains were developed at the
isolated fish farms as a result of different environmental conditions and breeding
efforts. These populations are different in their phenotypic and genotypic appearance,
inheriting these characteristics toward to the following generations. Based on these
original local strains a live gene bank of common carp strains was established at the
Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation Szarvas, Hungary in 1963,
which includes 14 Hungarian and 12 European and Asian strains presently. The
foreign strains were introduced later, mainly from the former social countries during
1980’s in the frame of a gene exchange programme. Presently minimal population
size of the strains is 50 individuals to ensure the genetic diversity.
This collection of common carp strains was used for genetic research at the
beginning, when in the first time the productivity of original strains were examined
and determined by performance test of their progenies (survival, growth rate, feed
conversion, dressing yield and fat content).
Nowadays main target of the live gene bank keeping is to maintain strains and races
with original gene pool for future breeding and restocking work to their original living
or breeding places.
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Introduction
In the early twentieth century, local populations of common carps were developed
within the cultivated carp species as a result of the different environmental conditions
and breeding objectives of the fish farms in different geographical regions. These carp
populations were different in both genotype and phenotype. The various pheno- and
genotypes are shown in different qualitative and quantitative features and they are
transmitted even to the progenies /Steffens, 1964; Willer, 1973; Kirpichnikov, 1981/.
These carp populations were called "strains". The term "race" is used for original or
wild carp population in a geographically limited area, while the term "strain" is used
for individuals of a smaller population within this race.
In 1963, the collection of the Hungarian strains was decided on, with the following
goals:
- to compare their characteristics within identical environmental and
farming conditions;
- to use them in the selection and hybridization work;
- to produce and supply high value strains as parental lines of hybrids, and
preserve the strains with their original genetic structure as a potential gene
reserve.
In the early stage of our experimental work, comparison tests on the productivity and
characteristics of the collected Hungarian strains were carried out. The performance
of strains was determined on the basis of the performance of their progenies.
Significant qualitative and quantitative differences have been found between the
strains /Bakos, 1979/.
Nowadays main target of the keeping is maintain original strains and races with their
genetic structure as a potential gene reserve only for the future breeding and
restocking work.
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Materials and methods
Description of the gene bank
The broodstock is kept in three earthen ponds of two hectare each with an average
depth of 1.2 m. Each pond holds about 300 breeders. There is a continuous water
exchange in these ponds throughout the year, and the snow is removed and leak made
on the ice during the winter to assure high level dissolved oxygen in the water. Some
predator fish species added (pike, catfish, pike-perch) also stocked into the keeping
ponds to decrease the number of trash fish (breams and common carps from
uncontrolled spawning).
During the growing season, the breeders are fed ad libitum with corn and wheat,
except for those chosen for reproduction which is fed with high protein content
artificial pelletized feed.
The Hungarian strains are the following:
Tata scaly carp from North Hungary (Picture 1.)
Dinnyés mirror carp from Central Hungary
Felsősomogy mirror carp from West-Central Hungary
Nagyatád mirror carp from South-West Hungary
Bikal mirror carp from South Hungary
Sumony mirror carp from South Hungary
Palkonya mirror carp form South Hungary
Hortobágy mirror carp from East Hungary
Szarvas 5 mirror and Szarvas 22 mirror and Szarvas 33 scaly and Szarvas red
(Picture 2.) carp from South-East Hungary
Szeged mirror from South-East Hungary
Wild carp from River Tisza and River Danube
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The Foreign carp races and strains are the following:
European carps:
Czech scaly carps
Nasic mirror from Croatia
Poljana mirror and scaly carps from Croatia
Ukrainian scaly carp
Ropsa carp from Russia
Poland mirror and linear carps
Fresinet scaly carp from Romania.
Asian carps:
Vietnamese scaly carp from the Red River (North Vietnam) (Picture 3.)
Thailand scaly cap
Wild carp from river Amur
Picture 1.: Tata scaly common carp
Picture 2.: Szarvas red colorized common carp
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Picture 3.: North-Vietnamese wild common carp (Cyprinus carpio viridiviolaceus)
The minimum population size of the breeding stock of each race and strain preserved
in the gene bank is 50 individuals, because when the size of a population is not less
than 50 individuals, the inbreeding coefficient (F) is quite low (F= 0.01 %), thus the
negative effects of inbreeding can be eliminated (FAO, 1981). Sex ratio of strains is
around 1:1.
The broodstock of different strain and race are distinguished by group and individual
marking. Group marking is fin clipping in the case of scaly and brand marking in the
case of mirror strains. The individual tagging happens with P.I.T system, when a
passive tag implanted into the body cavity. The data of the given brood fish is saved
into a portable computer, which connected directly to a reader which identifies tag in
the fish.
The broodstock of the gene bank is renewed in 8-10 years with artificial propagation.
During the renewing population is supplemented, eggs and sperms of minimum 10
females and males are used during reproduction, simulating panmictic population
conditions.
In the gene bank there are 5 strains which have not got breeding organization as
Felsősomogy, Palkonya, Sumony, Szarvas and Szarvas red. These strains exist only in
this gene bank. Several Hungarian fish farms and breeders from abroad requested
sample (larvae, nursed fry or one year old fingerling) population from the gene bank
to increase productivity of their strain and to avoid inbreeding depression (Szeged,
Bikal, Nagyatád). Two basic farms from Croatia restocked their original strains from
the gene bank after the Serbian war, when the basic population was damaged. These
were Nasic and Poljana fish farms. The wild form of Tisza common carp was also
supplemented from the gene bank with artificial propagation of broodstock after the
cyanide pollution.
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Progeny performance tests
As the races and strains are different in their qualitative and quantitative
characteristics, a progeny performance test was elaborated for the evaluation of some
major characteristics and for comparison of races and strains.
The progeny groups in the performance tests were kept in identical environmental
conditions from the reproduction till the end of the investigation. These conditions
were similar to the conditions of large scale fish farms in Hungary (Bakos, 1979). The
progeny groups were always produced by artificial reproduction during the natural
spawning season at the same time. After hatching, the larvae were kept in larval
rearing tanks for 2-3 days till the beginning of external feeding. In the first year, the
larvae were reared in 1 ha size ponds with a low stocking density, until they reach
100-150 g body weight. Because of marking difficulties of the large number of larvae
/400-500 thousand individuals/, only one group of mirror carps and one group of scaly
carps were kept in each pond. At the end of the first growing season, the individuals
of the experimental groups were marked one by one, and each group had their own
mark. After marking, the groups were stocked into the same pond, the weight loss and
mortality occurring during the winter was evaluated. In spring, at the beginning of the
following growing season, the fish groups were stocked to grow out ponds for market
fish production.
The evaluation of experimental groups was carried out not only in the experimental
ponds of the Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation, but also in
three commercial production farms. Both small ponds /0.4 ha/ and big ponds /2 ha/
were used for the experiments and the farms themselves were also different the point
of view of productivity. In the Institute, one pond of 1 ha size is stocked with a
sample of 200-300 fish from each group, and several 1 ha ponds are stocked with
large size samples of one particular group. The test pond stocked with samples taken
from each group is called the "mixed" structure pond, while the pond stocked with the
sample from one particular group is called the "pure" structure pond during
performance tests.
In the tests, five main features are evaluated which determine the economical value of
strains. These parameters used were: survival, weight gain, feed conversion ratio,
dressing yield and fat content of the fish flesh. At the time of harvesting, the fish were
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counted one by one and the survival is expressed in a percentage of the number of fish
at stocking. The weight gain was calculated as a difference between weight at
stocking and harvesting, when each individual is weighed. The feed conversion ratio
is tested in five wire-cages of 240 m2 each, built in the "mixed" structure test pond.
50 individuals of known body weight were stocked in each cage and fed with a
feeding rate of 5 percent throughout the growing season. Natural food was available
for the fish in the cage, similar to the other fish in the pond. The feed used in the test
was grain, especially wheat. Dressing yield means the rate of edible meat in percent.
For determination of the dressing yield, 20 individuals of each group were tested in
laboratory. The fat content of the fish flesh was determined from the edible part by
acido-butirometer analysis and expressed in percentage.
As an example of the progeny tests, the results of a comparative test of three foreign
strains are shown in Table 1, where a high productivity Hungarian strain "Szeged"
was used as a standard control.
In order to evaluate overall performance of the progenies, and to make the comparison
easier, a point system was elaborated.
30, 25, 20, 15 and 10 points could be given as a maximum for weight gain, survival,
feed conversion ratio, dressing yield and fat content respectively. If all five
characteristics of a tested group get the highest score, the sum of the points is equal to
100. The maximum point for a given characteristic was always given to that group
that has reached the highest performance during the test, and the points for the other
groups were decreased proportionally. The point system has been used for several
years and proved to be a useful method for the comparison of the different test groups
(Table 2.).
Table 1: The results of a comparative test of three foreign strains when Szeged mirror
carp was used as control (test farm: Szarvas; test year: 1983; pond surface: 1 ha)
Strains
Tested
parameters
Stocking rate
Survival
Differences
from the control
Poljana Poljana Fresinet Szeged Average
scaly
mirror
scaly
mirror of races
(ind./pond)
(%)
150
86,0
150
84,0
180
67,2
150
90,0
81,8
(%)
-4,0
-6,00
-22,78
0,0
-
8
Differences from the
average of strains
Average body mass
at stocking
Weight gain
Differences from
the control
Differences from the
average of strains
(%)
+4,2
+2,2
-14,58
+8,20
0,0
(g)
(g)
122,4
688,4
121,3
769,3
131,0
502,8
120,0
574,1
633,78
(g)
+114,8
+195,2
- 71,3
0,0
-
(g)
+55,12 +135,52 -130,98
-59,68
0,0
(kg/kg)
3,31
2,90
3,28
3,58
3,27
(kg/kg)
-0,27
-0,68
-0,30
0,0
-
(kg/kg)
+0,04
-0,37
+0,01
+0,31
0,0
Slaughter value
Differences from
the control
Differences from the
average of strains
(%)
60,37
64,90
59,46
59,47
61,05
(%)
+0,90
+5,43
-0,01
0,0
-
(%)
-0,68
+3,85
-1,59
-1,58
0,0
Fat content
Differences from
the control
Differences from the
average of strains
(%)
15,33
17,27
14,94
13,47
15,25
(%)
+1,86
+3,80
+1,47
0,0
-
(%)
+0,08
+2,02
-0,31
-1,78
0,0
Feed conversion ratio
Differences from
the control
Differences from the
average of strains
Table 2: Point system for the evaluation of five characteristics of the progenies of new
hybrids (test farm: Szolnok; test year: 1991; pond surface: 2 ha)
Tested parameters
Maximum
points
Weight gain
Survival
Feed conversion ratio
Dressing yield
30
25
20
15
Tested strains
Tata Palkonya Dinnyés Nasic Thai Szarvas
27,66
23,52
19,49
14,50
30,00
25,00
19,85
14,16
24,67
14,11
15,17
14,45
29,06
21,43
20,00
14,39
17,75
12,54
11,79
14,82
19,88
18,95
16,64
14,95
9
Fat content
Total
10
100
9,06
94,23
9,71
98,72
7,30
75,70
8,35 10,00
93,23 66,90
7,65
78,07
However it can be used only for the comparison of groups that are tested in the same
period in identical conditions.
Results and discussion
During the past forty-five years, 4-9 experimental groups of races and strains of the
gene bank were tested annually. In the performance tests of progeny groups were
produced by artificial propagation
As a result of our breeding work during the past twenty-five years, 3 high productivity
hybrids have been produced.
The gene bank and the research work here contribute significantly not only to the
development of carp culture in Hungary, but also to the preservation of broodstock of
races and strains.
Several common carp strains have been disappeared from their original biotopes in
Hungary and abroad, however the broodstock of these strains are preserved in the live
gene bank at the Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation, Szarvas.
Different strains and parental lines of high productivity hybrids have also been
supplied to different countries (Brazil, Greece, Madagascar, Poland, Rumania, Russia,
Laos, India, Iran, Georgia, Russia, Indonesia, Thailand, Croatia, Serbia and Vietnam)
and the strains or hybrids have proven their high productivity and good adaptability
even in tropical conditions.
References
Bakos, J. (1979) Crossbreeding Hungarian races of common carp to developed more
productive hybrids, in Advances in Aquaculture, Pillay, T. V. R. and Dill, W.
A., Eds., Fishing News Books, Franham, 633 p.
FAO. (1981) Conversation of the Genetic Resources of Fish: Problems and
Recommendations, Report of the Expect Consultation on the genetic Resources
of Fish, Rome, (9-13 June) 9-15 p.
10
Kirpichnikov, V. S. (1981) Genetic Bases of Fish Selection. Springer-Verlag, Berlin,
410 p.
Steffens, W. (1964) Vergleichende anatomisch-physiologische Untersuchungen an
Wild-und Teichkarpfen, Z Fish. Hilfswiss., 12NF, 725 p.
Willer, A. (1973) Uber die Zuchtziele in der Karpfenteichwirtschaft, Mitt. Dtsch.
Landwirtsch. Ges. 10, 1 p.