Supercharging barramundi production through advanced selective breeding for improved disease resistance, growth and fillet traits
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
Barramundi, or Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer, is the major aquaculture species farmed in Singapore and has wide consumer acceptance due to its white, firm flesh. The barramundi currently farmed in Singapore, however, have not been significantly improved through simultaneous selection to be resistant to major diseases (like scale drop disease), faster growth, or fillet characteristics. This project will use gold standard breeding methodologies that utilise genomics, industrial-scale phenotyping and cutting-edge digital technologies to select for barramundi that are more productive, have whiter flesh and possess a lower risk to farming due to disease in Singaporean waters. Outcomes from the project will be barramundi that have average survival to scale drop disease of 60%, grow 15% faster, and have increased fillet yields and white flesh colouration.
Date
01 Jan 2021 - 31 Dec 2025
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
barramundi;lates calcarifer;genomic selection;selective breeding;aquaculture
Funding Body
Singapore Food Agency
Amount
2906600
Project Team
Susan Kueh;Xueyan Shen