Estimates of genetic and phenotypic parameters for weight and length in Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck et Schlegel)

The complete diallel cross design was employed to estimate the genetic parameters of the growth of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). A total of 60 full-sib families were cultivated and two growth-related traits, body weight (BW) and body length (BL), were examined at average 2, 3 and 8 months of age respectively, with 1 800 individuals measured in each age group (30 per family). Based on the additive-dominance-maternal-effect genetic analysis model, the restricted maximum likelihood approach was used to estimate various (co)variance components. The results showed that narrow-sense heritability estimates of BW and BL were respectively:0.29±0.01 and 0.22±0.02 at 2 months of age, 0.32±0.02 and 0.30±0.04 at 3 months of age, 0.48±0.04 and 0.40±0.05 at 8 months of age; broad-sense heritability estimates were respectively:0.44±0.02 and 0.54±0.04 at 2 months of age, 0.35±0.01 and 0.36±0.03 at 3 months of age, 0.49±0.03 and 0.45±0.04. All heritabilities were statistically significant (P <0.05). Additive genetic correlations between BW and BL at 2, 3 and 8 months of age were consistently positive and highly significant (P <0.01):0.93±0.02, 0.95±0.03 and 0.92±0.03 respectively. Maternal effect was significant (P <0.05) only at 2 months of age, and was not detected at 3 and 8 months of age. According to the heritability estimates, the mass selection strategy should be efficient for the breeding of Japanese flounder.