Selective breeding and preliminary commercial performance of Penaeus vannamei for resistance to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) has caused significant economic losses in shrimp farming industry. In this paper, WSSV was injected into Penaeus vannamei and the survivors were used for breeding of WSSV-resistant broodstock. During year 2002 to 2007, 120 full-sib WSSV-resistant families were established. Experimental WSSV challenging tests showed that the survival rates of generation 2 (G(2)), G(3), G(4) and G(5) were 5.57 +/- 9.83%, 7.78 +/- 10.89%, 9.52 +/- 8.84% and 13.79 +/- 11.52%, respectively. Furthermore, the time-until-death prolonged gradually from G(2) to G(5). Shrimps with the highest WSSV resistance from G(4) families were selected and assayed for commercial performance in outdoor ponds. In commercial outdoor ponds, the survival rate, production and harvest body weight of these shrimps were 25.33%, 82.14% and 34.51% higher than those of unselected shrimps, respectively, and the feed coefficient was 13.86% lower. Thus, the WSSV resistance and commercial performance of these shrimps have been apparently improved. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.