Microsatellite Loci Based Segregation of Hybrid Varieties of the Three Important Indian Major Carps

The major carps like Rohu, Catla and Mrigal are traditionally cultured freshwater varieties of fish with high commercial value in India. Production of natural and man-made hybrid fishes is very common among these varieties due to high demand and unscientific way of producing more fish-seeds in congregated manner within stagnant water of mainly private hatcheries. Conventionally, external morphological features are the basis of identification for these fish species but increasing emphasis on biodiversity issues has necessitated proper stock management through molecular genetics techniques. This has triggered genetic characterization as the true way of identifying wild and hybrid types. Present work applies molecular genetics approach facilitating microsatellite marker-based identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification technique. It would help the fish breeders and hatcheries in discrimination of wild and hybrid species. Three sets of primers were used to cross amplify three different microsatellite markers from genomic DNA of these fishes. We report here that the PCR amplification using said markers could primarily be used as the first step in screening hybrid verities from the wild Indian Major Carps.