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Amur rohu (improved strain) Photo: Biswarup Ganguly · CC BY 3.0 · source ↗

Amur rohu (improved strain)

Amur rohu is the popular name in India for an improved rohu (Labeo rohita) strain originally derived from common carp x rohu cross-breeding work at Russian (Amur basin) research stations and later propagated in India by progressive hatcheries and state fisheries departments. The strain is widely used in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal as a high-growth alternative to local rohu seed.

Key features

  • Origin: derived from imported brood stock with Russian Amur lineage; subsequently bred in Indian hatcheries
  • Major promoter in India: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) Ludhiana and the Punjab Department of Fisheries from the late 2000s
  • Growth advantage: reports of 30-40% higher growth over local rohu stocks under intensive feeding
  • Maturity: matures earlier than wild rohu, useful for hatchery throughput
  • Body: indistinguishable on appearance from standard rohu; identity depends on hatchery pedigree

Cultivation

Amur rohu is stocked in the same composite ponds as standard rohu, at 50-60% of the seed in three-species systems and 20-25% in six-species systems (Composite Fish Culture Six Species, Carp Polyculture Pond). It responds well to pellet feed at 28-32% crude protein and reaches 1-1.5 kg in 10-12 months in well-aerated, well-fed intensive systems. Stocking density 5,000-10,000 fingerlings/ha. Brood stock is induced-spawned in the standard way using carp pituitary or synthetic GnRH analogues.

Comparison with Jayanti rohu

Both Amur and Jayanti (Jayanti Rohu Cifa Selectively Bred) are marketed as improved rohu in India. Jayanti is a pedigreed selective-breeding output of ICAR-CIFA with documented genetic gain per generation. Amur, by contrast, has been propagated mostly through private hatcheries with looser pedigree control and the original Russian-cross identity is now diluted across many farm generations. Independent on-farm comparisons have shown variable results: under high-input feeding both outperform unselected stock, but pedigree certainty is stronger for Jayanti.

Limitations

Genuine Amur lineage is difficult to verify since the name is also used loosely by hatcheries to label fast-growing seed. Quality fingerlings (Fingerling Seed Quality) from accredited hatcheries are essential. Without high-protein feed and good aeration, the growth advantage over local rohu narrows.

See also: Rohu Labeo Rohita Imc, Jayanti Rohu Cifa Selectively Bred, Composite Fish Culture Six Species, Carp Polyculture Pond, Fingerling Seed Quality.

Sources

  1. Amur rohu strain in Punjab. PAU Ludhiana.
  2. ICAR-CIFA improved rohu strains. ICAR-CIFA Bhubaneswar.
  3. Performance evaluation of Amur and Jayanti rohu. National Fisheries Development Board.