Monosex culture has been adopted in sexually dimorphic farmed animals since sex-specific traits can be exploited to generate higher economic values. F armed decapod crustaceans (e.g. , shrimp, prawns and crabs) are not different and exhibit clear dimorphic aquaculture parameters between sexes such as growth rate, survival, uniformity and FCR. The advantages of mono-sex cultivation, attributed to energy allocation to growth rather than reproduction, were demonstrated in myriad of studies. Production of monosex culture is also advantageous for selective breeding programs and hatcheries which seek to protect their highly selective lines. Despite the above benefits , crustacean aquaculture is still predominantly based on a product of mix- sex populations which suppresses most sexual dimorphic growth advantages.
The first proprietary technology which supplies broodstock for the production of all-female Macrobrachium rosenbergii population was developed and commercialized by Enzootic . This novel technology , based on a single androgenic gland cell transplantation, have demonstrated the advantages of all-female prawn aquaculture and is performed without undesired interventions such as genetic modifications, exogenous hormones or hazardous chemicals . The benefits of all- female M. rosenbergii cultivation over mixed population was confirmed in large scale field performance studies conducted in earthen pond , showing benefits in all parameters evaluated such as growth rate, harvest size, FCR and reduced reproductive activity. In the absence of the dominant males, t he uniformity of the product and the presumable reduction of territoriality and aggressiveness are offering unique benefits in further intensified prawn culture and potential use of RAS systems.
Proprietary genomic sex markers together with t he recent assembly of a high-quality phased genome sets the ground for a genomic based selective breeding of the all-female population for enhanced performance lines.