Successful Hybridization of Acipenser Species Using Cryopreserved Sperm


B. Urbányi, Á. Horváth, B. Kovács-2004

Aquaculture International: 12(1): 47-56

Abstract:

Successful hybridization of sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) × Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri), sterlet × Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedti) and sterlet × European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) was carried out for the first time using cryopreserved semen of sturgeon males and sterlet × sterlet crosses as controls. Sperm of all three species was diluted with a cryodiluent composed of 23.4 mM sucrose, 0.25 mM KCl, 30 mM Tris (pH 8.0) and 10% methanol. The samples were frozen in plastic straws in the vapor of liquid nitrogen at the height of 3 cm above the level of nitrogen for 3 min. Following thawing approximately 3000 sterlet eggs were fertilized with six straws of frozen-thawed sperm. The hatching rate with sterlet sperm was 30.6% while the hatching rate of A. ruthenus × A. baeri, A. ruthenus × A. gueldenstaedti and A. ruthenus × A. sturio hybrids was 50, 17.4 and 34%, respectively. Morphometric markers as well as random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was used to verify interspecific hybridization.

(Department of Fish Culture, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Szent Istvan University, Páter K. u. 1., Gödöllö, H-2103, Hungary, Tel: +36-28-522-000/1657; fax: +36-28-410-804, e-mail: urbanyib@nt.ktg.gau.hu)


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