Efficacy of selection in sexually breeding Artemia (Artemia franciscana, )

Bi‐directional selection for smaller naupliar size (SNS) and bigger naupliar size (BNS) was practiced to develop two divergent lines. The efficacy of bi‐directional mass selection in Artemia franciscana was evaluated by comparing the predicted genetic gains with the realized genetic gains. Two sets of predictions were made using two heritability estimates, e.g., the heritability estimate from full‐sib analysis (h2) and the estimate from regression of offspring on mid parent (bop). Predictions with the full‐sib heritabilities were of very high magnitude as compared with predictions with bop heritabilities. The predictions based on bop were more or less in agreement with realized genetic gain, while the predictions with heritability estimates based on full‐sib analysis were much higher than the realized gains. Ratios of realized gain to predicted gain based on full‐sib heritabilities were 0.2302 and 0.2152, respectively, for males and females of the SNS line, and 0.0471 and 0.2248, respectively, for males and females of the BNS line. Ratios of realized gain to predicted gain based on bop were 1.5348 and 0.6069 for males and females of the SNS line and 0.1028 and 0.9503 for males and females of the BNS line. Ratios of realized gain to predicted gain based on full‐sib heritability were of low magnitude in all the cases as the heritability estimates based on full‐sib analysis were inflated by non‐additive genetic variance. The ratios of realized gain to predicted gain based on bop were high in both sexes of SNS and females of BNS, indicating high efficacy of selection as bop includes only additive genetic variance. However, it was of low magnitude in BNS males. Thus, the heritability estimates based on regression of offspring on mid parent (bop) are more reliable than that of heritability estimates based on full‐sib analysis (h2) for predicting the selection response in Artemia.