Aquaculture Extension Cell

 
 

Integrated Disease Management System (IDMS)

This system through a series of quality control measures, starting from pond designing, construction and appropriate pond preparation ensures control over diseases until harvest. The culture is maintained by using biological control measures developed at the Centre. The integrated disease management system includes regular water quality monitoring and management, microbial quality management and total health assessment and management.
As part of IDMS group-farming and closed system fish, shrimp and prawn culture concepts also have been introduced successfully.

  IDMS
· Larval health assessment
· Water/ soil quality management
· Microbial quality monitoring and management
· Disease diagnosis and treatment


Protozoal infestation on gills of shrimp

Larval health assessment

The basic requirement of successful aquaculture is disease free seed. We help farmers in diagnosing the viral and bacterial diseases prior to lifting them from hatchery for stocking. The research wing of the Centre has developed a protocol for the production of disease free healthy larvae of Penaeus monodon and Macrobrachium rosenbergii and is being implemented in many hatcheries in the country


Water/ soil quality management

Maintenance of good water quality is the primary need in shrimp culture systems since it is the major factor determining the health of shrimp. Water quality and incidence of diseases are interdependent and linked to the microbial activities in ponds. If water and soil quality are not maintained, shrimp will not feed well or assimilate food efficiently, they will be more susceptible to disease and survival may be poor. AEC assist farmers in continuous monitoring of the water quality in ponds and maintain them within the range.
We equip farmers with indigenous probiotic for the management of water quality.

Desired water quality for Prawn culture

Microbial quality monitoring and management

The disease outbreaks have given a serious setback to the booming shrimp farming activity in India. Initially, some of the bacterial diseases were noticed which were more or less localised and the mortality levels were not very high. Later in 1995, viral diseases caused by monodon baculo-virus and white spot virus affected the farmed shrimp and there was a slump in shrimp farming. Reasons such as heavy stocking densities and poor farm management practices were attributed to the shrimp diseases outbreak in the country. AEC extends its expertise in microbiology and molecular biology to the farmers to study the microbial population in the pond and to take necessary remedies at the right time. Centre has developed indigenous propbiotic preparations such as PS- 1 and Enterotrophotic to control the vibrio populations in the water and gut of animal. With the aid of these biological control measures, the antibiotic usage in the culture ponds could be avoided. AEC could also manage to culture and successfully harvest the WSSV infected ponds using our indigenous probiotics and water quality management strategy.
Disease diagnosis and treatment

The major disease problems we have faced are the WSSV, bacterial necrosis and protozoan infection. The IDMS includes continuous monitoring of animal samples for protozoan and bacterial infections. The animals also are subjected to PCR and dot blot test for various viral pathogens at regular interval. AEC also provides the farmers with food additives such as immunostimulants, vitamins and calcium for boosting up the immune systems and disease resistance of the animals

Product quality assurance

Healthy prawns can be harvested only by using quality raw materials. We assist the farmers in analyzing and assuring the quality of aquaculture products, before applying to the farms.

This includes the testing feeds for aflatoxins and nutrient values, probiotic for their degradation or antagonistic potential and the other drugs for their desired potential. Before applying to farms we make sure that the product is not toxic to the environment and the animals.

Education programme

The main objective of AEC is to educate farmers on the latest developments in aquaculture and principles of water/soil quality management.

We regularly organize educational programmes for farmers on the need of water quality management in ponds, selection of probiotics, fish and shell fish disease management etc.

Training programmes on microbiology, water quality analysis and molecular biology techniques for technicians also are organized on request.

Educational programmes provide a platform for farmers to discuss their experience and problems, now and then.


For more details contact us