Beyond Traditional Breeding: The Optimate Difference
For centuries, selective breeding followed the same basic approach. Farmers selected the biggest and best performing animals, achieving incremental improvements over decades—often at the significant cost of inbreeding. This approach, while intuitive, has severe limitations in modern aquaculture where precision, speed and genetic diversity are paramount.
Enter Optimate—Xelect’s groundbreaking breeding optimisation system that represents a major step beyond traditional methods and generic “off-the-shelf” breeding software.
Bespoke Engineering for Unmatched Results
What sets Optimate apart is that it isn’t merely adapted from terrestrial farming software or built on generic algorithms. Instead, it’s been meticulously developed and refined over years specifically for aquaculture applications, with continuous improvements guided by real-world performance data and feedback from leading producers worldwide.
The results speak for themselves: breeding programmes powered by Optimate consistently outperform industry standards, delivering genetic gains that were previously considered unattainable.
How Optimate Works Its Magic
At its core, Optimate combines precise estimates of genetic value with comprehensive pedigree relationships. It employs highly advanced evolutionary algorithms that mimic biological evolution itself, progressively refining mating plans through millions of scenarios to identify exactly which fish or shrimp combinations will deliver your desired outcomes.
Consider the practical challenge: a modest broodstock population of just 250 fish creates over 30,000 possible mating combinations. For humans, analysing all these possibilities would take weeks—if not months—and still likely miss optimal solutions. Optimate processes these complex calculations effortlessly while simultaneously identifying which combinations might risk elevated levels of inbreeding.
Beyond Basic Breeding: Solving Complex Challenges
Optimate’s sophistication extends far beyond simple mating plans. It excels at solving the complex challenges that plague standard breeding software:
Group Spawning Management:
While most software is unable to handle with group spawning species, Optimate thrives, optimising batch organisation across multiple breeding tanks.
Farm-Specific Customisation:
Optimate doesn’t just run generic simulations – it’s calibrated to your operation’s unique environment and practical considerations. From breeding tank capacity and maturation rates to photoperiod limitations, the software accounts for your real-world conditions to deliver a truly bespoke breeding programme.
Multi-Trait Selection:
Want to simultaneously improve growth, survival, and disease resistance? Optimate carefully balances these competing priorities based on your specific commercial goals.
Transformative Commercial Impact
The commercial advantages of Optimate extend beyond immediate breeding decisions. Its sophisticated predictive capabilities provide invaluable insights into your business’s future potential, enabling informed long-term strategic planning.
What’s particularly powerful about genetic improvement is its compound nature. Each generation builds upon the gains of the previous one, creating an accelerating trajectory of improvement. The cumulative effect is transformative: an improvement of just 10% in growth over five generations produces fish or shellfish that are 64% larger at harvest. These aren’t merely additive improvements—they’re exponential, with each generation amplifying the benefits achieved previously.
When working with multiple traits simultaneously—enhancing survival rates and feed conversion alongside growth—the financial benefits multiply even more dramatically. This compound effect creates a widening competitive advantage that becomes increasingly difficult for competitors to match over time.
Part of a Comprehensive Genetics Solution
While Optimate is a revolutionary tool, it’s important to understand that it’s one component in Xelect’s comprehensive breeding programme management service. Our integrated approach combines:
Suite of Proprietary Software:
Optimate works alongside our other specialised software tools, each addressing specific aspects of modern breeding programmes
Independent Genetics Laboratory:
Our state-of-the-art facilities ensure precise genetic analysis and validation
Expert Programme Management:
Our team of breeding programme specialists provide first-class service and management, translating software outputs into practical implementation
Continuous Improvement:
Our systems evolve based on real-world results and cutting-edge research
This holistic approach ensures that genetic improvements don’t just exist in theory but translate to measurable commercial advantages in your operation.
Ready to experience the Optimate difference? Contact our team today to discover how our bespoke breeding technology and comprehensive genetics services can transform your aquaculture operation.
