| The black-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera is of high economic importance in French Polynesia. Arecent decline in pearl value led to the initiation of several genetic breeding programs aiming to improve production traits, including oyster shell growth, which dictates the time of grafting, size of the implanted nuclei, and biomineralization capacities. We assessed shell diameters on hatchery-produced spat to analyze juvenile growth performance of four half-sib families derived from polyandry (one dam crossed with two sires) and polygyny (two dams crossed with one sire) using gametes obtained by thermal shock or gonad scarification. Spat growth was monitored over 3 mo, with shell diameter measured weekly. Results revealed that the spawning method... |
