ASSESSMENT OF MAJOR FACTORS AFFECTING TRIPLOID INDUCTION USING HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE AND GROWTH ASSESSMENT OF TRIPLOID EASTERN OYSTERS (CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA) WITHIN THE BRAS D’OR LAKE

Abstract

Triploid oysters can be created through chemical or pressure treatments that induce a diploid embryo to become a triploid by blocking the expulsion of a polar body during development. Triploid oysters are desirable because they are sterile, faster growing, and have more energy to fight pathogens. Little is known about triploid induction in the Eastern oyster using hydrostatic pressure. The focus of these experiments were to evaluate different variables to elucidate their impact on triploid induction and assess the growth of triploid Eastern oysters grown in Canadian waters. The first objective of this study was to determine the most efficient pressure intensity and duration treatments that would yield the highest triploidy induction rates in the Eastern oyster. The second objective was to compare the growth of triploid vs diploid oysters in field conditions in the Bras d’Or lake, Nova Scotia.