Assessment of different freshwater mussel species suitability for image pearl production
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2026.1103010Keywords:
Freshwater mussels, Image pearl, Luster, Nacre layer, Paraffin-based imagesAbstract
This study was designed to discover the most suitable freshwater mussel species for image pearl production under controlled culture condition. A total of 600 mussels were used for transplantation and for each species 200 mussels were allocated. Three species of freshwater mussel as Lamellidens marginalis, Lamellidens corrianus, and Pilsbryoconcha exilis were collected, acclimatized and then implanted with paraffin-based image nuclei. The operated mussels were cultured in freshwater pond for 11 months maintaining regular water quality monitoring with net-bag hanging method. Fertilizers were applied for plankton production. At the end of the culture period, survival rate of mussels, nacre layer thickness, and luster of pearl were assessed to evaluate the mussels and pearls. The highest survival rate (47%) and superior luster quality were recorded in Pilsbryoconcha exilis, followed by L. corrianus (42%) and L. marginalis (40.5%). Nacre layer thickness was 1.36±0.12 mm for L. marginalis, 0.84±0.09 mm for L. corrianus, and 1.04±0.09 mm for P. exilis among the species. Luster of pearl was 34.89±0.70 lux for L. marginalis, 37.86±0.67 lux for L. corrianus, and 45.33±1.32 lux for P. exilis. While L. marginalis deposits the thickest nacre, its inferior luster and lower survival make it less commercially viable; conversely, P. exilis achieves the highest survival and brightest luster which is key traits for marketable image pearls demonstrating that pearl quality is not governed by nacre thickness alone, but by a species-specific trade-off that positions P. exilis as the most efficient candidate for sustainable, income-generating freshwater image pearl farming.Downloads
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