Comparison of graft transplantation into two different regions of freshwater mussel (Unio terminalis)

The relationship between the rate of incidence for ketosis seen in the livestock in this study, the best pearl sac formation was investigated in two different implantation areas of the freshwater mussel (Unio terminalis) using two different graft materials. Average dorso-ventral length, height, width and weight of used Unio terminalis mussel were 7.80 ± 0.22 cm, 4.12 ± 0.21 cm, 3.14 ± 0.19 cm and 45.74 ± 0.23 g, respectively. The mantle cavity and intra-gonad regions were determined as pearl pouch formation implantation site and 2 grafts were applied to each region. Mantle tissue slices obtained from the pallial part of the mantle tissue in the size of 3 × 3 mm and the same species mussel shell with 3 mm diameter were used as the graft material. 50 different mussels were used in each application with a total of a total of 300 mussels, three replicated. At the end of the 3-month pearl culture, highest rate of formation (60%) and number (35) of the pearl sac was observed in mantle cavity region compared to intra-gonad region. However, the muscular graft and nucleus removal was detected at the lowest rate (20%) in the region of the gonad which is the best obtained result. This research is important for commercial pearl production studies on the most suitable graft implantation site in the production of cultured pearls.