Effects of shell morphological traits on the weight trait of the orange strain of the Manila clam

A new strain of Manila clam with orange shell color was produced after selection within a full-sib family for two generations. In the present study, the shell length, height, and width, and the live body weight of the orange strain were measured, and their correlation coefficients were calculated. The shell morphological traits were used as independent variables, and the live body weight was used as the dependent variable for calculating the path coefficients, correlation index, and determination coefficients. The results showed that the correlation coefficients between each shell morphological trait and the live body weight were all highly significant (P < 0.01). The correlation indices (R2) of morphological traits against the live body weight of clams were larger than 0.85, indicating that the morphology traits were the main factors affecting the body weight. Multiple regression equations were obtained to estimate shell length X1 (cm), shell height X2 (cm), and shell width X3 (cm) against live body weight Y (g): Y = − 2.62 + 0.34 X1 + 0.145 X2, (X1 < 0.05, X2 < 0.05). The results suggest that the shell length could be used as the main trait for selective breeding and could indirectly make a large improvement in the weight trait.