Enhancing the pearl: understanding the molecular genetics of pearl lustre, colour and size (2006–2009)
- Abstract:
- Australia produces some of the most valuable pearls in the world. However recently the world has been flooded with high quality mass-produced freshwater pearls. This has begun to eat into our prestigious South Sea Pearl market and now presents Australian pearlers with a challenge to maintain market identity. We propose to respond this challenge by improving the quality and consistency of the cultured South Sea Pearl through gaining a detailed understanding of how the oyster genetically controls pearl biofabrication - focusing on pearl colour, size and lustre. This information will identify pearl oysters that are a source of high-quality donor mantle tissue and that can be used in selective breeding programs.
- Grant type:
- ARC Linkage Projects
- Researchers:
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- Funded by:
- Australian Research Council
