The influence of genetics factor on key growth traits and quantitative genetic analysis of sea cucumber <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apostichopus Japonicus</Emphasis> (Selenka) heat-resistant and fast-growing strain

Using incomplete diallels cross and North Carolina II design, this study established sea cucumber families with heat-resistant and fast-growing Apostichopus japonicus strains from different ecological areas. Then, this study analyzed the influence of paternal and maternal genetic effects on the growth of A. japonicus, evaluated the growth effect of different A. japonicus families in the early growth stage and estimated the combining ability and heritability. The study showed that, in the early growth stage of A. japonicus, the influence of paternal genetic effects on the growth was higher than that of maternal effects. The best five parents and eight offspring families in terms of genetic potential breeding and growth were selected. The 3-month weight, 9-month weight, 12-month weight, 5-month to 9-month specific growth rate, 9-month coefficient of variation (CV) and 12-month CV of A. japonicus are at moderate heritability level, in order, 28.18, 40.82, 43.56, 27.87, 44.39 and 38.59 %, respectively; these traits played a leading role in parental additive gene effect on the formation of hybrids offspring traits.