Ž . Aquaculture 162 1998 187–202 Reproduction, growth rate and culture potential of ž / the green mussel, Perna Õiridis L. in Edaiyur backwaters, east coast of India S. Rajagopal a, ) , V.P. Venugopalan b , K.V.K. Nair b , G. van der Velde a , H.A. Jenner c , C. den Hartog a a Department of Ecology, Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Science, UniÕersity of Nijmegen, ToernooiÕeld, 6525 ED Nijmegen, Netherlands b Water and Steam Chemistry Laboratory, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, India c KEMA Power Generation, P.O.Box 9035, 6800 ET Arnhem, Netherlands Accepted 30 November 1997 Abstract The green mussel Perna Õiridis is an edible mollusc with enormous culture potential. This paper presents data on the reproduction, spat settlement and growth rate of P. Õiridis in Edaiyur backwaters on the east coast of India. The mussels exhibit two spawning periods and temperature appears to regulate the onset of reproductive events. Spat settlement densities are greater in the adjacent coastal waters as compared to the backwaters. Growth rate data show that the mussels reach an average shell length of 83 mm in 1 year. The results also show that shell and meat weight exhibit different seasonal patterns of growth in Edaiyur backwaters. In rope culture, marketable Ž . size 50–60 mm shell length was achieved in about 6 months with an annual production of 47 kg y1 Ž . y1 m and biomass wet meat weight of 22 kg m . The annual production values in Edaiyur backwaters are relatively higher than those reported from other parts of India. The present study suggests that Edaiyur backwaters represent a potential site for successful cultivation of P. Õiridis considering the availability of sustainable wild stocks of P. Õiridis and abundance of seed along with favourable environmental conditions. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Mussels; Perna Õiridis; Reproduction; Growth rate; Production; Culture potential ) Corresponding author. Fax: q31-24-3652134; e-mail: raju@sci.kun.nl. 0044-8486r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII S0044-8486 98 00166-5