As an important marine mollusk, the growth and development of razor clams (Sinonovacula constricta) are affected by salinity. Genetic selection for salt tolerance is an imperative and effective approach to the improvement of growth and production. To examine whether the tolerance to high salt can be included in razor clam breeding programs, we conducted a genetic analysis of high salt tolerance using three phenotypes and four statistical models. The correlation between tolerance and growth traits was evaluated simultaneously. In this study, we used 9-day experimental stress data of 1005 individuals from 17 full-sib families (the offspring of 17 sires and 17 dams). The survival rate of the families ranged from 0% to 100%, suggesting that the viability of razor clams was different under diverse high salt stress. A positive Pearson and Spearman correlation existed between high salt tolerance and growth traits. A very high genetic correlation (0.886–0.999) was also observed between them, indicating indirect breeding was feasible. Heritabilities of tolerance to high salt were from low to high, with values of 0.55–0.64, 0.11, and 0.047–0.487 for trait TS (test survival), trait DD (day of death), and trait TDS (test-day survival), respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficients of families estimated breeding values between different models ranged from 0.921 to 0.998 which indicated a near-identical ranking of families. This study demonstrated that the salt tolerance of razor clams could be improved genetically through selective breeding. Overall, cross-sectional threshold and linear repeatability models were the most appropriate in estimating heritability for salt tolerance with trait TS and trait TDS in this species. Our study provides important information to guide the effective selection for salt tolerance in S. constricta.

作为重要的海洋软体动物，蛏子（Sinonovacula constricta ）的生长发育) 受盐度影响。耐盐遗传选择是提高生长和产量的必要且有效的方法。为了检验对高盐的耐受性是否可以包括在蛏子育种计划中，我们使用三种表型和四种统计模型对高盐耐受性进行了遗传分析。同时评估耐受性和生长性状之间的相关性。在这项研究中，我们使用了来自 17 个全同胞家庭（17 个公牛和 17 个水坝的后代）的 1005 个个体的 9 天实验压力数据。家系的成活率从0%到100%不等，说明在不同的高盐胁迫下蛏子的生存力是不同的。高耐盐性与生长性状之间存在Pearson和Spearman正相关。非常高的遗传相关性（0. 886-0.999）之间也观察到，表明间接育种是可行的。耐高盐遗传力从低到高，性状TS（试验存活）、性状DD（死亡日）和性状TDS（试验日存活）的值分别为0.55-0.64、0.11和0.047-0.487 ， 分别。家庭的皮尔逊相关系数估计不同模型之间的育种值在 0.921 到 0.998 之间，这表明家庭的排名几乎相同。这项研究表明，蛏子的耐盐性可以通过选择性育种在遗传上得到改善。总体而言，横截面阈值和线性重复性模型最适合估计该物种中具有性状 TS 和性状 TDS 的耐盐性的遗传力。S. constricta。