Incidence of loose shell syndrome in penaeus (litopeneaus) vannamei farms in nellore district of coastal andhra pradesh, india

Shrimp farming is an important activity along the coastal regions of India. Andhra Pradesh with 974 Kms of coastline, stands first in the shrimp production. Since 2009, the area, production and sea food exports has been constantly increasing after the introduction of L.vannamei in the state. Inspite of steady progress in the L.vananmei farming, the diseases remain a major threat for production and productivity. In this context, a study was conducted on incidence of Loose Shell Syndrome (LSS) during 2014 and 2015 in L. vannamei farms in the three locations (Kavali-Allur (L1), Nellore (L2) and Gudur-Kota (L3)) of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh for a total of four crops. The prevalence of LSS was shown significant variation between the three locations and also between four crops during the study period. The overall LSS infection ranged from 8% to 30% in the Nellore district. As the LSS is associated with poor water quality, mineral deficiency and other poor management practices, it can be controlled with water quality management and better management practices.