Improving the Productivity of Indigenous African Livestock
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Crossbreeding of Cattle in Africa
Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences June 2018, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 16-31 ISSN: 2334-2404 (Print), 2334-2412 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v7n1a3 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/jaes.v7n1a3 Crossbreeding of Cattle in Africa R Trevor Wilson1 Abstract Africa is endowed with a very wide range of mostly Bos indicus indigenous cattle breeds. A general statement with regard to their performance for meat or milk is that they are of inferior genetic value. Attempts to improve their performance have rarely relied on within-breed improvement but have concentrated on crossing to supposedly superior exotic Bos taurus types. Exotic types have not always – indeed have rarely -- been chosen on objective criteria and the imported breeds generally indicate the colonial past of individual African countries rather than on use of “the right animal in the right place”. Most attempts at increasing output have been undertaken under research station conditions. Results on station have been very variable but the limited success achieved has rarely been carried over in to the general African cattle population. This paper documents a number of attempts to alter the genetic make-up of African cattle in several countries and discusses the reasons for the failure of most of these. Keywords: Bos indicus, Bos taurus, livestock experiments, milk production, meat production 1. Introduction African countries differ greatly in climatic, ecological and agricultural conditions and in socioeconomic factors. In many countries, nonetheless, cattle are the most important livestock species. -
Genetic Markers for Polled, African Horn and Scurs Genes in Tropical Beef Cattle
final reportp Project code: B.AHW.0144 Prepared by: Dr John Henshall CSIRO Livestock Industries Date published: November 2011 ISBN: 9781741916683 PUBLISHED BY Meat & Livestock Australia Limited Locked Bag 991 NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059 Genetic markers for polled, African Horn and Scurs genes in tropical beef cattle Meat & Livestock Australia acknowledges the matching funds provided by the Australian Government to support the research and development detailed in this publication. This publication is published by Meat & Livestock Australia Limited ABN 39 081 678 364 (MLA). Care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However MLA cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in the publication. You should make your own enquiries before making decisions concerning your interests. Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication is prohibited without prior written consent of MLA. Genetic markers for polled, African Horn and Scurs genes in tropical beef cattle Abstract The objective of this project was to develop gene marker tests for the Polled, Scurs and African Horn genes. A microsatellite marker was found that is very closely associated with the polled locus in Brahman, Santa Gertrudis, Hereford, Droughtmaster and Limousin. In these breeds animals homozygous for the allele associated with polled almost never have horns or scurs, so no additional test for the scurs or African horn gene is required. In Tropical Composite cattle, those that are homozygous for the allele associated with polled are most likely to be polled, but also may be horned or scurred. This may be due to incomplete association, or due to another region of the chromosome such as the hypothesised African Horn gene. -
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Proceedings of the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production, 11.550 Genetic variability and relationships among nine southern African and exotic cattle breeds L. van der Westhuizen1,2, M.D. MacNeil1,2,3, M.M. Scholtz1,2 & F.W.C. Neser2 1 ARC-Animal Production Institute, Private Bag X2, 0062, Irene, South Africa [email protected] (Corresponding Author) 2 Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, UFS, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa 3 Delta G, 145 Ice Cave Road, MT 59301, Miles City, USA Summary An existing 11 microsatellite marker database that resulted from parentage verification in response to requests from industry, was used to assess genetic diversity among nine breeds of cattle. These breeds were drawn from B. indicus (Boran (BOR) and Brahman (BRA)), B. taurus (Angus (ANG) and Simmental (SIM)), and B. taurus africanus (Afrikaner (AFR), Bonsmara (BON), Drakensberger (DRA), Nguni (NGU), and Tuli (TUL)). Due to the cost of genotyping, genetic diversity studies using SNPs rely on relatively low numbers of animals to represent each of the breeds. Large numbers of animals have been genotyped for parentage verification using microsatellite markers, therefore, the microsatellite information on large numbers of animals has the potential to provide more accurate estimates of genomic diversity. A minimum of 300 animals were randomly chosen from each breed and were used to assess within- and between breed genetic diversity. All breeds had high levels of heterozygosity and minimal inbreeding. There were distinct differences among the three groups of cattle, but also support for the notion of taurine influence in some of the Sanga and Sanga-derived breeds. -
Animal Genetic Resources Information Bulletin
127 WHITE FULANI CATTLE OF WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA C.L. Tawah' and J.E.O. Rege2 'Centre for Animal and Veterinary Research. P.O. Box 65, Ngaoundere, Adamawa Province, CAMEROON 2International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA SUMMARY The paper reviews information on the White Fulani cattle under the headings: origin, classification, distribution, population statistics, ecological settings, utility, husbandry practices, physical characteristics, special genetic characteristics, adaptive attributes and performance characteristics. It was concluded that the breed is economically important for several local communities in many West and Central African countries. The population of the breed is substantial. However, introgression from exotic cattle breeds as well as interbreeding with local breeds represent the major threat to the breed. The review identified a lack of programmes to develop the breed as being inimical to its long-term existence. RESUME L'article repasse l'information sur la race White Fulani du point de vue: origine, classement, distribution, statistique de population, contexte écologique, utilité, pratiques de conduites, caractéristiques physiques, caractéristiques génétiques spéciales, adaptabilité, et performances. On conclu que la race est importante du point de vue économique pour diverses communautés rurales dans la plupart des régions orientales et centrale de l'Afrique. Le nombre total de cette race est important; cependant, l'introduction de races exotiques, ainsi que le croisement avec des races locales représente le risque le plus important pour cette race. Cet article souligne également le fait que le manque de programmes de développement à long terme représente un risque important pour la conservation de cette race. -
Growth and Reproductive Traits of Friesian-Sanga Crossbred Cattle In
Volume 13 No. 2 April 2013 GROWTH AND REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF FRIESIAN X SANGA CROSSBRED CATTLE IN THE ACCRA PLAINS OF GHANA Obese FY1*, Acheampong DA1 and KA Darfour-Oduro2 Frederick Obese *Corresponding author email: [email protected] 1Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, P.O. BOX LG 226, Legon, Ghana 2Animal Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P.O. Box AH 20, Achimota, Ghana 7357 Volume 13 No. 2 April 2013 ABSTRACT The typical cattle production system in Ghana is predominantly pasture-based. Cattle are grazed all year round on natural pastures with minimal feed supplementation. The animals kept in this production system often experience inadequate nutrition and fluctuating nutrient supply affecting their productivity. There is presently limited information on the growth and reproductive performance of the Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle (Plate 1) and factors influencing these performance traits. The growth and reproductive performance records of 150 Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle, kept at the Animal Research Institute station in the Accra Plains of Ghana from April 1993 to October 2009 were evaluated to determine the effect of parity of cow, season of calving and sex of calf on birth weight, weaning weight, growth rate, age at first calving and calving interval. The birth weight and weaning weights of the calves averaged 21.8 ± 0.5 kg and 94.2 ± 3.8 kg, respectively, and were not (P > 0.05) affected by sex of calf, parity of cow or season of calving. Parity of cow affected (P < 0.05) weight of calf at 12 months. -
ZAMBIAN COUNTRY REPORT TOWARDS Sowangr
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND CO-OPERATIVES DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES AND LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT REPORT ON THE STATE OF ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN ZAMBIA A CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIRST REPORT ON THE WORLD’S ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES ZAMBIA FAnGR NATIONAL FOCAL POINT MAZABUKA EMAIL: [email protected] [email protected] NOVEMBER, 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Table of Contents i Acronyms used vi List of Tables viii Preface ix Acknowledgement x Chapter one 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Physiographic and Climatic Features 1 1.1.1 Climate 1 1.1.2 Human Population 1 1.2 Agro-Ecological Zones (Regions) 2 1.3.1 Forest Types 3 1.3.2 Agricultural Sector 4 1.3.3 Livestock Population 4 1.3.4 Livestock Enterprises 4 1.3.5 Supply of Genetic Materials 6 1.4.3.1 Local Source 6 1.4.3.2 Imported Genetic Materials 6 1.4.4 Trends in Livestock Production 7 1.5 Food Security 7 1.6 Human Population Trends 8 1.7 Role of Livestock 9 Chapter Two 2.0 The State of Animal Production Systems 10 2.1 Main Animal Production Systems in Zambia 10 i 2.1.1 The Traditional Production System 10 2.1.2 The Medium Scale Commercial Production System 10 2.1.3 The Large Scale Commercial Production System 11 2.2 The Most Important Animal Products and By-Products in Zambia 11 2.2.1 Poultry 12 2.2.2 Pigs 12 2.2.3 Sheep and Goats 12 2.2.4 Cattle 12 2.3 Major Trends and Significant Changes in the Use and Management of AnGR in Zambia 13 Chapter Three 3.0 The State of Livestock Genetic Diversity in Zambia 14 3.1 Locally Adapted Cattle Breeds 15 3.2 Recently Introduced Cattle Breeds 22 3.3 Continually -
Characterisation of the Cattle, Buffalo and Chicken Populations in the Northern Vietnamese Province of Ha Giang Cécile Berthouly
Characterisation of the cattle, buffalo and chicken populations in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang Cécile Berthouly To cite this version: Cécile Berthouly. Characterisation of the cattle, buffalo and chicken populations in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang. Life Sciences [q-bio]. AgroParisTech, 2008. English. NNT : 2008AGPT0031. pastel-00003992 HAL Id: pastel-00003992 https://pastel.archives-ouvertes.fr/pastel-00003992 Submitted on 16 Jun 2009 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Agriculture, UFR Génétique, UMR 1236 Génétique Alimentation, Biologie, Biodiva project UR 22 Faune Sauvage Elevage et Reproduction et Diversité Animales Environnement, Santé Thesis to obtain the degree DOCTEUR D’AGROPARISTECH Field: Animal Genetics presented and defended by Cécile BERTHOULY on May 23rd, 2008 Characterisation of the cattle, buffalo and chicken populations in the Northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang Supervisors: Jean-Charles MAILLARD and Etienne VERRIER Committee Steffen WEIGEND Senior scientist, Federal Agricultural -
Southeast Asia Acknowledgements the Subregional Factsheet Was Prepared by Marieke Reuver
Subregional Report on Animal Genetic Resources: Southeast Asia Acknowledgements The Subregional Factsheet was prepared by Marieke Reuver. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to: Chief Electronic Publishing Policy and Support Branch Communication Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to: [email protected] © FAO 2007 Citation: FAO. 2007. Subregional report on animal genetic resources: Southeast Asia. Annex to The State of the World’s Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. -
An Evaluation of Growth and Body Composition of Droughtmaster
AN EVALUATION OF GROWTH AND BODY COMPOSITION OF DROUGHTMASTER CATTLE IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND A Thesis by STEFEN MILES TUCKER Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Andy D. Herring Co-Chair of Committee, Chris Skaggs Committee Member, John R. Rayfield Head of Department, H. Russell Cross May 2015 Major Subject: Animal Science Copyright 2015 Stefen Miles Tucker ABSTRACT The overall objective of this research was to evaluate impacts on growth of Droughtmaster cattle in northern Queensland based on four years (2009-2012) of repeated weight records from a single operation. Animals (total records n = 1,717) were identified by management group (n = 43). Gender consisted of females (n = 786), bulls (n = 386), and steers (n = 545). Age at weight evaluation varied substantially across management groups and was therefore nested within each management group to create a 90-day window. Age, sire, and age of dam, impacted (P < 0.001) weights taken at branding, and, sire and age showed significance at every weight taken (P < 0.001). Age of dam was significant for weaning weight (P = 0.002), but became irrelevant for yearling (P = 0.7252) and final (P = 0.1423) weights. Heritability values for branding, weaning, yearling, and final weight were calculated from estimates of sire variance to be 0.35, 0.42, 0.23, and 0.49, respectively. Heritability values of weight gain from birth to branding, branding to weaning, weaning to yearling, and yearling to final weights were estimated to be 0.23, 0.09, 0.26, and 0.29, respectively. -
The Genome Landscape of Indigenous African Cattle
Kim et al. Genome Biology (2017) 18:34 DOI 10.1186/s13059-017-1153-y RESEARCH Open Access The genome landscape of indigenous African cattle Jaemin Kim1†, Olivier Hanotte2,3†, Okeyo Ally Mwai4, Tadelle Dessie3, Salim Bashir5, Boubacar Diallo6, Morris Agaba7, Kwondo Kim1,8, Woori Kwak1, Samsun Sung1, Minseok Seo1, Hyeonsoo Jeong9, Taehyung Kwon10, Mengistie Taye10,11, Ki-Duk Song12,18, Dajeong Lim13, Seoae Cho1, Hyun-Jeong Lee8,14, Duhak Yoon15, Sung Jong Oh16, Stephen Kemp4,17, Hak-Kyo Lee12,18*† and Heebal Kim1,10,19*† Abstract Background: The history of African indigenous cattle and their adaptation to environmental and human selection pressure is at the root of their remarkable diversity. Characterization of this diversity is an essential step towards understanding the genomic basis of productivity and adaptation to survival under African farming systems. Results: We analyze patterns of African cattle genetic variation by sequencing 48 genomes from five indigenous populations and comparing them to the genomes of 53 commercial taurine breeds. We find the highest genetic diversity among African zebu and sanga cattle. Our search for genomic regions under selection reveals signatures of selection for environmental adaptive traits. In particular, we identify signatures of selection including genes and/ or pathways controlling anemia and feeding behavior in the trypanotolerant N’Dama, coat color and horn development in Ankole, and heat tolerance and tick resistance across African cattle especially in zebu breeds. Conclusions: Our findings unravel at the genome-wide level, the unique adaptive diversity of African cattle while emphasizing the opportunities for sustainable improvement of livestock productivity on the continent. -
Validation of the POLLED Celtic Variant in South African Bonsmara and Drakensberger Beef Cattle Breeds
Validation of the POLLED Celtic variant in South African Bonsmara and Drakensberger beef cattle breeds R. Groblera, #, C. Vissera, A. Capitanb, c & E. van Marle-Köstera a Department Animal and Wildlife Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa b UMR GABI, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en Josas, France c Allice, 75595 Paris, France # Corresponding author: [email protected] Email addresses: [email protected] (Rulien Grobler), [email protected] (Carina Visser), [email protected] (Aurélien Capitan), [email protected] (Esté van Marle-Köster) 1 Abstract An increased awareness of animal welfare necessitates the breeding of genetically polled animals, especially since more than 70% of South African beef cattle are rounded off in commercial feedlots. The Bonsmara and the Drakensberger, two locally developed breeds, play a major role in beef production in South Africa. The causative mutation for polledness in these breeds have not been confirmed, therefore, this study aimed to validate the POLLED Celtic variant as the causative mutation of polledness in the South African Bonsmara and Drakensberger beef cattle breeds. A total of 386 animals, consisting of Bonsmara, Drakensberger and Herefords (included as a Bos taurus control), were tested for the Celtic mutation by PCR-based screening. Phenotypically polled and scurred animals were found to carry at least one copy of the Celtic allele (PC) whereas horned animals were homozygous wild type. The highest frequency of homozygous polled animals (PC/PC = 0.337) was observed in the Bos taurus control (Hereford breed) while the majority of the Bonsmara animals were heterozygous polled (PC/p = 0.591). -
Whole Genome Scan Reveals the Genetic Signature of African Ankole Cattle Breed and Potential for Higher Quality Beef', BMC Genetics, Vol
Edinburgh Research Explorer Whole genome scan reveals the genetic signature of African Ankole cattle breed and potential for higher quality beef Citation for published version: Taye, M, Kim, J, Yoon, SH, Lee, W, Hanotte, O, Dessie, T, Kemp, S, Mwai, OA, Caetano-Anolles, K, Cho, S, Oh, SJ, Lee, H-K & Kim, H 2017, 'Whole genome scan reveals the genetic signature of African Ankole cattle breed and potential for higher quality beef', BMC Genetics, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12863-016-0467-1 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1186/s12863-016-0467-1 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: BMC Genetics Publisher Rights Statement: © The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.