ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN SOUTHERN

RECURSOS GENÉTICOS ANIMALES DEL SUR DE BRASIL

Cardellino, R.A.

Departamento de Zootecnia. Universidade Federal de Pelotas. 96010-900 Pelotas RS. Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]

ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS PALABRAS CLAVE ADICIONALES

Domestic animals. Conservation. Creole . Animales domésticos. Conservación. Ganado Creole sheep. criollo. Ovejas criollas.

SUMMARY

An account of the domestic animal genetic y el Caracú. Las razas de ganado lechero pre- resources of Southern Brazil is given. The main dominantes son Holstein y Jersey, y algunas cattle breeds are imported British and Continen- cruzas con cebú. Las ovejas antiguas han sido tal, crosses and some zebu, with 50 p.100 absorbidas por las razas modernas. Hay peque- of the population mixed of undefined breed. ños rebaños de criollas de dos ecotipos. La raza Unique breeds include creole, equina predominante es el Caballo Creoulo, muy and Caracú. Dairy cattle breeds are mainly Holstein bien adaptado a las pampas. La producción de and Jersey, and crosses with zebu. Older sheep aves y suinos está basada en razas modernas have been absorbed by modern sheep breeds. industriales. Con excepción del ganado Creoulo There are small creole herds of two ecotypes. Lageano y de los ovinos criollos, no se siguen The predominant horse breed is the Crioulo horse, planes específicos de conservación en la región. well adapted to the pampas. Poultry and swine production are based on modern industrial breeds. No specific conservation plans for any breed, INTRODUCTION with the exception of Crioulo Lageano cattle and Crioulo sheep are being followed in the region. Brazil is a country of continental di- mensions and a variety of climates and ecological regions. The present paper RESUMEN describes the domestic animal genetic resources of the Southern region, Se describen los recursos genéticos de los comprising the States of Rio Grande animales domésticos de la región sur del Brasil. Las razas de ganado más importantes son britá- do Sul, and Paraná, and nicas y continentales, cruzas cebú y algunas located between latitudes 24 and 33 cebú, con 50 p.100 de la población constituída degrees S. The climate of this region por mezclas sin raza definida. Algunas razas varies from temperate to sub-tropical, únicas son el ganado criollo, el Creoulo Lageano, with a gradient from S to N.

Arch. Zootec. 49: 327-331. 2000. CARDELLINO

Table I shows the area of the Table I. Total and relative area of Southern Southern region of Brazil and its 3 Brazil. (Area total y relativa del Sur de Brasil). states. By considering only this region, in relative terms more than 93 p.100 of percent of Brazil is left out; however, other regions km2 Brazil S region will be described in a companion paper to this series. Southern Brazil 577 214.0 6.76 100.00 Paraná 199 709.1 2.34 34.61 Santa Catarina 95 442.9 1.12 16.53 282 062.0 3.30 48.86

Brazil has a population of 150 million beef cattle, of which 30 million are in the Southern region. Production in late Fall and Winter. Since making systems are extensive. Large farms hay or silage is not a common practice, (fazendas) are predominant in the cattle have to adjust to these natural border areas with Uruguay and Ar- pasture cycles. In hilly or mountainous gentina (Fronteira and Campanha) areas (Serras) farms are smaller but where animals are kept on the fields all still extensive management is the rule. year round grazing native pastures. The use of AI is less than 2 p.100, and These have a yearly fluctuation with a ET is a rare event. Average calving peak in the Spring and little production rate is 50 p.100, and average age at

Table II. Beef cattle breeds of Southern Brazil. (Razas bovinas en el Sur de Brasil).

European Crossbreeds Zebu

Main breeds Hereford, Angus, Braford, Brangus, Charolais

Older breeds Shorthorn, Devon1, Red Poll, Indubrasil, Gir, South Devon, Caracú2, Crioulo3 Guzerá Crioulo Lageano2

Newer breeds Lincoln Red, Salers, Normanda, Santa Gertrudis Tabapuã Gelbvieh, Salers, Brown Swiss, Chianina, Marchigiana, Piemontesa, Limousin, Red Angus

Recent breeds Blonde d’Aquitaine, Belted Galloway Composites (Montana), Brahman Bravon, Branor

1World source population; 2Unique to Brazil; 3Common to South America.

Archivos de zootecnia vol. 49, núm. 187, p. 328. ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL first calving 3.5 to 4 years. In better period (Gonzales et al., 1994) but no herds there is a bull market based on herds have been recognized as such. EPD’s and a tendency to demand red Creole cattle has been absorbed by and poll cattle. British and Zebu breeds. Original cattle was a mix of creoles from the North and from the Rio de la Plata countries, plus some mixed zebu. DAIRY CATTLE From 1850 to 1910 British breeds were imported, followed by continental As in most temperate regions of breeds. Later other European and zebu South America, Holstein (Holandês) is breeds were introduced. Today almost the predominant dairy breed in the 50 p.100 of the beef cattle in the Southern region of Brazil. Other breeds Southern region is a European-zebu include Jersey, and some registered mix of non-defined breed (SRD = sem Brown Swiss (Pardo Suiço), Ayrshire raça definida). The rest are more or and Flamenga. In the sub-tropical areas less defined European breeds, Euro- a cross of Holstein with Gir () pean x zebu crosses of defined breed is common. A large proportion of the composition, some pure zebu, and some dairy herd, especially animals used for composite breeds. Table II summa- milk production in small holdings, are rizes beef cattle breeds in Southern of mixed origin and no defined breed. Brazil Dairy production systems are extensive, None of the cattle breeds listed in with little stalling of animals and limited table II are considered endangered use of concentrates. About 30 p.100 of (FAO, 1995). The Devon breed dairy cattle can be considered to be (Mason, 1988) has been brought from industry-oriented and 70 p.100 family England more than 75 years ago, with holdings. continuous later importation, and has undergone a process of adaptation to the harsh conditions of the southernmost SHEEP zones of the region, with poorer pastures and a cold winter. It is The total sheep population of Brazil considered a world source population is about 20 million, with 5 or 6 million in due to its numbers. The Caracú breed the Southern region, and some 4 to 5 in is a medium-sized cattle of variable the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Sheep yellowish coat and adult height of 1.30 are mainly reared under extensive to 1.40 m (Primo, 1992) and considered production systems, either in large nearer to the Aquitanian than to the farms or in small holdings. During the Iberian stem. Estimates of population 20th Century breeds for wool and size are close to 20.000. It shows double purpose breeds such as rusticity and has double purpose, meat Australian Merino, Ideal (Polwarth), and milk. The Caracú herd book is Corriedale and Romney Marsh were located in the State of Paraná. There imported steadily from their countries may exist some remnants of creole of origin and from Uruguay and Ar- cattle originated from the conquest gentina, replacing by repeated back

Archivos de zootecnia vol. 49, núm. 187, p. 329. CARDELLINO crossing the original Creole sheep horse (cavalo Crioulo). It is a thriving populations. The first meat breed to be breed being highly appreciated for its imported was Hampshire Down, resistance and adaptation to driving followed by Texel, Suffolk and Ile-de- cattle in the extensive fields of the France, and most recently limited pampas, as well as working cattle in numbers of Poll Dorset, Polypay and corrals. Its origin is Iberian and the Laucane. Only 50 p.100 of the sheep population may be as high as 1 million are of defined breed, 20 p.100 are or more. Around 1940 a large breed crosses of more or less defined breeds, rescue operation was conducted in the and 30 p.100 are of no defined breed State of Rio Grande do Sul to bring the (SRD). A large proportion of sheep, breed back to its former level. Pedigree maybe up to 70 p.100 are slaughtered recording was started and a breed at the farms (estancias) for home society was formed, selection being meat consumption. There are some conducted for morphology and functio- flocks of the Creole sheep (ovelha nality. Other breeds of much less Crioula) totaling between one and two representation include Quartermile, thousand animals. Two ecotypes are Andaluz, Morgan, Mangalarga, Per- distinguished, one predominant along cheron, Breton, Haflinger and Pony. the borders with Uruguay and Argen- tina, with coat colors ranging from white to black, and another in the Sie- OTHER SPECIES rras and the Santa Catarina plateau, with dark wool (ovelha Moura). The Not much is known about local origin of this sheep is most probably poultry breeds and industrial production found in the Iberian sheep brought predominates with more than 90 p.100, during colonial times from Portugal using mainly commercial hybrids. The and Spain. Some animals have a non-commercial breeds include Ply- phenotype similar to Churra. They are mouth (barrada and branca), Carijó, bred for wool to be used in handicrafts Rhode Island and New Hampshire. such as blankets, ponchos, rugs and Some breeds are only taken to shows, pelegos, and are kept in small flocks like Orpington, Giant and Sussex. Small mostly in family small holdings. There holder family production with mixed are conservation plans although the caipira birds is seasonal and with breed is not considered an endangered heterogeneous products. There may one. A variety of this sheep, the Black be some disease resistance in this Creole (Crioula Preta) is considered strains, that may be interesting to con- nearly extinct (FAO, 1995). serve. Other birds include Bantam, Angola, a variety of duck (pato Sinaleiro) and geese. Swine produc- HORSES tion is almost exclusively commercial and based on the white breeds The main horse breed of the (Landrace, Large White), Duroc and Southern region of Brazil is the Creole some Pietrain. There are relicts of

Archivos de zootecnia vol. 49, núm. 187, p. 330. ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL older breeds but not easily found. Goats nutria, ema, deer, hare and javali, may are in general of undefined breed be interesting genetic resources for (SRD). Wild species like capivara, tatu, the future.

REFERENCES

FAO. 1995. World Watch List for Domestic Animal Alegre, 22:37-43. Diversity. Scherf, B. ed. 2nd. ed. Food and Mason, I.L. 1988. World Dictionary of Livestock Agriculture Organisation, Rome, Italy. pp. Breeds. 3rd. ed. C.A.B. International, Oxford, 769. UK. pp. 348. Gonzales, J.C., H. Dewes and N.M.S. Freire. Primo, A.T. 1992. El ganado bovino Ibérico en las 1994. O gado crioulo ou chimarrão. I. Origem Américas: 500 años después. Arch. Zootec., e difusão. Arq. Fac. Vet. UFRGS, Porto 41 (extra): 421-432.

Archivos de zootecnia vol. 49, núm. 187, p. 331.