Differentiation of the indigenous goat populations in Ethiopia based on morphometric features and zoometric indices: The primary step for conservation

This study was conducted to describe the indigenous goat populations of South Gondar, Ethiopia based on morphometric traits and body indices. To this effect, morphometric measurements were taken from 512 goats (153 male and 359 female) of both sexes drawn from three districts (Farta, Fogera and Libokemkem). Twenty structural indices were computed from morphometric measurements. Results indicated that age at first kidding and kidding intervals was 13.6 and 8.39 months, respectively, with an average litter size of 1.54 kids. Sex affected (p<0.001) all quantitative traits except ear length (EL), rump width (RW) and fore canon circumference (FCC) being higher in bucks than in does. The effect of age was significant (p<0.001) for all morphometric traits except for EL resulting in a linear increase with advancing age in both sexes. Except for EL and scrotal circumferences (SC), all quantitative traits were (p<0.01) affected by district of the goats rearing. Accordingly, Fogera goats had higher live weight (LW), heart girth (HG), height at withers (HW), body length (BL), chest width (CW), rump height (RH), rump length (RL) and teat length (TL) than those of Libokemkem. Fogera goats had also the highest LW and HG compared with those of Farta. Conversely, the Farta goats had higher RW, BL, TL, RL, CW, chest depth (CD), and paunch girth (PG) than those of Libokemkem. Libokemkem goats were inferior in most of the studied morphometric traits. Both HG and HW variables were identified as best predictors of LW in both sexes. Structural indices indicated that the goat populations could be characterized as meat phenotype with short legs being well adapted to midland altitudes. In conclusion, goats reared in the region could have a genetic potential for meat production with very good prolificacy. The Fogera goats were particularly better in most morphometric traits indicating their suitability for commercial meat production. However, further on-station research is recommended to verify their potentials as meat animals for enhanced food security in the region.

Short-term storage of semen samples in acidic extender increases the proportion of females in pigs

Background Sex preselection is a desired goal of the animal industry to improve production efficiency, depending on industry demand. In the porcine industry, there is a general preference for pork from female and surgically castrated male pigs. Therefore, the birth of more females than males in a litter leads to economic benefits and improved animal welfare in the pig production industry. Our previous study suggested that the porcine semen extender (BTS) adjusted to pH 6.2 maximises the differences in viability between X-chromosome-bearing (X) spermatozoa and Y-chromosome-bearing (Y) spermatozoa without affecting sperm’s functional parameters. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether the pH 6.2 extender is applicable at the farm level for increasing the number of female piglets without a decline in spermatozoa fertility. Artificial insemination (AI) was carried out with spermatozoa stored at pH 6.2 and pH 7.2 (original BTS) at day 1 and day 2 of storage. Next, the functional parameters of the spermatozoa, litter size, farrowing rate, and female-to-male ratio of offspring were determined. Results Although sperm motility decreased significantly after 2 d of storage, the viability of spermatozoa was preserved at pH 6.2 for 3 d. There was no significant difference in the farrowing rate and average litter size between the group inseminated with the spermatozoa stored in (pH 7.2) and that inseminated with spermatozoa stored in acidic BTS. The percentage of female piglets was approximately 1.5-fold higher in sows inseminated on day 1 in the pH 6.2 than in the pH 7.2 group. Furthermore, although there was no significant difference in the female-to-male ratio, the percentage of female piglets born was slightly higher in the pH 6.2 group than in the pH 7.2 group on day 2. Conclusions The method optimised in our study is simple, economical, and may enhance the number of female births without any decline in spermatozoa fertility.

Population validation of reproductive gene mutation loci and association with the litter size in Nubian goat

Litter size is an important component trait of doe reproduction. By improving it, production efficiency and economic benefits can be significantly provided. Genetic marker-assisted selection (MAS) based on proven molecular indicators could enhance the efficacy of goat selection, as well as litter size trait. Many molecular markers have been identified that they can be used to improve litter size in different goat breeds. However, the presence and value of these markers vary among goat breeds. In the present study, we used the reported loci on other breeds of goat as candidate loci to detect whether these loci appear in this Nubian goat population; then we proceed to genotype and detect surrounding loci (50 bp) by multiplex PCR and sequencing technology. As a result, 69 mutations (59 SNPs and 10 indels) were screened out from 23 candidate genes in Nubian goat population, 12 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of first-parity individuals; 5 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of second-parity individuals; 3 loci were significantly associated with the litter size of third-parity individuals. In addition, five loci were significantly associated with the average litter size. The additive effect value of KITLG: g.18047318 G>A in first parity, KITLG: g.18152042G>A in third parity, KISS-1: g.1341674 C>G in first parity, and GHR: g.32134187G>A in second parity exceed more than 0.40, and the preponderant alleles are G, C, A and G, respectively. Further, linkage disequilibrium analysis of 21 mutation loci shows that 3 haplotype blocks are formed, and the litter size of combination type AACC in KISS-1 gene and AAGG in KITLG gene are significantly lower than that of other combinations genotype in first parity (P<0.05). These findings can provide effective candidate DNA markers for selecting superior individuals in Nubian goat breeding.

Assessment of the reproductive performances of native sows in Southern Benin

Native sows contribute to a large extent to food security and poverty alleviation in Benin. However, their reproductive performance particularly under extensive systems are poorly characterised. The objective of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by selecting 284 multiparous sows based on hair colour and some reproductive parameters. The results showed that native sows of Southern Benin can be clustered into three groups with group 3 showing the best reproductive performances including highest average litter size (10.31 piglets), live-born piglets (10.31 piglets), number of functional teats (10.94) and shorter average farrowing interval (6 months). The analysis of sows’ performances based on their origin revealed that sows from agro-ecological Zone 8 have the highest number of live-born piglets and the lowest age at first mating and first farrowing. The analysis of sows’ performances based on the hair colour showed that those with black hair have the largest litter size and the highest number of live-born piglets. This study showed that Benin’s native sows have good reproductive ability with enough variation to develop a sustainable pig industry for a better contribution to food security and wealth creation.

The impact of oestrus synchronization by hormone medication and varying numbers of artificial insemination sessions, determined by sow reproductive indices

This study was conducted on a central Albanian pig farm with a capacity of 80 sows. A uniform distribution of piglets born and the number of reared piglets sold every week and month was the target. To achieve this goal, a hormone-based synchronization scheme was used, combined with the use of one, two, or three artificial insemination sessions during the same oestrus. The main reproduction indices of sows were monitored, and the results indicated that the farrowing rate after the first insemination was 78.57%, 83.64% and 83.33% for the three groups in which one, two and three artificial insemination sessions were used during the same oestrus, obtained by inoculation with the hormone Sergon PG 400/200 IU. Average litter size (the number of live born piglets) per farrowing sow was 10.22 ± 0.33, 10.8 ± 0.2 and 10.6 ± 0.3 in the three groups, respectively. The fecundity index (FI) was 803, 905.8 and 883.3 in the three experimental groups of sows, respectively. A total of 1436 piglets from 136 farrowing sows were sold during 2018, achieving uniform sales of over 100 pigs per month with a weight over 90 kg. Therefore, it can be concluded that oestrus synchronization of sows with the Sergon PG 400/200 hormone can achieve a uniform distribution of piglets born and consequently a uniform distribution of piglets sales per week or month, regardless of the fact that this should be achieved at a larger scale. The best result as seen in the reproductive indicators was achieved by the use of artificial insemination with two sperm inoculations at a 12-hour interval during the same oestrus, synchronized by the Sergon PG 400/200 hormone.

The Mink Circovirus Capsid Subunit Expressed by Recombinant Baculovirus Protects Minks against Refractory Diarrhea in Field

Mink refractory diarrhea is a seasonal disease that occurs in many mink farms in China. Mink circovirus (MiCV) has been recognized as the causative agent of the disease. The aim of the study was to develop a subunit vaccine against mink refractory diarrhea. A recombinant baculovirus strain expressing the capsid protein was constructed using the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). A subunit vaccine was developed based on the capsid protein with appropriate adjuvant. Then, a field trial was carried out in two districts in order to evaluate the efficiency of the subunit vaccine. The field trial indicated that in total, only 1.8% of the minks developed typical diarrhea in the vaccinated group compared with 74.5% in the control group. The vaccination could significantly reduce the infection rate of MiCV among the mink herds and could restrain the virus’ shedding from feces. Furthermore, the vaccinated group had a higher average litter size in the following year compared to the control group. Collectively, the results indicated that the subunit vaccine based on the capsid protein can provide reliable protection against MiCV infection.

ANALISIS REPRODUKSI KELINCI PERSILANGAN NEW ZEALAND WHITE DI KABUPATEN BLITAR

This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the reproduction of rabbit crosses in Blitar. The method used analysis quantitative descriptive the purpose is to describe the file. The research describe,deviation standart, highest and lowelst values. This research material uses rabbit crosses with the same maintenance and feeding systems that have at least given birth to litter size, service per conception, and birth interval. The results obtained from this study to show an average litter size of 6 owned, service per conception of 2 times marriage and birth interval 2 months.

Pedigree and Molecular Analyses in the Assessment of Genetic Variability of the Polish Greyhound

The aim of the study was to assess the genetic variability of the Polish Greyhound population based on pedigree analysis and molecular DNA testing and to determine the degree of relatedness among individuals in the population. Pedigree data of 912 Polish Greyhounds recorded in pedigree books since they were opened for this breed were analyzed. For molecular testing, DNA was obtained from cheek swabs taken from 235 dogs of the tested breed. A panel of 21 markers (Short Tandem Repeat—STR) was used. The mean inbreeding determined for the Polish Greyhound population based on pedigree analyses was low and amounted to 11.8%, but as many as 872 individuals of the 912 dogs in the studied population were inbred. A total of 83 founders (at least one unknown parent) were identified, among which 27 founders had both unknown parents. Full-sibling groups consisted of 130 individuals, with a minimum and maximum litter size of 2 and 16, respectively. The average litter size was 5.969. Gene diversity calculated based on the mean kinship matrix was 0.862 and the population mean kinship was 0.138. The founder genome equivalent based on the mean kinship matrix was 3.61; the founder genome surviving level was 12.34; the mean Ne was estimated at 21.76; and the Ne/N ratio was 0.135. The FIS inbreeding coefficient for 21 STR was negative, and the mean FIS value for all loci had a low negative value (−0.018). These values suggest a low level of inbreeding in the examined breed as well as the avoidance of mating related animals.

COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE INDIGENOUS AND EXOTIC SOWS IN NIGERIA

THE indigenous sow of Nigeria which is about half the size of the exotic large white, Landrace or crossbred pigs at maturity (60 vs 128-141kg) has an average milk yield of 75kg as compared to 130 148kg of the exotic breeds during an eight week lactation. Peak production was reached between the third and fifth weeks of lactation by the impor ted, while the native sow showed quite a slight peak but with greater persistency. For all geno types compared, milk yield was lower in the dry season (P< 0.05) than in the wet season (123 vs 134kg) and higher for sows (P < 0.05) than for gilts (135 vs 121kg). With an average litter size of 5-8 pigs, available milk per piglet was between 16kg in the Indigenous SOW and 28kg in the Landrace soWS (P < 0.05) and a significant difference (P < 0.05) in effi ciency of milk utilization by the piglets in the range of Crossbred, followed by the purebreds, the indigenous being the least efficient in relation to unit metabolic size Milk production did not differ among the genotypes. The high positive correlations (P < 0.05) between milk yield and body weight at farrow and the unit metablie size as well as between milk intake and litter size might serve as a useful tool in selection for the Nigerian Indigenous pigs as the higher body weight tend to be correlated to a higher milk yield and a correspondingly large litter size.

A cross-specific multiplicative binomial recursive model for the analysis of perinatal mortality in a diallel cross among three varieties of Iberian pig

Perinatal piglet mortality is an important factor in pig production from economic and animal welfare perspectives; however, the statistical analysis of mortality is difficult because of its categorical nature. Recent studies have suggested that a binomial model for the survival of each specific piglet with a logit approach is appropriate and that recursive relationships between traits are useful for taking into account non-genetic relationships with other traits. In this study, the recursive binomial model is expanded in two directions: (1) the recursive phenotypic dependence among traits is allowed to vary among groups of individuals or crosses, and (2) the binomial distribution is replaced by the multiplicative binomial distribution to account for over or underdispersion. In this study, five recursive multiplicative binomial models were used to obtain estimates of the Dickerson crossbreeding parameters in a diallel cross among three varieties of Iberian pigs [Entrepelado (EE), Torbiscal (TT), and Retinto (RR)]. Records (10,255) from 2110 sows were distributed as follows: EE (433 records, 100 sows), ER (2336, 527), ET (942, 177), RE (806, 196), RR (870, 175), RT (2450, 488), TE (193, 36), TR (1993, 359), and TT (232, 68). Average litter size [Total Number Born (TNB)] and number of stillborns (SB) were 8.46 ± 2.27 and 0.25 ± 0.72, respectively. The overdispersion was evident with all models. The model with the best fit included a linear recursive relationship between TNB and the logit of $$\phi$$ ϕ of the multiplicative binomial distribution, and it implies that piglet mortality increases with litter size. Estimates of direct effects showed small differences among populations. The analysis of maternal effects indicated that the dams whose mothers were EE had a larger SB, while dams with RR mothers reduced the probability of born dead. The posterior estimates of heterosis suggested a reduction in SB when the sow is crosbred. The multiplicative binomial distribution provides a useful alternative to the binomial distribution when there is overdispersion in the data. Recursive models can be used for modeling non-genetic relationships between traits, even if the phenotypic dependency between traits varies among environments or groups of individuals. Piglet perinatal mortality increased with TNB and is reduced by maternal heterosis.