Characteristics of local guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) production and breeding systems in northern Côte d'Ivoire's Poro region

Local guinea fowl are the second most abundant poultry resource in the area, behind local chickens, and they are exploited in an uncontrolled system that affects production. Rural poultry farmers in 12 villages in the departments of Korhogo and Sinématiali participated in a descriptive study on their agricultural system. 35 local guinea fowl owners were asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings show that in the Poro region, local méléagriculture is practiced solely in a large-scale system. This practice is restricted for men (94 %), supported by family members (68.60 %), and seen as secondary by the respondents (68.57 %). Farmers, planters, and retailers make up most of them (85.71 %). The original breeding nucleus was made up of eggs (80%) and female guinea fowl (14.28 %). Guinea fowls lay the first eggs at an average age of 7 months (54.28 percent), with the early ones around 6 months (20 %). The flocks are tiny (average of 25 guinea fowl) and are made up of mature (55.69%), young (23.11%), and early (11.40%) guinea fowl. All these guinea fowl have pearled feathers and are primarily grey (71.43 %). They live in rudimentary shelters and forage for food on the streets. The main causes of guinea fowl mortality (68.59 %) were rain and humidity, which had an impact on productivity. This region had the highest percentage of livestock items for sale (62.84%). The socio-economic position of the farmer, the farming method, and the utilization of chicken products were used to identify three agricultural sub-systems.

First study of Brucella ovis antibodies in purebred sheep flocks in the State of Parana, Brazil

ABSTRACT Brucella ovis, a non-zoonotic species, is the etiological agent of ovine brucellosis, an infectious disease of clinical or subclinical occurrence in sheep flocks. Until then, there is no serological study of anti-Brucella ovis antibodies in purebred sheep herds. This study aimed to determine the presence of anti-Brucella ovis antibodies in purebred sheep flocks with breeding purposes from Parana State. Blood samples from 728 animals, of which 563 were females and 165 males, between 8 and 56 months of age from the six major sheep producing mesoregions of Parana, were submitted to detection of anti-Brucella ovis antibodies by the Agar Gel Immunodiffusion technique using an antigen from the bacteria Brucella ovis (Reo 198). The results indicate the presence of this disease in purebred sheep from Parana State in a low occurrence of 0.27% (2/728). The only two positive animals were rams, Santa Inês breed, from the same flock in the East Center region of Parana, without clinical disease. In conclusion, Brucella ovis is present in purebred sheep in Parana State, Brazil, and this low occurrence may have occurred due to rigorous breeding systems that may contribute to reduce the transmission of this disease.

Evaluation of the Morphological Quality of Hybrid Seeds and the Vegetative Development of Plants from the Two Reproductive Systems of Elite Dura Genitors from Oil Palm (Elaeisguineensis Jacq) Seed Fields in Côte d'Ivoire

The production of quality oil palm plant material (Elaeisguineensis Jacq.) necessarily involves the creation of seed fields made up of elite Dura parents. Two methods of reproduction of these elite Duragenitors were adopted for the establishment of current seed fields by the National Center for Agronomic Research (CNRA). The first group is made up of elite first-cycle parents who have undergone two successive generations of [(G1) AF] AF type self-fertilization, noted AFAF. The second group is composed of genitors having undergone a prior self-fertilization followed by AFSIB-type recombination cycle of recombination between genitors of the type (G1 × G2) AF, noted AFSIB. This study involves evaluation of morphological quality of seeds from the two breeding systems of the parents and their quality of vegetative development. For this, the seeds from 553 Dura parents distributed among eight (8) descendants and grouped within the category C1001 F were used.The resultsderived from this study have shown that the seeds obtained from the parents through double self-fertilization of AFAF-type parents are characterized by a thin shell and a high percentage of germination. After the elimination of the abnormal plants at the end of the nursery, various traits viz.circumference at the crown, height of the plants and the number of leaves emitted from the plants on the healthy plants showed that the plants resulting from the seeds obtained from self-fertilization followed by AFSIB-type recombination showed good vegetative development and vigor compared to those of AFAF type respectively.

Evolution during seed production for ecological restoration? A molecular analysis of 19 species finds only minor genomic changes

A growing number of restoration projects require large amounts of seeds. As harvesting natural populations cannot cover the demand, wild plants are often propagated in large-scale monocultures. There are concerns that this cultivation process may cause genetic drift and unintended selection, which would alter the genetic properties of the cultivated populations and reduce their genetic diversity. Such changes could reduce the pre-existing adaptation of restored populations, and limit their adaptability to environmental change. We used single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and a pool-sequencing approach to test for genetic differentiation and changes in gene diversity during cultivation in 19 wild grassland species, comparing the source populations and up to four consecutive cultivation generations grown from these sources. We then linked the magnitudes of genetic changes to the species breeding systems and seed dormancy, to understand the roles of these traits in genetic change. The propagation of native seeds for ecosystem restoration changed the genetic composition of the cultivated generations only moderately. The genetic differentiation we observed as a consequence of cultivation was much lower than the natural genetic differentiation between different source regions, and the propagated generations harbored even higher gene diversity than wild-collected seeds. Genetic change was stronger in self-compatible species, probably as a result of increased outcrossing in the monocultures. Synthesis and applications: Our study indicates that large-scale seed production maintains the genetic integrity of natural populations. Increased genetic diversity may even increase the adaptive potential of propagated seeds, which makes them especially suitable for ecological restoration. However, we have been working with seeds from Germany and Austria, where the seed production is regulated and certified. Whether other seed production systems perform equally well remains to be tested.

ASPECTOS FLORAIS E REPRODUTIVOS DE Psychotria capitata RUIZ & PAVON (RUBIACEAE), UM CASO DE DISTILIA TÍPICA NO CERRADO

BREEDING SYSTEMS AND POLLINATION OF THE PSYCHOTRIA CAPITATA RUIZ & PAVON (RUBIACEAE): A CASE THE TYPICAL DISTYLY IN CERRADO: The phenotypic integration observed in flowers is an evolutionary strategy that aims to increase the pollen flow between individuals, favoring the crossing and maintenance of genetic variability. This success is directly related to the floral structure, such as hermaphroditism, and to the behavior of visitors, and can generate conflicts between the floral structures, being selected characteristics that reduce this conflict and amplify the pollen flow, as is the case of heterostyly. The objective of the study was to describe the floral characteristics, the reproductive system, and pollination in Psychotria capitata Ruiz & Pavon (Rubiaceae). For this purpose, the floral structures were measured and observed, controlled crossings were carried out, the floral visitors were observed and the nectar production was evaluated. Psychotria capitata is a typical dystylic species, shrub with a maximum height of 3 meters, with high rates of reciprocal hercogamy between the floral morphs. It has white tubular flowers, visited by a wide range of insects, including moths, bees, wasps and flies. There was higher fruit formation in intermorphic cross-pollination (> 60 %) and lower formation in intramorphic (< 20 %) and self-pollination (< 15 %), characterizing self and intramorphic incompatibility. These data were confirmed by the non growth of pollen tubes in self-pollinated pistils and intramorphic pollinators. Blooming is annual, and occurs between the months of October and January, with peak blooming in November and December. The reproductive data evaluated are similar to other Rubiaceae species in the Cerrado forest sub forest. These data enrich the reproductive knowledge of Rubiaceae's sub-forest species, so important for the maintenance of fauna in forest fragments.

Cooperatively breeding banded mongooses do not avoid inbreeding through familiarity-based kin recognition

In species that live in family groups, such as cooperative breeders, inbreeding is usually avoided through the recognition of familiar kin. For example, individuals may avoid mating with conspecifics encountered regularly in infancy, as these likely include parents, siblings, and closely related alloparents. Other mechanisms have also been reported, albeit rarely; for example, individuals may compare their own phenotype to that of others, with close matches representing likely relatives (“phenotype matching”). However, determinants of the primary inbreeding avoidance mechanisms used by a given species remain poorly understood. We use 24 years of life history and genetic data to investigate inbreeding avoidance in wild cooperatively breeding banded mongooses (Mungos mungo). We find that inbreeding avoidance occurs within social groups but is far from maximised (mean pedigree relatedness between 351 breeding pairs = 0.144). Unusually for a group-living vertebrate, we find no evidence that females avoid breeding with males with which they are familiar in early life. This is probably explained by communal breeding; females give birth in tight synchrony and pups are cared for communally, thus reducing the reliability of familiarity-based proxies of relatedness. We also found little evidence that inbreeding is avoided by preferentially breeding with males of specific age classes. Instead, females may exploit as-yet unknown proxies of relatedness, for example, through phenotype matching, or may employ postcopulatory inbreeding avoidance mechanisms. Investigation of species with unusual breeding systems helps to identify constraints against inbreeding avoidance and contributes to our understanding of the distribution of inbreeding across species. Significance statement Choosing the right mate is never easy, but it may be particularly difficult for banded mongooses. In most social animals, individuals avoid mating with those that were familiar to them as infants, as these are likely to be relatives. However, we show that this rule does not work in banded mongooses. Here, the offspring of several mothers are raised in large communal litters by their social group, and parents seem unable to identify or direct care towards their own pups. This may make it difficult to recognise relatives based on their level of familiarity and is likely to explain why banded mongooses frequently inbreed. Nevertheless, inbreeding is lower than expected if mates are chosen at random, suggesting that alternative pre- or post-copulatory inbreeding avoidance mechanisms are used.

Sexual morph specialisation in a trioecious nematode balances opposing selective forces.

The coexistence of different mating strategies, whereby a species can reproduce both by selfing and outcrossing, is an evolutionary enigma that has long intrigued biologists (Darwin, 1877). Theory predicts only two stable mating states : outcrossing with strong inbreeding depression or selfing with weak inbreeding depression. As these two mating strategies are subject to opposing selective forces, mixed breeding systems are thought to be a rare transitory state, yet they have been found to persist even after multiple speciation events. We hypothesise that if each mating strategy plays a distinctive role during the species life history, opposing selective pressures could be balanced, permitting the stable co-existence of selfing and outcrossing sexual morphs. In this scenario, we would expect each sexual morph to be specialised in their respective roles. Here we show, using a combination of behavioural, physiological and gene expression studies, that the selfing (hermaphrodite) and outcrossing (female) sexual morphs of the trioecious nematode Auanema freiburgensis have distinct adaptations optimised for their different roles during the life cycle. A. freiburgensis hermaphrodites are produced under stressful conditions, are specialised for dispersal to new habitat patches and exhibit metabolic and intestinal changes that enable them to meet the energetic cost of dispersal and reproduction. In contrast, A. freiburgensis females are produced in favourable conditions, facilitate rapid population growth and compensate for the lack of reproductive assurance by reallocating resources from intestinal development to robust mate-finding behaviour. The specialisation of each mating system for their role in the life cycle could balance opposing selective forces allowing the stable maintenance of both outcrossing and selfing mating systems in A. freiburgensis.

Genetic Analysis and Selection Criteria in Bambara Groundnut Accessions Based Yield Performance

The knowledge of genetic variability and breeding techniques is crucial in crop improvement programs. This information is especially important in underutilized crops such as Bambara groundnut, which have limited breeding systems and genetic diversity information. Hence, this study evaluated the genetic variability and established the relationship between the yield and its components in Bambara groundnut based on seed weight using multivariate analysis. A field trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications on 28 lines. Data were collected on 12 agro-morphological traits, and a statistical analysis was conducted using SAS version 9.4 software, while the variance component, genotypic and phenotypic coefficient variation, heritability, and genetic advance values were estimated. A cluster analysis was performed using NT-SYS software to estimate the genetic relations among the accessions. The results showed significant variability among the accessions based on the yield and yield component characteristics. The evaluated lines were grouped into seven primary clusters based on the assessed traits using the UPGMA dendrogram. Based on the overall results, G5LR1P3, G1LR1P3, G4LR1P1, G2SR1P1 and G3SR1P4 performed the best for the yield and yield components. These improved lines are recommended for large-scale evaluation and utilization in future breeding programs to develop high-yield Bambara groundnut varieties.

Genomic selection in salmonids: new discoveries and future perspectives

Over the past 20 years, the introduction of new molecular techniques has given a new impetus to genetic and genomic studies of fishes. The main traits selected in the aquaculture sector conform to the polygenic model, and, thus far, effective breeding programmes based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and marker-assisted selection (MAS) have been applied to simple traits (e.g. disease resistance and sexual maturation of salmonids) and known Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). Genomic selection uses the genomic relationships between candidate loci and SNPs distributed over the entire genome and in tight linkage disequilibrium (LD) with genes that encode the traits. SNP (low and high density) arrays are used for genotyping thousands of genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs). The genomic expected breeding value (GEBV) of selection candidates is usually calculated by means of the GBLUP or ssGBLUP (single step) methods. In recent years, in several aquaculture breeding programmes, the genomic selection method has been applied to different fish and crustacean species. While routine implementation of genomic selection is now largely carried out in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), it is expected that, in the near future, this method will progressively spread to other fish species. However, genomic selection is an expensive method, so it will be relevant mostly for traits of high economic value. In several studies (using different salmonid species), the accuracy of the GEBVs varied from 0.10 to 0.80 for different traits (e.g. growth rate and disease resistance) compared to traditional breeding methods based on geneology. Genomic selection applied to aquaculture species has the potential to improve selection programmes substantially and to change ongoing fish breeding systems. In the long term, the ability to use low-pass genome sequencing methods, low-cost genotyping and novel phenotyping techniques will allow genomic selection to be applied to thousands of animals directly at the farm level.