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Cattle production in southwestern Burkina Faso is under pressure because of resource scarcity, changing climate, and cattle diseases. Well-adapted local breeds, such as Lobi taurine cattle, are increasingly replaced by more productive exotic breeds. Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) could be a viable option for preserving the breed and improving its productivity. Presuming that CBBPs would succeed only if they align with producers’ beliefs and values, we relied on a combination of conceptual frameworks (theory of basic values, rural livelihood transitions) to explore the values and beliefs of cattle producers. Security was the respondents’ dominant value in their aim to mitigate threats to livelihood, and it was closely linked to achievement in terms of harvest and animal quantity. Livestock-oriented respondents particularly valued conformity with accepted social roles, while achievement and power were more pronounced among crop-oriented respondents. We conclude that CBBPs, to be successful, will need to reduce threats to participants’ livelihood and make benefits of participation immediately visible. We consider the emergence of trusted leadership from the community to be pivotal for creating momentum for novel arrangements in cattle keeping and feeding.

High‐throughput genomic markers provide an opportunity to assess important indicators of genetic diversity for populations managed in livestock breeding programs. While well‐structured breeding programs are common in developed countries, in developing country situations, especially in West Africa, on‐farm performance and pedigree recordings are rare, and thus, genomic markers provide insights to the levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding and introgression by other breeds. In this study, we analysed key population parameters such as population structure, admixture and levels of inbreeding in three neighbouring populations of African taurine and taurine × Zebu crosses managed by community‐based breeding programs in the South‐West of Burkina Faso. The three populations were pure Baoulé (called Lobi locally) in sedentary production systems, Baoulé x Zebu crossbreds in sedentary systems and Zebu × Baoulé crossbreds in transhumant production systems, respectively. The total sample analysed included 631 animals and 38,207 single nucleotide polymorphisms after quality control. Results of principal component and admixture analyses confirmed the genetic background of two distinct ancestral populations (taurine and zebuine) and levels of admixture in all three breeding populations, including the presumably pure Baoulé group of animals. Inbreeding levels were moderate, compared to European dairy and beef cattle populations and higher than those of Brazilian Nellore cattle. Very few animals with inbreeding levels indicating parent–offspring or full sib mating were observed, and inbreeding levels indicating half sib mating were also rare. For the management of breeding populations, farmers were advised to exchange best young bulls. The crossbreeding levels of presumably pure Baoulé animals are of concern to the breeding program due to the high level of endangerment of pure African taurine cattle populations across West Africa. Future rounds of bull selection in the community‐based breeding program will make use of genomic information about admixture levels.

Los corrales elevados (RP) han sido promovidos en las regiones tropicales de México como un sistema de alojamiento que mejora el comportamiento productivo de los corderos en crecimiento y han mostrado una gran aceptación entre los productores, tanto para corderos machos como en hembras; sin embargo, han sido poco estudiados y se han usado sin enriquecimiento ambiental en los sistemas intensivos. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar el comportamiento productivo de corderos en crecimiento tanto machos como hembras alojados en RP y a nivel del suelo (GL) usando viruta como material de cama. Se usaron 32 corderos, 15 machos y 17 hembras, con un promedio de peso vivo y edad inicial de 10,54 ± 1,89 kg y 66,54 ± 22,43 días, respectivamente. Los datos fueron analizados empleando análisis de varianza, incluyendo como efectos fijos el tipo de alojamiento (RP y GL) y el sexo (machos y hembras) y las variables dependiente ganancia diaria de peso (DWG), el consumo de alimento (DMI), la conversión alimenticia (FC) y el peso vivo final (FBW). El tipo de alojamiento no tuvo efecto sobre DWG, DMI, FC y FBW (P > 0,05). Los machos presentaron mejores valores en todos los indicadores productivos que las hembras (excepto en FC). Bajo las condiciones de este estudio, el comportamiento productivo de corderos en crecimiento alojados ya sea en RP o en GL fue similar.

A morphometric characterization study was conducted using purebred Baoulé cattle and two crossbreds’ populations in the southwestern region of Burkina-Faso. A total of 421 cattle, including 266 crossbreds from the department of Kampti and Loropeni and 155 purebred Baoulé, from the department of Bouroum-Bouroum were measured for quantitative and qualitative traits. The quantitative traits were analyzed by fitting the linear model including genotype-location, sex, age and all two-way interactions. The chi square test was performed for qualitative traits. The results provide evidence for difference between purebred and crossbred populations, and among crossbreds for all traits. The genotype-location effect showed that facial length, distance between horn tips, ear length and chest width differed between purebred and crossbred populations. For qualitative traits, coat color and horn shape showed large variation between Baoulé and crossbreds. These results will serve as basis for further characterization, conservation and improvement strategies for purebred and crossbred populations.

Cattle production is an essential livelihood strategy in south-western Burkina Faso. Although having a distinct cultural role and known to be resistant against African animal trypanosomosis, the Lobi taurine cattle breed is endangered due to its low market value. As the first step in preservation efforts, our study aimed to develop a typology of production systems at the farm level. We used a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions for collecting data on household characteristics, socioeconomic activities, livestock, and access to services. The sample comprised 169 households in three communities. The analytical strategy included factor analysis of mixed data and hierarchical clustering. We identified four distinct types of cattle production systems: (1) sedentary Lobi farms, (2) sedentary crossbreed farms, (3) semi-transhumant Fulani zebu farms, and (4) transhumant Fulani zebu farms. Significant factors in developing this typology were the farmers’ ethnic group, crop diversity, cattle herd size, cattle herd composition, number of small ruminants, and livestock management strategies. Across all production systems, men were considered being primary decision-makers in cattle production, with women, herders, and children being responsible for specific tasks. All identified production systems are increasingly confronting disease pressure and scarcity of water and land. Future efforts in preservation and breeding will need to respond to these trends in the agroecosystem, integrate risk management measures, and resonate with the specific needs of the different household members involved in cattle rearing.

Community-based breeding programs (CBBPs) for small ruminants have been suggested as alternatives to centralised, government-controlled breeding schemes which have been implemented in many developing countries. An innovative methodological framework on how to design, implement and sustain CBBPs was tested in three sites in Ethiopia: Bonga, Horro and Menz. In these CBBPs, the main selection trait identified through participatory approaches was 6-month weight in all three sites. In Horro and Bonga, where resources such as feed and water permitted larger litter sizes, twinning rate was included. Ten-year (2009 to 2018) performance data from the breeding programs were analysed using Average Information Restricted Maximum Likelihood method (AI-REML). Additionally, the socioeconomic impact of CBBPs was assessed. Results indicated that 6-month weight increased over the years in all breeds. In Bonga, the average increase was 0.21 ± 0.018 kg/year, followed by 0.18 ± 0.007 and 0.11 ± 0.003 kg/year in Horro and Menz, respectively. This was quite substantial in an on-farm situation. The birth weight of lambs did not improve over the years in Bonga and Horro sheep but significant increases occurred in Menz. Considering that there was no direct selection on birth weight in the community flock, the increased weights observed in Menz could be due to correlated responses, but this was not the case in Bonga and Horro. The genetic trend for prolificacy over the years in both Bonga and Horro flocks was positive and significant (P < 0.01). This increase in litter size, combined with the increased 6-month body weight, increased income by 20% and farm-level meat consumption from slaughter of one sheep per year to three. The results show that CBBPs are technically feasible, result in measurable genetic gains in performance traits and impact the livelihoods of farmers.

Traditional livestock husbandry is of great socio-economic importance for farmers and pastoral populations in Burkina Faso in general and in particular, those in the Southwestern region. The aim of our study is to inventory medicinal plants in cattle husbandry in the Poni province. Methodology consisted of semi-structured interviews; individual conversations with local specialists in the use of local plants. A total of 120 informants were interviewed (60 specialists, 60 non-specialist farmers) across three sites (Bouroum–Bouroum, Loropeni and Kampti) where a community based cattle breeding program has taken place. The results showed that 26 medicinal plants for veterinary use, distributed across 23 genera and 15 families were well known. In total, 9 important cattle diseases for which medicinal plants are used have been recorded. The most frequent diseases reported were foot and mouth disease (22%) and animal trypanosomosis (21%). Among the six (06) modes of preparation recorded for disease treatment, decoction was the most used (62%). Statistical analyses revealed a significant difference between men and women (p = 0.002) with medicinal plant knowledge. Men know more medicinal plants than women do. The results have indicated a disparity of medicinal plant knowledge according to age classes. The results also revealed a significant difference (p = 0.028) of plants recognised by seven ethnic groups. Knowledge of different medicinal plants for veterinary use among the ethnic groups was influenced by the family income source and the main activity. The informant consensus factor (0.5) showed that all the informants agreed on the importance of medicinal plant conservation. Promoting the veterinary use of the plants recorded in this study could be a key to their conservation.

A questionnaire survey was conducted with the objective to understand the off-road activities of roadworkers in Bhutan and their preferences for activities, including their aspirations for the futu...

Simple Summary Alpaca breeding takes place in the most entrenched areas of the Andes, where the conditions to implement genetic improvement programs are very difficult. Likewise, taking phenotypic records is limited in its ability to predict genetic merit accurately. For this reason, genomic information is shown as an alternative that helps to predict the genetic values of fiber traits more precisely. This study showed how genomic information increased precision by 2.623% for the fiber diameter, 6.442% for the standard deviation of the fiber diameter, and 1.471% for the percentage of medullation compared to traditional methods for predicting genetic merit, suggesting that adding genomic data in prediction models could be beneficial for alpaca breeding programs in the future. Abstract Improving textile characteristics is the main objective of alpaca breeding. A recently developed SNP chip for alpacas could potentially be used to implement genomic selection and accelerate genetic progress. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the increase in prediction accuracy of three important fiber traits: fiber diameter (FD), standard deviation of fiber diameter (SD), and percentage of medullation (PM) in Huacaya alpacas. The data contains a total pedigree of 12,431 animals, 24,169 records for FD and SD, and 8386 records for PM and 60,624 SNP markers for each of the 431 genotyped animals of the Pacomarca Genetic Center. Prediction accuracy of breeding values was compared between a classical BLUP and a single-step Genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP). Deregressed phenotypes were predicted. The accuracies of the genetic and genomic values were calculated using the correlation between the predicted breeding values and the deregressed values of 100 randomly selected animals from the genotyped ones. Fifty replicates were carried out. Accuracies with ssGBLUP improved by 2.623%, 6.442%, and 1.471% on average for FD, SD, and PM, respectively, compared to the BLUP method. The increase in accuracy was relevant, suggesting that adding genomic data could benefit alpaca breeding programs.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) remain one of the main health and production constraints of sheep globally. Considering alternatives to anthelmintics in control of GIN of sheep has become important mainly due to development of anthelmintic resistance. In this study, we used a questionnaire survey in combination with participatory epidemiology methods, ranking and scoring, with the objectives of (1) understanding local sheep disease problems related to GIN in community-based breeding programs (CBBP) in Bonga and Horro of Ethiopia, compared to neighboring communities not involved in CBBP, and (2) assessing current practices and preferences in control of GIN of sheep in both types of communities. The most important disease conditions of sheep in Bonga CBBP with weighed ranks of 1 to 3 were coenurosis, diarrhea and coughing. The corresponding sheep disease conditions in Horro CBBP were coughing, diarrhea and bottle jaw. Diarrhea and bottle jaw presumably are related to gastrointestinal nematodes. Ethnoveterinary medicinal plants are widely used in Bonga while the knowledge is at risk of loss in Horro. Respondents in non CBBP and CBBP communities did not differ (p > 0.05) regarding most of the plant species used frequently in control of GIN in Bonga. There was significant difference (p

Burkina Faso livestock is made up of two main cattle population, namely Zebuine and Taurine. Transhumance and settlement of Zebu cattle breeders in tsetse challenged areas lead to cross-breeding Zebu and Taurine. Introgression of the Zebu cattle may have changed the structure of the trypanotolerant Lobi/Baoule breed. The objective of the present study was to appreciate the introgression of Zebu genes into Baoule population by assessing the structure and the genetic diversity of cattle populations across the tsetse belt in Burkina Faso. Therefore, 450 blood samples were taken for genotyping in 29 villages of 3 main regions where Baoule, Baoule×Zebu and Zebu populations are found. Twenty five loci of 22 autosomes have been genotyped. The mean of observed alleles per locus was 12.44±4.31 while the mean of expected alleles was 4.67±1.48. The heterozygosity ranged from 0.34 to 0.76 and 0.36 to 0.87, respectively for observed and expected heterozygosity across loci. The average heterozygosity across population was 0.73±0.10. The mean estimates of F-statistics were FIS = 0.117±0.019, FIT = 0.158±0.019 and FST = 0.047±0.005. The phylogenetic tree showed the Baoule South-West segregating apart from the other populations, Baoule×Zebu being an intermediate genetic group between Baoule South-West and Zebu North populations. The Baoule West could not be differentiated from crosses. The Baoule breed seems to be impacted by the introgression of Zebu genes to its biotope and pure Baoule seems to be confined to the South-West with very few pure individuals in the West. Key words: Burkina Faso, Zebu, Baoule×Zebu, Baoule, introgression, microsatellite.

En alpacas los fenotipos del color de vellón tienen diferentes terminologías que induce a una confusión dentro del color marrón y sus tonalidades, el que requiere de una mejor descripción y cuantificación. En consecuencia los objetivos del estudio fueron cuantificar el color de fibra e identificar los PNSs informativos del gen MC1R (receptor 1 de melanocortina) en alpacas marrones y negras. Un fenotipo vicuña (n=14) y cuatro fenotipos de alpacas (n=79), marrón claro, marrón oscuro, marrón-negro y negro fueron evaluados por colorimetría. El vellón de vicuña mostró mayor luminosidad (47.74) e intensidad de color (24.33) respecto a las alpacas marrones. Los valores obtenidos de CIE L*a*b* (luminosidad e intensidad) sugieren valores bajos en alpacas eumelánicas y altos en alpacas feomelánicas. En vicuña y alpaca la secuencia codificante del gen MC1R tiene un solo exón de 954 pb, las vicuñas no mostraron la deleción (c.224_227del). Sin embargo, esta deleción se ha observado en los tres fenotipos de alpaca (marrón claro, marrón oscuro y negro), al igual que los cinco PNSs no sinónimos que ya fueron descritos en otras poblaciones, c.82A>G, c.259G>A, c.376G>A, c.587T>C, c.901C>T (p.T28A, p.M87V, p.G126S, p.F196S y p.R301C). Para las dos especies, se identificaron un total de ocho haplotipos definidos por los cinco PNSs. No se observaron asociaciones entre los fenotipos de color y los PNSs: c.259G>A, c.376G>A y c.901C>T (p>0.05), probablemente debido a la influencia de otros genes como el ASIP en la expresión del color. Nuestros resultados, así como los estudios previos evidenciaron regiones altamente conservadas en la secuencia codificante del gen MC1R., In alpacas color fleece phenotypes have different terminologies that induces confusion within the brown color and its shades, it requires a better description and quantification. Consequently, the aims of the study were to quantify the color of fiber and identify the informational SNPs in the MC1R gene (melanocortin 1 receptor) in brown and black alpacas. A vicuña phenotype (n=14) and four alpaca phenotypes (n=79), light brown, dark brown, brown-black and black were evaluated by colorimetry. The vicuña fleece showed greater lightness (47.74) and color intensity (24.33) compared to brown alpacas. The CIE L*a*b* values (lightness and intensity) suggest low values in eumelanic alpacas and high in pheomelanic alpacas. In vicuña and alpaca, the coding sequence of the MC1R gene has a single exon of 954 bp, in vicuñas the deletion (c.224_227del) was not observed. However, this deletion was observed in three alpaca phenotypes (light brown, dark brown and black), as well as the five non-synonymous SNPs described in other populations, c.82A>G, c.259G>A, c.376G>A, c.587T>C, c.901C>T (p.T28A, p.M87V, p.G126S, p.F196S, and p.R301C). Eight haplotypes defined by the five SNPs were identified in both species. The associations between color phenotypes and SNPs were not observed (p>0.05), probably due to the influence of other genes such as ASIP on color expression. Our results as well as previous studies showed highly conserved regions in the coding sequence of the MC1R gene., Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular

In this study, single-SNP GWAS analyses were conducted to find regions affecting tolerance against trypanosomosis and morphometrics traits in purebred and crossbred Baoulé cattle of Burkina Faso. The trypanosomosis status (positive and negative) and a wide set of morphological traits were recorded for purebred Baoulé and crossbred Zebu x Baoulé cattle, and genotyped with the Illumina Bovine SNP50 BeadChip. After quality control, 36,203 SNPs and 619 animals including 343 purebred Baoulé and 279 crossbreds were used for the GWAS analyses. Several important genes were found that can influence morphological parameters. Although there were no genes identified with a reported strong connection to size traits, many of them were previously identified in various growth-related studies. A re-occurring theme for the genes residing in the regions identified by the most significant SNPs was pleiotropic effect on growth of the body and the cardiovascular system. Regarding trypanosomosis tolerance, two potentially important regions were identified in purebred Baoulé on chromosomes 16 and 24, containing the CFH, CRBN, TRNT1 and, IL5RA genes, and one additional genomic region in Baoulé, x Zebu crossbreds on chromosome 5, containing MGAT4C and NTS. Almost all of these regions and genes were previously related to the trait of interest, while the CRBN gene was to our knowledge presented in the context of trypanosomiasis tolerance for the first time.

This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for four guinea pig lines of a crossbreeding scheme. Two paternal lines are selected for growth rate (P1) and feed conversion rate (P2), whereas two maternal lines are selected for growth rate of litter (M1) and litter size at birth (M2). The heritabilities and genetic correlations were estimated with animal linear models employing multivariate analyses with REML. The heritabilities for birth weight (BW) were 0.21±0.02 and 0.23±0.03 for P1 and P2, respectively, and for weaning weight (WW), the heritability was 0.28±0.03 for P2. The estimates for weight at 60 days of age (W60) were 0.34±0.01 and 0.47±0.04 for P1 and P2, respectively, and for partial feed conversion rate was 0.46±0.03 for P2. Heritabilities for litter weight at birth (LW) were 0.09±0.03 and 0.10±0.03 for P1 and M1, respectively. For litter weight at 10 days of age (LW10), the heritability was 0.15±0.03 for M1. Heritabilities for litter size (LS) were 0.17±0.03, 0.20±0.03 and 0.11±0.03, and for number of pups born alive (BA) were 0.09±0.03, 0.14±0.03 and 0.09±0.03 for P1, M1 and M2, respectively. Similarly, high genetic correlations were found between BW, WW and W60 and between LW, LS, LW10 and BA. The genetic correlation between BW direct and maternal was moderately negative (− 0.24 ± 0.10) for P1. These results show the genetic status for all four guinea pig lines, which is essential for the further improvement of the currently implemented breeding programme and also indicate an opportunity for genetic improvement.

Background Copy number variations (CNV) are a significant source of variation in the genome and are therefore essential to the understanding of genetic characterization. The aim of this study was to develop a fine-scaled copy number variation map for African goats. We used sequence data from multiple breeds and from multiple African countries. Results A total of 253,553 CNV (244,876 deletions and 8,677 duplications) were identified, corresponding to an overall average of 1,393 CNV per animal. The mean CNV length was 3.3 kb, with a median of 1.3 kb. There was substantial differentiation between the populations for some CNV, suggestive of the effect of population-specific selective pressures. A total of 6,231 global CNV regions (CNVR) were found across all animals, representing 59.2 Mb (2.4%) of the goat genome. About 1.6% of the CNVR were present in all 34 breeds and 28.7% were present in all 5 geographical areas across Africa, where animals had been sampled. The CNVR had genes that were highly enriched in important biological functions, molecular functions, and cellular components including retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, glutamatergic synapse and circadian entrainment. Conclusions This study presents the first fine CNV map of African goat based on WGS data and adds to the growing body of knowledge on the genetic characterization of goats.

Background Copy number variations (CNV) are a significant source of variation in the genome and are therefore essential to the understanding of genetic characterization. The aim of this study was to develop a fine-scaled copy number variation map for African goats. We used sequence data from multiple breeds and from multiple African countries. Results A total of 253,553 CNV (244,876 deletions and 8677 duplications) were identified, corresponding to an overall average of 1393 CNV per animal. The mean CNV length was 3.3 kb, with a median of 1.3 kb. There was substantial differentiation between the populations for some CNV, suggestive of the effect of population-specific selective pressures. A total of 6231 global CNV regions (CNVR) were found across all animals, representing 59.2 Mb (2.4%) of the goat genome. About 1.6% of the CNVR were present in all 34 breeds and 28.7% were present in all 5 geographical areas across Africa, where animals had been sampled. The CNVR had genes that were highly enriched in important biological functions, molecular functions, and cellular components including retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, glutamatergic synapse and circadian entrainment. Conclusions This study presents the first fine CNV map of African goat based on WGS data and adds to the growing body of knowledge on the genetic characterization of goats.

El objetivo del estudio fue describir el sistema de crianza de la población de llamas de cooperativas comunales (CC) y criadores individuales (CI) de la región Pasco, Perú. Se aplicaron encuestas en campo a cuatro administradores de CC y 145 CI. El objetivo principal de la crianza para las CC y los CI fue la producción de carne. Las llamas tipo K’ara predominaron en CC y el tipo Intermedio en CI. El tamaño promedio de rebaño en CC fue de 200 y en CI de 48 llamas. El apareamiento en CC fue controlado y en CI generalmente sin control. La edad al primer servicio de machos y hembras en CC y CI fue de 34.5 y 23.5, y 26.3 y 23.1 meses, respectivamente, con una proporción macho: hembra de 1.13 en CC y de 1.18 en CI. La permanencia promedio de los machos y hembras en el rebaño fue de 2.54 y 8.0 en CC y de 4.14 y 9.6 años en CI, respectivamente. Los reemplazos machos y hembras procedieron del mismo rebaño en 70 y 75% en CC y en 83.6 y 98.3%, en CI, respectivamente. La venta de reproductores machos fue destinado principalmente a criadores vecinos en 80 y 65% en CC y CI, respectivamente. La práctica de selección de machos y hembras se hizo en 26.9 y 16.6% de los CI, respectivamente. La selección de machos y hembras fue a los 6.5 meses en CC y a 11.3 y 14.0 meses de edad para machos y hembras, respectivamente, en CI. El criterio principal para la selección fue el tamaño de la llama.

A comprehensive dynamic simulation model was developed to describe a community-based breeding program for the Menz sheep population of Ethiopia. Selection of male and female animals based on their own and maternal performance was simulated. The breeding goal traits were 6-mo weight, preweaning survival, and fertility rate. The model input data were obtained from the flock book, questionnaires, and references. The simulation model used a mix of deterministic and stochastic procedures to model the complex system. In the baseline scenario, the proportion of selected male and female animals varied between 20 and 30% and between 70 and 80%, respectively. A reasonable annual genetic gain was predicted for the breeding goal traits at the village level. For 6-mo weight and preweaning survival rate, the annual genetic gain varied from 0.213 to 0.214 kg and 0.255 to 0.256%, respectively. For fertility rate, an annual genetic gain of 0.063% was obtained. The predicted rate of inbreeding per year was between 0.094 and 0.116%. Furthermore, a scenario analysis was conducted by varying the proportions of selected animals. Annual genetic gains of 0.230 kg, 0.277%, and 0.069% were obtained for 6-mo weight, preweaning survival rate, and fertility rate, respectively, when the proportion of selected male and female animals decreased by 10%. The annual genetic gains decreased to 0.198 kg, 0.236%, and 0.059%, respectively, when the selection proportion of male and female animals increased by 10%. The lowest rate of inbreeding per year, ranging from 0.065 to 0.079%, was achieved when the selection proportion of selected male and female animals increased. The model is relevant for the step-by-step evaluation of more than one round of selection. It is flexible and usage driven. The model is a valuable tool to design different population structures and can be easily expanded to adopt different breeding strategies. Hence, the system dynamics modeling approach is a potential tool to describe complex breeding programs.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar los parámetros genéticos (heredabilidad y correlaciones genéticas) para caracteres asociados a la uniformidad del diámetro de fibra en el vellón de alpacas tuis del fundo Mallkini (Puno, Perú). Se utilizaron muestras de las zonas corporales de muslo, costillar medio y paleta de 1127 animales a la primera esquila (573 machos y 554 hembras) nacidos en 2015 y 2016. Las muestras fueron analizadas bajo la norma IWTO-12 del equipo Sirolan Laserscan. El archivo de pedigrí contaba con 10481 alpacas dando un coeficiente de consanguinidad de 0.16%. Los parámetros genéticos se estimaron mediante los softwares ASReml y Pedigree Viewer. Los caracteres evaluados fueron el diámetro de fibra (DF) y su desviación estándar (DE), coeficiente de variación (CV) y factor de confort (FC). El análisis genético se realizó utilizando un modelo animal multivariado, que incluye el efecto genético aditivo del animal como efecto aleatorio; año de esquila, punta y sexo como efectos fijos, y edad de esquila como covariable lineal. Las heredabilidades para todas las características por zona fueron moderadas (0.12 a 0.38) y para las zonas en conjunto resultaron también moderadas, excepto para el coeficiente de variación (0.17 a 0.43). La correlación genética entre el diámetro de fibra y la desviación estándar mostró un valor elevado y positivo (0.80), mientras que para el factor de confort fue alto y negativo (-0.93) y para el coeficiente de variación fue negativo y bajo (-0.06). En conclusión, existe un alto grado de correlación genética entre el diámetro de fibra (DF) y su desviación estándar (DE), de modo que seleccionando por ambos caracteres se lograría reducir la variabilidad de finura en los vellones. Los caracteres evaluados fueron el diámetro de fibra (DF) y su desviación estándar (DE), coeficiente de variación (CV) y factor de confort (FC). El análisis genético se realizó utilizando un modelo animal multivariado, que incluye el efecto genético aditivo del animal como efecto aleatorio; año de esquila, punta y sexo como efectos fijos; y, edad de esquila como covariable lineal. Las heredabilidades para todas las características por zona fueron moderadas (0,12 a 0,38) y para las zonas en conjunto resultaron también moderadas, excepto para el coeficiente de variación (0.17 a 0.43). La correlación genética entre el diámetro de fibra y la desviación estándar, mostró un valor elevado y positivo (0.80), que no fue el caso para el factor de confort, que tuvo una correlación negativa y alta (-0.93), y con el coeficiente de variación que alcanzo su valor negativo y bajo (-0.06). En concreto, existe un alto grado de correlación genética entre el diámetro de fibra (DF) y su desviación estándar (DE); por lo cual, seleccionando por ambos caracteres lograría reducir la variabilidad de finura en los vellones, y de esta manera poder implementar programas en mejoramiento genético de alpacas. Palabras claves: Alpaca, parámetros genéticos, diámetro de fibra, ASReml., The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters (heritability and genetic correlations) for characters associated with the uniformity of fibre diameter in fleece of young (tuis) alpacas of the Mallkini farm (Puno, Peru). Samples were taken from the thigh, mid-rib and shoulder of 1127 animals at the first shearing (573 males and 554 females) born in 2015 and 2016. The samples were analysed under the IWTO-12 standard of the Sirolan Laserscan equipment. The pedigree file had 10481 alpacas giving a coefficient of inbreeding of 0.16%. The genetic parameters were estimated using ASReml and Pedigree Viewer software. The characters evaluated were the fibre diameter and its standard deviation, coefficient of variation and comfort factor. The genetic analysis was carried out using a multivariate animal model, which includes the additive genetic effect of the animal as a random effect; year of shearing, group/category and sex as fixed effects, and age of shearing as a linear covariable. The heritability for all the characteristics by body area was moderate (0.12 to 0.38) and for the mean of the three body areas was also moderate, except for the coefficient of variation (0.17 to 0.43). The genetic correlation between the fibre diameter and the standard deviation showed a high and positive value (0.80), while for the comfort factor it had a high and negative correlation (-0.93) and for the coefficient of variation was negative and low (-0.06). In conclusion, there is a high degree of genetic correlation between the fibre diameter and its standard deviation, so that selecting for both characters would reduce the variability of fineness in the fleeces.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T15:49:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01 Genetic characterization of African goats is one of the current priorities in the improvement of goats in the continent. This study contributes to the characterization effort by determining the levels and number of generations to common ancestors (age) associated with inbreeding in African goat breeds and identifies regions that contain copy number variation mistyped as being homozygous. Illumina 50k single nucleotide polymorphism genotype data for 608 goats from 31 breeds were used to compute the level and age of inbreeding at both local (marker) and global levels (FG) using a model-based approach based on a hidden Markov model. Runs of homozygosity (ROH) segments detected using the Viterbi algorithm led to ROH-based inbreeding coefficients for all ROH (FROH) and for ROH longer than 2 Mb (FROH > 2Mb). Some of the genomic regions identified as having ROH are likely to be hemizygous regions (copy number deletions) mistyped as homozygous regions. Although the proportion of these miscalled ROH is small and does not substantially affect estimates of levels of inbreeding for individual animals, the inbreeding metrics were adjusted by removing these regions from the ROH. All the inbreeding metrics varied widely across breeds, with overall means of 0.0408, 0.0370, and 0.0691 and medians of 0.0125, 0.0098, and 0.0366 for FROH, FROH > 2Mb, and FG, respectively. Several breeds (including Menabe and Sofia from Madagascar) had high proportions of recent inbreeding, while Small East African, Ethiopian, and most of the West African breeds (including West African Dwarf) had more ancient inbreeding. Division of Livestock Sciences Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science Faculty of Agriculture Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Research Service National Livestock Resources Research Institute Department of Agriculture Kyambogo University School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences Jaboticabal São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Animal Science Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences Jaboticabal São Paulo State University (UNESP)

Tassew A, Alemayehu G, Sölkner J, Wurzinger M. 2019. Future of beekeeping in Northwestern Ethiopia: Scenarios, local adaptation measures and its implications for farmers’ livelihoods. Biodiversitas 20: 1633-1643. For this study, a participatory scenario planning approach was used to understand the driving forces, generate the plausible future scenarios of beekeeping, explore local adaptation measures and its implications for farmers’ livelihoods in Northwestern Ethiopia. Data were collected from three watersheds representing different agro-ecological zones. To identify the driving forces, different methods including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, workshops, researchers observations and literature search were applied. The data were analyzed by ranking followed by controllability, cross-impact and consistency analysis. The results show that nineteen driving forces were identified that are contributes to changes in beekeeping. Out of nineteen six most relevant and locally controllable driving forces (watershed development, deforestation, agrochemicals use, government emphasis for beekeeping development, technical support, and farmers' awareness) were selected to develop different plausible and contrasting scenarios. The three plausible and contrasting scenarios for beekeeping in 2025 are: ‘‘repressive'', ‘‘beekeeping advance'' and ‘‘beekeeping on the margins''. The results show that beekeeping significantly contributes to the livelihoods of farmers to 2025 under ‘‘beekeeping advance'' scenario. In the ‘‘beekeeping on the margins'' scenario, beekeeping has low contribution to the livelihoods of farmers. But the beekeeping is in a system of involution in ‘‘repressive'' scenario and has very low contribution to the livelihoods of farmers. The stakeholders were checked the plausibility of the scenarios and selected the ‘‘repressive’’ scenario as the worst, the ‘‘beekeeping advance’’ scenario as the best, and the ‘‘beekeeping on the margins’’ scenario as the business as usual and intervention strategies were developed to transform the current beekeeping into ‘‘beekeeping advance'' scenario. The study has shown that the participation of stakeholders in the scenario planning process provides knowledge relevant for understanding the dynamics and future scenarios of beekeeping. Hence, interventions to be made by concerned stakeholders to improve the beekeeping in the study areas need to focus on addressing the various and complex driving forces through a system wide and context-specific approach.