The Ripollesa sheep breed is an important Spanish local breed mainly located in the Mediterranean mountains and cultivated plains of Catalonia, exploited under semi-extensive production systems and currently intended for meat production. The morphological characterization of the Ripollesa breed was carried out from the study of eight flocks representative of different subpopulations. A total of 224 Ripollesa ewes and 17 rams were recorded for their live weight and 12 morphological measures, which were used for calculating 12 zootechnical indexes. Differences (P < 0.05) between flocks and sexes were revealed for several measures. A principal component analysis was performed on the morphological measures and revealed two main principal components accounting for 47.6 and 12.3 percent of the inertia, being related to the frame (body size and live weight) and to withers height and ear length, respectively. The cluster analysis allowed differentiating among four subpopulations with relevant implications to be taken into account for the breed conservation programme. The observed differences could be attributable to geographic location, selective history, flock management and genetics. The estimated zootechnical indexes classified the Ripollesa sheep breed as a medium-sized and long-shaped body frame, with a marked orientation to meat production and with signs of adaptation to the environment.

Livestock, especially poultry, is a promising sector for poverty reduction in Bangladesh. Approximately 140 millions chickens are scattered throughout 68 000 villages in the country, mostly of indigenous, non-descript type. The production system for indigenous chickens is smallholder backyard scavenging in nature with each family keeping an average of 6–7 chickens to meet family requirements, and from which a cash income can also be derived when necessary. Indigenous chickens produce about 75% of the eggs and 78% of the meat consumed domestically. Among said indigenous chicken genetic resources, non-descript Deshi, Aseel and Naked Neck breeds are noteworthy

The non-descript Deshi chicken constitutes about 90% of the indigenous population. Also known as ‘Murghi’, they have undergone unknown periods of natural selection and are a reservoir of excellent genetic diversity. They show high levels of morphological and phenotypic variability and increased fitness under natural settings. Studies reveal that they may be regarded as one breed or population because of the small genetic distances among them. Deshi chickens are characterized by black (75%) and red (25%) plumage colour; black (39%), yellow (32%) and white (29%) shank color; black (99%) eye color; bright red (59%) and pale (41%) comb colour; white (82%) and yellow (17%) skin colour; no definite (61%) and lacing (17%) feather pattern; medium (70%) and large (19%) body size; single comb (97%) and rudimentary spur (98%); medium egg size (80%); light brown (67%) and white (27%) egg shell colour. Regarding production traits, Deshi chickens have average hatch weight of 29 g; body weight at 4, 8, 12 weeks; weekly weight gain (0–12 weeks) of respectively of 77, 175, 315, 24 grams; age at first egg (175 days); weight of pullet (0.9 kg); mature body weight (1.3 kg); hatchability (52%); fertility (83%); annual egg production (45 -50 eggs); 9% mortality up to 500 days of age.

The indigenous chicken population of Bangladesh has been undergoing genetic erosion since the 1960s, following the introduction of improved stock from developed countries. Efforts to sustain commercial hybrid broiler and layer chicken farming under intensive and semi-intensive production models have been tested, but efficiency of systematic characterization, screening, breed improvement and conservation programmes with the indigenous Deshi chickens at the smallholder village levels (in-situ) of Bangladesh are yet to be tested. Such an initiative may help to save these creatures from the grip of thethreat of extinction. This in turn may help to sustain village chicken production system in Bangladesh and could be a useful micro-economic strategy in the on-going poverty alleviation process in the country.

The Gir is a famous milk cattle breed of India. The native tract of the breed is Gir hills and forests of Kathiawar including Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Amreli districts of Gujarat. The breeding tract lies between 20°5’ and 22°6’ north latitude and 70° and 72° east longitude. The total cattle population of Saurashtra region i.e., breeding tract of Gir cattle is 2.5 million and Gir breed accounts for 37 percent of total cattle population in the region. The body of Gir animals is well proportioned. Udder in cows is well developed and round. The body weight at one year of age was 138 kg in males and 136 kg in females. Adult body weight, height at withers, body length and heart girth in cows averaged 313 kg, 120 cm, 125 cm and 160 cm, respectively.

Age at first heat and calving averaged 1 149 and 1 534 day, respectively. Average dry period and inter-calving period were 123 and 423 days, respectively. Heifers received an average 1.07 inseminations for successful conception whereas cows received 1.64 inseminations per conception. Total lactation milk yield averaged 2 063 litres in an average lactation period of 326 days. Average milk yield in 300 days was 1 930 litres. Milk yield per day of calving interval was 4.98 litres. Average fat percentage in the milk ranged between 4.69±0.04 and 4.97±0.02. Gir animals are considered as hardy with low overall mortality (3.63 percent).

A conservation scheme for local poultry breeds from the Veneto region (Italy), the Co.Va. (Conservazione e Valorizzazione di Razze Avicole Locali Venete - Conservation and valorisation of local poultry genetic resources of Veneto region) project began in 2000 with finance provided by the Veneto Region. This project involved four organic farms located in different areas (mountain, hill and plain) in the region. The local chicken breeds included in the project were the Robusta Maculata, Robusta Lionata, Ermellinata di Rovigo, Pépoi and Padovana; the local duck breeds were the Germana Veneta and Mignon; the local turkey breeds were the Bronzato Comune and Ermellinato di Rovigo; and the local guinea fowl breed was the Camosciata. All breeds are dual-purpose breeds and are utilized for meat and egg production. The Department of Animal Science of the University of Padova planned a marker-assisted conservation scheme based on the maintenance and multiplication of these breeds within their production system (in situ conservation scheme). The objectives of the farmers involved in this project were to use these genotypes to generate typical regional products for local markets, to support the development of economically marginal areas through the revaluation of local breeds and to allow the preservation of animal biodiversity.

The improvement programme in Jamunapari goats was started with the active participation of farmers in two adopted villages and efforts have been made to characterise the performance of Jamunapari goats in their home tract in relation to production, reproduction performance and field conditions relating to socio-economic status of farmers. The phenotypic measurements are also described in the breed in its habitat. Jamunapari is a tall, white and large size milch goat breed of India and their numbers have been reducing over the years for various reasons. The description in relation to housing, feeding, management, growth parameters, milk yield, parasitic load, blood polymorphism and constraints in field conditions has been made in detail. Body weights at birth, three, six and nine months were 2.75 kg, 12.3 kg, 16 kg and 22 kg, respectively. Milk yield at 90 and 150 days was 102 and 145 litres, respectively. The peak breeding season of this goat in field conditions is in May-June and twining percentage is about 52 percent. The overall mortality in village conditions is about 3.7 percent and is mostly due to diarrhea and pneumonia. The mortality was 3.7 percent, 1.9 percent, 9.8 percent and 2.0 percent in 0–3, 3–6, and 6–12 months, and adult goats, respectively over the years. The native goat in its home tract is endangered for several reasons and utmost care is needed from all angles to save this germplasm.

The current study proposes a method for the morphological characterization of chicken. It involves the measurement of 25 variables, 12 from head measures and the other 13 from rest of the body. This method was used to compare two Catalonian autochthonous chicken breeds: partridge Penedesenca and blond Empordanesa with measurements of 30 hens each. Measurements were taken by two operators, each measured 15 hens per breed. Hens were 30 weeks old, and were bred under the same conditions. As a whole the results showed us that both breeds are very similar morphologically. Nevertheless, nine variables were different between the two breeds and six were different between the two operators, most of them were head measurements. So it is suggested that the measurements on head must be accurate. Only four variables, beak length and width, comb width and ear lobes length, showed interaction among the factors that do not allow us to address the differences between the breeds. The comparison results between Empordanesa and Penedesenca showed that Empordanesa had higher values in wattle length, wattle width and ear lobes width than Penedesenca. Regarding the corporal measures, Empordanesa had higher values of the folding wing and tarsus diameter than Penedesenca although Penedesenca had larger values in keel of sternum length and breast angle than Empordanesa. Empordanesa was a little heavier than Penedesenca.

This artiele traces the evolution of one-humped camel {C. dromedarius) breeds in India and describes the social and historical factors that contributed to their formation. In India a number of distinct breeds developed from the breeding herds maintained by the Maharajahs of Rajputana for supplying camels for desert warfare. After a summary of the literature, details are provided on the characteristics and historical background of the individual breeds or types. The threats to the continued existence of these breeds and their genetic diversity are also evaluated.

For many years, there has been debate about the suitability of traditional and conventional pig breeds in low-input and organic production systems. This review compiles reproductive and finishing performance of traditional and conventional breeds in low-input and organic production systems in Europe, based on literature studies and farm surveys until 2010. In comparison with traditional breeds, conventional breeds wean many piglets, have efficient and fast growth and lean carcasses. They thrive well in North West European climatic conditions with temperate summers and mild winters. Optimal housing may be indoors with outdoor runs, because this provides a controlled environment in which large litters are more easily managed. The lean meat of conventional breeds is suitable for the commodity organic pork market. Traditional breeds comprise a group of prolific breeds with good finishing performance (e.g. Saddlebacks, Pulawska) and breeds kept for special meat production (e.g. Ibérico, Cinta Senese). The prolific and leaner traditional breeds are suitable for commodity organic pork production, especially when crossed with conventional white boar breeds to give some extra leanness to the carcass. Special meat breeds are unsuitable for commodity organic pork production owing to their low fertility and high carcass fatness, but extra added value is obtained by their specific meat and fat quality.

Breed risk status assessment methods are key components of country-based early warning and response systems. In this study, a multi-indicator method was developed to assess the risk status of livestock populations. Six indicators were used: (i) the current number of breeding females; (ii) the change in the number of breeding females over the last 5 years or generations (depending on the species); (iii) percentage of cross-breeding; (iv) effective population size; (v) breeders organization and technical support; and (vi) socio-economic context. To make these indicators comparable, observed values were converted into scores on a six-point scale (from 0 = no threat to 5 = maximum threat); a specific conversion method was used for each indicator. For each breed, the different scores were analysed graphically and an overall score was calculated by averaging the six separate indicator scores. This approach was applied to 178 French local breeds, belonging to ten different species: horse, donkey, goat, pig, chicken, turkey, goose and Pekin duck. A large percentage of local breeds were found to be at risk to be lost for farming, although the results were species dependent. All local equine and pig breeds, as well as almost all local poultry breeds appeared to be endangered. About 80 percent of local goat and cattle breeds, and half local sheep breeds were also found to be at risk. The usefulness of this method with regards to conservation strategies and public policy is discussed.

Development of the livestock industry and its role in poverty alleviation in developing countries depends on how adaptive the production systems are to changing global environmental and economic trends. This paper characterizes dairy production systems in India, Tanzania, Kenya and Nicaragua, and describes the genetic and breeding technologies that hold promise for the advancement of global development goals. The dairy value chain has been prioritized for development under the CGIAR research programme on Livestock and Fish in Tanzania (East Africa), India (South Asia) and Nicaragua (Latin America), while ILRI is involved in research on dairy development in Kenya. In all the countries, a large number of smallholder farmers operating mixed crop–livestock production systems play a significant role in dairy production. In Tanzania, Kenya and Nicaragua, milk is predominantly produced by cattle of genotypes that differ both across countries and among production systems within the same country. In India, buffaloes contribute to a larger proportion of the national milk than cattle. Information on productivity per animal and on optimal genotypes to utilize within the smallholder production systems of all the countries is however limited. Crossbreeding and artificial insemination were identified as the most widely utilized breeding and reproductive technologies. Only in Kenya is there a national organization conducting livestock recording and monitoring productivity, however, the proportion of the dairy cattle population enrolled in the recording system is small (<2.5 percent). In all the countries, enhanced and adequately planned use of breeding and reproductive technologies, complemented with the relevant infrastructure, is needed to sustainably increase dairy productivity. The capacities of actors in the dairy value chain need to be developed in order to properly implement and manage improvements.

The study pertains to phenotypic characterization of some breeds of duck (common white duck and Indian runner duck), Muscovy ducks (black and white feathered and sepia feathered) besides two breeds of geese (white and brown feathered and white feathered) reared in the state of West Bengal (India). The study was conducted at five locations of the state and comprised 1395 ducks and 600 geese. The data were analysed statistically using mainly descriptive statistics, the differences in mean were analysed using Duncan's multiple range test. Both qualitative and quantitative traits were considered in the study. The qualitative traits were shank colour, bill colour, colour of the feathers, skin colour, egg shell colour, the presence or absence of beans, body carriage, bill type and colour of the eyes, while the quantitative traits included in the study were weight of the ducks and weight of the eggs. Some production traits such as numbers of eggs laid per year and dressing percentage of the drakes and ganders of each breed too have been studied. The ducks and geese are raised under semi-intensive management system and mostly depend on scavenging for their nutritional needs. This results in poor egg production and at times loss of stock because of diseases. The study regarding average egg production indicated that the Muscovy ducks and the geese have poor egg production, whereas the Indian runner followed by the common white duck are potentially the best. The ducks are important source of earnings for the small holder farmers and are raised both for meat and eggs, while the geese are reared mostly for ornamental purpose. However, the populations of the ducks are fast dwindling because of avian influenza in the region and because restocking is mostly being carried out with less adapted Khaki Campbell ducks. This happens mainly because the government farms that were responsible for providing the ducklings for restocking maintain Khaki Campbell ducks and do not have the parental stock of the native duck breeds, while restocking of the Muscovy ducks and geese are carried out by the rearers themselves. There are also no prevailing breeding programmes to conserve, select, maintain and distribute the native breeds of duck and geese. Hence, it is of earnest importance to conserve the avian genetic resources before the population dwindles further.

The State of the World survey of animal genetic resources (SoWAnGR) has highlighted the necessity to reconcile the varying systems applied by different organisations for the identification and categorisation of endangered breeds of livestock. Currently, many of these systems are irreconcilable. In particular, there is a need to interpret national breed populations in the context of their international population. Rare Breeds International has developed and applied a system which overcomes these problems, and which coincides with criteria applied by FAO. The system utilises three criteria, namely distinctiveness, local adaptation, and numerical scarcity. Numerical scarcity is measured preferentially by the number of annual female registrations rather than the number of breeding females. The system embodies simplicity, accuracy and effectiveness, based on global data, and will enable more effective interpretation of SoWAnGR reports.

Pigs are the most important livestock species in Papua New Guinea (PNG) from economic as well as cultural perspectives. Most of the estimated population of 1.8 million pigs are maintained by smallholder farmers. The genetic attributes, differentiation and production capacities of indigenous pigs are largely unknown. But the rich socio-cultural diversity of rural communities living in geographically isolated pristine environments, with long and strong attachments with indigenous pigs implies that indigenous pigs may harbour unique genetic diversity. This study reports preliminary survey of indigenous pigs sampled from major pig farming areas of the country as part of a South Asia-wide regional indigenous pig genetic diversity study. It assesses farmers’ perceptions about the origin, population trend and utility value of indigenous pigs, as well as their trait preferences. Average herd sizes and external physical forms and appearances of pigs are described. About 19 percent of the sampled indigenous pigs were identified through pedigree checks to have an admixtured genotype with some distant indigenous or exotic parentage. The importance of indigenous pig genetic resources in PNG requires a policy and legislative framework to support sustainable utilization. As a first step in informing such development, a comprehensive molecular genetic study is required to elucidate the genetic attributes of this unique genetic resource.

As part of the global sheep Hapmap project, 24 individuals from each of seven indigenous Swiss sheep breeds (Bundner Oberländer sheep (BOS), Engadine Red sheep (ERS), Swiss Black-Brown Mountain sheep (SBS), Swiss Mirror sheep (SMS), Swiss White Alpine (SWA) sheep, Valais Blacknose sheep (VBS) and Valais Red sheep (VRS)), were genotyped using Illumina's Ovine SNP50 BeadChip. In total, 167 animals were subjected to a detailed analysis for genetic diversity using 45 193 informative single nucleotide polymorphisms. The results of the phylogenetic analyses supported the known proximity between populations such as VBS and VRS or SMS and SWA. Average genomic relatedness within a breed was found to be 12 percent (BOS), 5 percent (ERS), 9 percent (SBS), 10 percent (SMS), 9 percent (SWA), 12 percent (VBS) and 20 percent (VRS). Furthermore, genomic relationships between breeds were found for single individuals from SWA and SMS, VRS and VBS as well as VRS and BOS. In addition, seven out of 40 indicated parent–offspring pairs could not be confirmed. These results were further supported by results from the genome-wide population cluster analysis. This study provides a better understanding of fine-scale population structures within and between Swiss sheep breeds. This relevant information will help to increase the conservation activities of the local Swiss sheep breeds.

Characterization of indigenous animal genetic resources is a first step in providing much needed information for the conservation and utilization of useful genotypes for future needs. The study was undertaken to estimate heritability of traits of economic importance in local chicken populations from the forest and savannah zones of Ghana. A restricted maximum likelihood animal model was applied to growth data of local chickens from hatch to 40 weeks to estimate heritability, phenotypic and genotypic correlations of body weight and shank length. Heritability, phenotypic and genotypic correlations were also calculated for egg number and egg weight. High genetic and phenotypic correlations were obtained between body weight and shank length. Average heritability estimates were 0.54, 0.42, 0.30 and 0.47 for body weight, shank length, egg number and egg weight, respectively. These moderate-to-high heritability estimates indicate that these traits could be targeted in genetic improvement programmes for local chickens.

The Sahiwal cattle, one of the best dairy breeds of Zebu cattle in India and Pakistan, originate from the Montgomery district of Pakistan and is distributed on farmer herds in certain pockets of the bordering districts of Punjab and Rajsthan in India. The animals of this breed are also available in Kenya and are used for crossing with local East African Zebu types to improve milk production. Sahiwal cattle have deep body, loose skin, short legs, stumpy horns and a broad head with pale red to dark brown body colour. The average body weight in adult females and males is around 350 and 500 kg, respectively. The animals of this breed are maintained on various State and Central Government farms, privately owned farms, charitable trusts and a small proportion of animals are also available with the farmers. More than 1 200 breedable females are available at various farms in the country. The average lactation milk yield of Sahiwal cattle on organized farms ranges between 1 500 to 2 500 kg. However, in well-managed herds, the highest lactation milk production in certain cows is more than 4 500 kg. The overall weighted average milk yield, age at first calving, lactation length and calving interval based on the performance at various herds is around 1 900 kg, 36 months, 315 days and 420 days, respectively. The fat and Solid Non Fat (SNF) percent ranges from 4.6 to 5.2 percent and 8.9 to 9.3 percent, respectively. Quite a large proportion of pure-bred Sahiwal cattle maintained on organized breeding farms has been used for the production of cross-bred cattle. As a result, different cross-bred strains of dairy cattle viz Karan Swiss, Karan Fries and Frieswal have evolved at the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal and Military Dairy Farms. The breed has also been utilized for the production of synthetic strains like Jamaica Hope (JH), Australian Milking Zebu (AMZ) and Australian Friesian Sahiwal (AFS) in other countries. Currently, efforts are being made to characterize, evaluate and conserve the breed in field conditions. More than 0.10 million doses of frozen semen of this breed are cryopreserved at various semen banks in the country. The frozen semen is being utilized for strengthening and genetically improving the existing herds of the breed through progeny testing programmes of sires associating various herds of Sahiwal in the country.

Pedigree data from 11 267 animals born between 1960 and 2004 were used to analyse population structure and genetic variability of the Holstein–Friesian population in Kenya. Parameters estimated were the pedigree completeness index, average inbreeding coefficient, number of founders, effective number of founders and ancestors, and genetically important herds. The hierarchy of registered herds and concentration of origin of individuals was also assessed. Pedigree completeness of the reference population was 67.1 percent. Average inbreeding level for the entire population was 0.09 and 1.7 percent among individuals with three complete generations, and 9.2 percent among inbred individuals. Inbreeding level increased with generation from 0.8 to 2.5 percent in the most recent generation among individuals with three complete generations. Effective number of founders and ancestors were 156 and 108, respectively. The ten ancestors with the largest marginal genetic contribution accounted for 19.52 percent of the total variation. The effective number of genetically important herds that contributed breeding males to the population was 5.2. Higher levels of inbreeding were detected among individuals with at least three complete generations. Few herds contributed breeding males, causing structural weakness to the breeding programme. Recruitment of herds into the breeding tier is needed to strengthen the breeding structure and pedigree recording enhanced to enable long-term management of genetic variability.

The study investigated the genetic make-up of different ecotypes of indigenous chickens (ICs) in Kenya based on major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-linked and non-MHC microsatellite markers. Blood samples were collected from eight regions (48 birds per region) of Kenya: Kakamega (KK), Siaya (BN), West Pokot (WP), Turkana (TK), Bomet (BM), Narok (NR), Lamu (LM) and Taita-Taveta (TT) and genotyped using two MHC-linked and ten non-MHC markers. All MHC-linked and non-MHC markers were polymorphic with a total of 140 alleles, of which 56 were identified in MHC-linked markers. Mean number of alleles (Na and Ne), private alleles, heterozygosity and genetic distances were higher for MHC-linked markers compared with non-MHC markers. The ad hoc statistic ΔK detected the true numbers of clusters to be three for MHC-linked markers and two in non-MHC markers. In conclusion, Kenyan ICs belong into two to three genetically distinct groups. Different markers systems have different clustering system. MHC-linked markers divided ICs into three mixed clusters, composing of individuals from the different ecotypes whereas non-MHC markers grouped ICs into two groups. These IC ecotypes host many and highly diverse MHC-linked alleles. Higher allelic diversity indicated a huge amount of genetic variation in the MHC region of ICs and supported their reputation of being hardy and resistant to diseases.

Using standard survey approaches, we carried out a nationwide survey to morphologically characterize and identify ecozones of Ethiopian horse populations. Accordingly, we explored one new feral horse population previously unreported and seven other distinct horse populations. A total of 17 selected morphological variables were recorded on 503 horses (293 stallions and 210 mares) that belong to five out of eight identified horse populations. Pair-wise multiple mean comparisons (PMMC) using one-way analysis of variance and multivariate analyses were performed separately for each sex and least-squares means was used in the case of aggregated sexes. Results of PMMC showed that there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the means for most of the variables recorded. Principal component analysis showed that height at wither, height at back, height at rump, body length, back length and barrel length jointly account for about 80 percent of the variations. All squared Mahalanobis distance between populations were significant (P < 0.01). The greatest phenotypic divergence was observed between Bale and Selale horse populations and the least phenotypic divergence was between Horro and Kafa populations. Canonical discriminant function analysis showed that 77.05 percent of individuals were correctly categorized into their respective populations. Moreover, cluster analysis based on squared Mahalanobis distances grouped the five measured Ethiopian horse populations into three major breed groups and five distinct horse populations.