The effect of management system on Camels milk yield and calve growth rate in north Kordofan, Sudan

Twenty lactating she-camels and two mature male for mating were selected in north Kordofan state, Sudan. The animals were divided into two groups 10 she-camel of each with one male for mating. Group one managed in a semi intensive system, all animals were herded during night in closed in pen and set free during the midday. Supplementation consists of concentrates (2kg/day) and roughages (5kg/day) were used. The other group served as a control (Under traditional system) all animals managed traditionally but within the site of the experimental work, on this system the animals are brought to grazing areas where they selected the feed by themselves from the available plants and allowing nothing as supplemented feeding. The calves' weights were determined every six months using traditional balances, also daily milk yield were recorded. The study indicated that daily milk production in she-camel reared under semi-intensive system was higher than the camels reared under traditional management. Also the results indicated that the body weight of the calves under semi-intensive system during six, 12 and 18 months of age were the highest than the calves reared in the traditional system, semi-intensive system improved the daily growth rates of the calve. The study showed that there were non-significant differences between male and female on daily gain. (Résumé d'auteur

Chemical composition, fibre types and enzymes activates of longissimus thoracis muscle of the one humped camel

Thirty samples of Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle were collected from 2-3 years old male camels slaughtered according to seasons of the year (winter, summer and autumn). The samples were then subjected to chemical analysis to study the chemical composition, fibre types and metabolic enzymes activities and variations among seasons. The results showed that chemical composition, ultimate pH (pHu) and calor were significantly influenced by season. Enzymes activities of isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and phosphofructokinase (PFK) were higher during autumn season compared to summer and winter (2.7 and 1.8 uml/min per g muscle, respectively). Quantification of muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms by SOS-PAGE electrophoresis and image analysis indicated higher proportions rn winter for type I muscle fibres and in autumn for type I la muscle fibres. Positive correlation was observed (0.84) between the proportion of fibre type I and lsocitrate Dehydrogenase (ICDH) enzyme activity. These findings indicated that muscle characteristics in camels are highly regulated by season. (Résumé d'auteur

Camel in Sudan: future prospects

According to FAO statistics, camel population in Sudan ranks the second in the world after Somalia with 4.5 millions heads. This population is quite important while the camel production appears, at least officially, very low. With a meat production of 49,880 tons and a milk production of 120,000 tons, camel production is far away from the potential. Even if these data did not cover the entire reality, it is obvious that camel production in Sudan is insufficiently valorized. Meat from young camels has been reported to be comparable in taste and texture to beef. Inspite of the increase in local camel meat consumption to 63,000 tons in 2009, yet camel meat is common in some parts of the country and milk consumption under gariss form is popular in rural areas where camel is generally reared. Camel diseases are the major constrains of production such as trypanosomiasis and mastitis. The research has to push in that way in order to innovate camel meat and milk sector. The modernization of meat and milk processing could be the motor for the improvement of camel production. Both in terms of research and of development, the identification of the main constraints for the camel sector is the way to propose a fruitful strategy. (Résumé d'auteur

Effect of slaughter season on fatty acids composition of desert camel meat (Camelus dromedaries)

The study aimed to study the effect of slaughter season on fatty acids composition of camel Longissimus thoracis muscle. Desert camel calves (n=30) were fattened by local camel herders in Sudan and slaughtered in different seasons of the year: winter, summer and autumn (ten camels each). The average of total lipids of the three seasons was 11.7g/100g fresh muscle, showed no differences among seasons. Camel LT muscle contained 52.2% SFA, 35.8% MUFA, 11.6 PUFA and 0.5% CLA, respectively. Slaughter season influenced the total MUFA which found high in summer compared to other seasons. As well, the ratio of 18:2 n-6/18:3 n-3, n-6/n-3 as well as UFA/SFA were influenced by slaughter season (P<0.05). CLA content and the percentages of trans11, cis 9 18:2 isomer are relatively high, while n-6/n-3 ratio was within the recommended values for the human diet which indicated that camel LT muscle has a high nutritional value throughout the year. (Résumé d'auteur

Signals of selection during domestication in old world camelids. [P0686]

In many parts of the Old World domesticated camels genus Camelus re an essential resource providing food labor commodities and sport to millions of people Of the three extant species two have been domesticated single humped dromedaries Camelus dromedarius and two humped Bactrian camels Camelus bactrianus and one remains wild two humped wild Bactrian camels Camelus ferus All three species possess a variety of adaptations to harsh desert conditions including mechanisms to tolerate extreme temperatures dehydration and sandy terrain Recent genomic studies of camels have identified patterns of selection consistent with the aforementioned adaptations in addition to quantifying genetic variation and examining demographic history However these studies are limited to analyses based upon a single genome from each species thus biasing many inferences of selection and adaptation Furthermore draft genomes are susceptible to errors in gene annotation thereby distorting conclusions of adaptation based upon orthologous genes between species In this study we take a population genomics approach to inferring both positive selection and demographic history of Old World camelids By re sequencing multiple genomes from all three species our objectives were to i) identify genes or regions under selection within and between species related to domestication or adaptation ii) examine the recent demographic history and genome ancestry and iii) provide an extensive set of genomic resources for future studies of camels. (Résumé d'auteur

Genomic footprints of selection under domestication in old world camelids. [W122]

In many parts of the Old World, domesticated camels (genus Camelus) are an essential resource, providing food, labor, commodities, and sport to millions of people. Of the three extant species, two have been domesticated (single-humped dromedaries, Camelus dromedarius, and two-humped Bactrian camels Camelus bactrianus) and one remains wild (two-humped wild Bactrian camels Camelus ferus). All three species possess a variety of adaptations to harsh desert conditions, including mechanisms to tolerate extreme temperatures, dehydration, and sandy terrain. Recent genomic studies of camels have identified patterns of selection consistent with the aforementioned adaptations in addition to quantifying genetic variation and examining demographic history. However, these studies are limited to analyses based upon a single genome from each species, thus biasing many inferences of selection and adaptation. Furthermore, draft genomes are extremely susceptible to errors in the estimated number of genes, thereby distorting conclusions of adaptation based upon orthologous genes between species. In this study, we take a population genomics approach to inferring both positive selection and demographic history of Old World camelids. By re-sequencing multiple genomes from all three species, our objectives were to i) identify genes or regions under selection within and between species related to domestication and/or adaptation, ii) examine the recent demographic history and genome ancestry, and iii) provide an extensive set of genomic resources for future studies of camels. (Texte intégral

Husbandry practices of camel herders in Kababish home land North Kordofan State, Sudan

The present work aimed to study husbandry practices of the camel herders in north Kordofan state, Sudan. A total of 122 farmers were randomly selected using questionnaire technique. The questionnaire was conducted between March and April (2007) in 4 different areas (Sodary, Jabra, Umgarfa and Almuwelih) which is dominated by Kababish tribe. The results showed that 59% of the interviewed camel farmers were owners, while 41% were shepherds, however, 48.6% of the owners were illiterate compared to 56% among shepherds. It was observed that high percentage of breeding females (74.2%) versus breeding males (25.2%) were kept in different herds. Camel herd size ranged between 50-100 heads which represents 54.9%, however, 71.6% of these herds were found in Sodary area. Sheep and goats were raised beside camels in the studied areas which was 14.8 and 36.1% for sheep, sheep and goats, respectively. Castration was practiced for fattening purposes by 40% of the farmers. The majority of the farmers practiced inbreeding and migrates seasonally to northern and southern parts of the state. Twelve diseases were reported in the studied areas; however, Trypanosomosis comprised the highest percentage (39%) among other diseases. Marketing of camels showed that most of the farmers (75.4%) use the money gained from selling of camels in other activities rather than adding new animals to their herds. Multivariate analysis allowed identifying 5 types of herd composition reflecting different strategy for herd management. (Texte intégral

Effect of ageing on chemical composition and quality of desert camel meat (Camelus dromedarius)

The present work investigates the effect of ageing on chemical composition and quality of the one humped desert camel meat (Camelus dromedarius). A total of 7 shecamels (3-4 y-old) fattened by the local camel herders and slaughtered following the normal abattoir procedures in the Sudan. Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle were obtained from the left carcass sides of all camels, divided into 4 portions, stored at 1-3°C and aged for 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. Chemical composition, pH, drip loss (DL), water holding capacity (WHC), meat colour, fat peroxidation (MDA), vitamin E and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms were investigated. Ageing of camel longissimus dorsi muscle influenced significantly (p &lt; 0.001) moisture, crude protein, and intramuscular fat. The separation of different MyHC isoforms by electrophoresis SDS-PAGE revealed two MyHC isoforms (MyHC I and MyHC IIa) in camel LT muscle with mean percentages of 64.1% and 35.9 %, respectively. Significant differences were found during ageing in pH, MyHC types I and IIa, colour, and WHC, however, significant differences were found in drip loss. The formation of MDA increased after 3 days of ageing from 0.08 µ g/ g in day 1 to 0.24 µ g/ g in day 7 with no significant differences. Camels LT muscle was found to be rich in vitamin E (17.8 µ g/ g) compared to previous studies in bovine. Ageing did not affect vitamin E significantly and possibly could be suggested as an effective antioxidant against fat peroxidation in camel meat. (Résumé d'auteur