CHARACTERISATION OF MULTIVARIATE TRAITS IN SWAZI INDIGENOUS GOATS

Swazi goats from two different regions in Swaziland kept in communal systems were characterised based on phenotypic measurements. Objective measurements for 200 goats included body weight (BW), abdominal circumference (AC), body length (BL), chest circumference (CC), face length (FL), neck circumference (NC), neck length (NL), rump height (RH) and height at withers (HW), while qualitative traits included coat colour, coat texture and presence or absence of horns. Seven coat colours were observed across both regions. Goats with straight coat texture (82%), short hair length (68%) and with horns (84%) were predominantly more. Goats in Manzini region had the lower BW, AC, BL and CC (51.77±1.32, 61.77±1.32, 62.49±0.66, 57.96±1.18) than Shiselweni goats (53.09±1.01, 71.09±1.00, 73.67±0.94, 53.83±0.90). The study provided a reference for phenotypic and genetic diversity for Swazi goats useful for designing genetic strategies for improved production, food security and sustainable utilisation

The origin of domestication genes in goats

Goat domestication was critical for agriculture and civilization, but its underlying genetic changes and selection regimes remain unclear. Here, we analyze the genomes of worldwide domestic goats, wild caprid species, and historical remains, providing evidence of an ancient introgression event from a West Caucasian tur-like species to the ancestor of domestic goats. One introgressed locus with a strong signature of selection harbors the MUC6 gene, which encodes a gastrointestinally secreted mucin. Experiments revealed that the nearly fixed introgressed haplotype confers enhanced immune resistance to gastrointestinal pathogens. Another locus with a strong signal of selection may be related to behavior. The selected alleles at these two loci emerged in domestic goats at least 7200 and 8100 years ago, respectively, and increased to high frequencies concurrent with the expansion of the ubiquitous modern mitochondrial haplogroup A. Tracking these archaeologically

Goat management systems and peste des petits ruminant (PPR) incidence in rivers and Bayelsa states, Nigeria.

This study was conducted to evaluate goat management systems and the prevalence of PPR in two States in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria-Rivers and Bayelsa. The study was conducted in the Bayelsa and Rivers States located in the rainforest zones of the South-Southern part of Nigeria. Three Local Government Areas from each State were randomly selected; Ahoada East, Abua/Odual and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Rivers State and Ogbia, Yenagoa, and Southern Ijaw LGAs in Bayelsa State. Using purposive sampling techniques, private and commercial goat farmers, households and markets were identified and interviewed across the selected LGAs in the study areas. The management system most adopted is the semi-intensive system. Pest des petits ruminants (PPR) was found to have occurred annually from 2008 to 2012, with the highest incidence recorded in 2012 in Bayelsa and Rivers States at a frequency of 22 and 26 % respectively . Poor disease control methods and the neglect of veterinary services by many of the farmers as well as the effect of flooding in 2012 are reasons propounded to have predisposed the goats to the high rate of PPR incidence in 2012.Key words: flood, goat, Management system, Pest des petits ruminant

Morphological and egg characteristics of indigenous chicken in Edo State, Nigeria

No Abstract.Nigeria Agricultural Journal Vol. 37 2006: pp. 117-12

Morphologic variations of periwinkle and profiles of periwinkle marketers and harvesters in two states in the Niger delta area of Nigeria

Periwinkles are invertebrates rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These make them relished delicacies. Three hundred and fifteen (315) individual periwinkles were hand-picked from mangrove swamp river banks and intertidal zones of Twon-Brass in Bayelsa State and Abonnema town of Rivers State. Shell length and the weight of both the meat and shell were taken with Veneer caliper and a sensitive electronic scale balance respectively. Information on the economics of production was gathered from market women and harvesters through the use of structured questionnaires. The present study indentified possible phenotypic differences among periwinkle harvested in Bayelsa and Rivers States base on shell length and meat weight differences. Periwinkle harvested in Rivers is bigger and heavier than those harvested in Bayelsa State. Prediction of meat and total weight of from shell length was done using regression analysis. The study also identified the involvement of the different age groups that form the work-force in the States; showing that there are more young adults and teenagers in the business of harvesting and sales than aged people. There are more men involved in the business than women. There is a decline in size, quantity and availability of periwinkle presently than in the past, a factor that could be attributed to over-harvesting.Key Words: Bayelsa, Morphology, Niger Delta, Periwinkle, Rivers

Association entre les polymorphismes exons 1 et 3 du gène de la myostatine et les caractères morphologiques de la race chèvre rouge du Sokoto nigérian

Des exons de gènes contrôlent l’information génétique qui est transcrite et traduite en un produit protéique qui produit, directement ou indirectement, des phénotypes observés de caractères. La nécessité de disposer d’informations génétiques, en relation avec les locus qui affectent les caractères de performance, peut être un outil important dans le programme de sélection. La recherche s’est concentrée sur la génétique, l’amplification et le séquençage du gène de la myostatine à partir du sang de la race de chèvre Red Sokoto du Nigéria et sur l’association avec les caractères morphologiques. Les caractères morphologiques, y compris le poids corporel, la hauteur du garrot, la longueur du corps et la profondeur de la poitrine ont été évalués à l’aide d’un équipement standard simple. Le résultat du séquençage des exons 1 et 3 du gène de la myostatine provenant de la chèvre Red Sokoto, largement gérée, a révélé que les régions des exons 1 et 3 sont polymorphes, l’exon 1 étant plus polymorphe. Trois des cinq polymorphismes mononucléotidiques non synonymes obtenus dans l’exon 1 ont eu des effets non neutres possibles sur la fonction protéique. Inversement, un polymorphisme mononucléotidique non synonyme trouvé dans l’exon 3 avait un effet neutre possible sur la fonction de la protéine. La régression logistique a révélé qu’un variant non-synonyme à la région de l’exon 1 du gène de la myostatine était associé à la longueur du corps chez la chèvre rouge Sokoto largement gérée. Cette étude préliminaire sur le gène de la myostatine dans la race chèvre rouge Sokoto au Nigeria a comblé un manque en fournissant une référence valable sur le gène de la myostatine et / ou ses régions intermédiaires, par exemple les exons 1 et 3. Ces connaissances seraient utiles présenter de précieuses ressources pour de futures études sur la génomique caprine