Typology, management and smallholder farmer-preferred traits for selection of indigenous goats (Capra hisrcus) in three agro-ecological zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The present study aimed to assess the typology, production management, and smallholder farmer-preferred traits in selecting indigenous goats in three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Based on a structured survey, baseline data were recorded on 320 adults and unrelated does from 202 goat farms. Hierarchical clustering on principal components revealed three clusters in the goats studied well distinguished by double and triple kidding. Prolific goats mostly clustered into cluster two and three more represented by goats of South Kivu while 82.69% of goats in Tshopo were clustered into cluster one characterized by low reproductive performances. The Canonical Discriminant Analysis revealed that the body length was an important variable both to discriminate and to classify goats from the three AEZs. Goats from Kinshasa and South Kivu were not distanced while large distance was observed between goats from Kinshasa and Tshopo (F-stat, p < 0.001). While not subjected to any good management practices, goats were considered as a source of income and saving method in smallholder farmers' households. Adaptability, resistance to disease and prolificacy were preferred traits by farmers in selecting goats. These results give the first step in the decision-making towards goat improvement in DR Congo

Effects of coat color pattern and sex on physiological traits and heat tolerance of indigenous goats exposed to solar radiation

In this century, climate change is one of the major problems affecting livestock productivity. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of body coat color pattern and sex on heat regulation and heat stress tolerance in indigenous goat breeds exposed to solar radiation. In the experiment, 4 bucks and 4 does (8 to 9 months age) with black, white, grey and brown coat color were selected and exposed to solar radiation during 12 days during the summer period. Water and feed were served add libitum. The consumption were measured daily at 17:00 for each animal. Rectal temperature (RT) and rate pulse (PR) were measured three-time (7:00, 12:00, and 17:00) every day on each animal during the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the jugular vein and immediately delivered to the lab to determine biochemical (serum protein: albumin and globulin), and hematological parameters. Exposing goats to temperature variation affected the physiological, hematological as well as biochemical parameters in all subjects. The female with a black body coat color was mostly affected. The heat stress induced an increase of RT and PR, an increase in water consumption while depression in food intake was observed. Blood platelets, hematocrits, red cell distribution, white blood cell and albumin were damaged in goats with black coat color compared to goats with white coat color. These variations in physiological, hematological and biochemical parameters in female black goat could affect its productive and reproductive performances in high-temperature environments.The Université Evangélique en Afriquehttps://www.jabbnet.comam2021Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Haplotype analysis of the mitochondrial DNA d-loop region reveals the maternal origin and historical dynamics among the indigenous goat populations in east and west of the Democratic Republic of Congo

This study aimed at assessing haplotype diversity and population dynamics of three Congolese indigenous goat populations that included Kasai goat (KG), small goat (SG), and dwarf goat (DG) of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 1169 bp d-loop region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was sequenced for 339 Congolese indigenous goats. The total length of sequences was used to generate the haplotypes and evaluate their diversities, whereas the hypervariable region (HVI, 453 bp) was analyzed to define the maternal variation and the demographic dynamic. A total of 568 segregating sites that generated 192 haplotypes were observed from the entire d-loop region (1169 bp d-loop). Phylogenetic analyses using reference haplotypes from the six globally defined goat mtDNA haplogroups showed that all the three Congolese indigenous goat populations studied clustered into the dominant haplogroup A, as revealed by the neighbor-joining (NJ) tree and median-joining (MJ) network. Nine haplotypes were shared between the studied goats and goat populations from Pakistan (1 haplotype), Kenya, Ethiopia and Algeria (1 haplotype), Zimbabwe (1 haplotype), Cameroon (3 haplotypes), and Mozambique (3 haplotypes). The population pairwise analysis (F-ST) indicated a weak differentiation between the Congolese indigenous goat populations. Negative and significant (p-value <.05) values for Fu's Fs (-20.418) and Tajima's (-2.189) tests showed the expansion in the history of the three Congolese indigenous goat populations. These results suggest a weak differentiation and a single maternal origin for the studied goats. This information will contribute to the improvement of the management strategies and long-term conservation of indigenous goats in DRC

Population Behavior and Practices during the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Low Resource-Conditions of South Kivu, East of Democratic Republic of Congo

Background: In DR Congo, South Kivu is among cities most affected by Covid 19 with its dense population and common mass movement. This study aimed at investigating the population beh