Abstract
The identification issue of livestock can be resolved by using molecular identification tools that are acceptable to preserve and maintain pure breeds worldwide. The application of a molecular identification methodology is more important for developing nations, e.g., Pakistan, where uncontrolled crossbreeding has become a common practice and the import of exotic animals and germplasm is ever increasing. This presents a risk to local breeds as also stated by the FAO. Therefore, the current study was designed to develop standard molecular markers for Cholistani cattle to ascertain their purity for breeding purpose. In this study 50 and 48 unrelated males were sampled for Cholistani and each crossbred cattle, respectively. Candidate molecular markers present in Cholistani but absent in crossbred cattle and vice versa were detected using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method. Eleven markers were developed and were converted to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for genotyping. The allele frequencies in both breeds were determined for discrimination ability using polymerase-chain-reaction–restriction-fragment-polymorphism (PCR-AFLP). The probability of identifying the Cholistani breed was 0.905 and the probability of misjudgment was 0.073 using a panel of markers. The identified markers can ascertain the breed purity and are likely to extend the facility for breed purity testing before entering into a genetic improvement program in the country.
Highlights
Pakistan possesses cattle breeds that are categorized as zebu cattle (Bos indicus)
The local breeds can be classified as dairy, draft and dual-purpose breeds depending upon their utility either in dairying or in agricultural work
Blood samples were collected in sterile tubes containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulant and samples were shipped to the Laboratories of Animal Breeding and Genetics, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, for further analyses
Summary
Pakistan possesses cattle breeds that are categorized as zebu cattle (Bos indicus). The desirable characteristics of local breeds are disease resistance, heat tolerance, ability to survive and reproduce under stress and lowinput system. There are 44.4 million cattle in the country with a positive population growth rate (GoP, 2017). The share of Cholistani cattle is 1.81 % of the total population (0.804 million heads) restricted to the province of Punjab, a desert area. Almost half of the cattle population does not belong to any specific breed group and is categorized as nondescript. Cholistani is considered a dairy cattle breed, like the Sahiwal and Red Sindhi breeds. All of the local breeds are phenotypically characterized, and Sahiwal has maximum literature citation among dairy breeds (Afzal and Naqvi, 2004)
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