Abstract
The Afrikaner is one of three indigenous cattle breeds found in South Africa. Afrikaner cattle were originally extensively used for crossbreeding purposes and breed development. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of selected stud and commercial herds from the whole South African Afrikaner population, as well as to determine the genetic structure among these herds. Assignment methods (based on STRUCTURE software) revealed a real structure consisting of four genetic populations (K = 4). Estimates of genetic diversity did not support the hypothesis of significant loss of genetic diversity in any individual Afrikaner herd. Heterozygosity estimates ranged from 0.456 - 0.737 within individual populations, with an overall heterozygosity estimate of 0.568 for the Afrikaner breed. The average number of alleles per locus was regarded as being 2.67 - 7.78, with an average of 5.18 alleles per locus. It could be concluded that a moderate to high degree of variation is still present within the Afrikaner cattle breed, despite the recent decline in numbers of this indigenous breed.Keywords: Bos taurus africanus, heterozygosity, inbreeding, microsatellite markers
Highlights
The Afrikaner cattle breed (Bos taurus africanus) is an indigenous South African breed of the “Sanga”type
Sanga cattle contain genetic material that has been inherited from both cattle species (Meyer, 1984)
Problems encountered by farmers, such as perceived high levels of inbreeding, lowered fertility and a decreased reproductive period in cows, subsequently caused a significant decline in the popularity and numbers of this breed (Coetzer & Van Marle, 1972)
Summary
The Afrikaner cattle breed (Bos taurus africanus) is an indigenous South African breed of the “Sanga”type. Sanga cattle are generally found in Southern Africa and are a mixture of the Bos indicus and Bos taurus breeds (Payne & Wilson, 1999). The Afrikaner breed is generally well-adapted to all local cattle-producing areas and can be found in various geographical areas in and around Southern Africa. Six other composite breeds were later developed from the Afrikaner. This could have been one of the reasons for the significant decline in the number of pure Afrikaner animals. Until the 1970’s, the Afrikaner was the most abundant indigenous cattle breed in South Africa. Problems encountered by farmers, such as perceived high levels of inbreeding, lowered fertility and a decreased reproductive period in cows, subsequently caused a significant decline in the popularity and numbers of this breed (Coetzer & Van Marle, 1972)
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