Abstract
The genetic characteristics of cattle breeds of Benin are little known. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of major cattle breeds of Benin. For this purpose, blood samples from 179 cattle including 31 Girolando, 30 White Fulani cattle, 31 Borgou, 31 Lagunaire, 43 Somba and 13 crossbreed Azawak x Lagunaire were characterized using 12 microsatellites markers. All used microsatellites were polymorphic within each breed of cattle. The TGLA53 marker presented the highest number of alleles (15) in the Borgou cattle while the lowest number of alleles (2) was found at the INRA 63 locus for crossbreed Azawak x Lagunaire. The observed heterozygosity rates ranged from 0.79 to 0.57 in Girolando and Somba populations respectively. The highest expected heterozygosity rates were observed in the Girolando cattle population (0.79) while the the lowest (0.63) was encountered in Lagunaire and Somba populations. The lowest value of the differentiation indice between population pairs (0.084) was observed between Borgou and White Fulani cattle. Genetic structure analysis clustered Somba and Lagunaire cattle breeds while White Fulani and Borgou cattle breeds were very close. The crossbreed populations (Borgou and Azawak x Lagunaire) were between taurine and zebu. However, taurine were introgressed (20% on average) by the zebu blood. This study is a basic information in undertaking a conservation program and/or for support in the elaboration of a genetic improvement program for local cattle breeds of Benin.
Highlights
Benin is full of a diversity of animal genetic resources composed of cattle (2,111,000 head), sheep (842,000 head), goats (1,678,000 head), pigs (398,000 head), poultry (16,941,000 head), leporids (25,000 head) and grasscutters (52,000 head) [1]
The purpose of this study was to: (1) evaluate the polymorphisms of microsatellite markers in populations of White Fulani, Borgou, Somba and Lagunaire cattle breeds, as well as Girolando cattle and products derived from crosses between Azawak x Lagunaire cattle; (2) determine the richness and allelic frequencies of these markers within these bovine populations; (3) determine the indices of differentiation and the genetic structure of these cattle breeds
The blood samples for the genetic characterization of cattle breeds in Benin were collected at the farm of Samiondji for the Lagunaire and crossbred Azawak x Lagunaire cattle, at the farm of Okpara, for Borgou and Girolando cattle, in the peri-urban farms of Parakou for the White Fulani cattle and in the department of Atacora, township of Boukombe for the Somba cattle
Summary
Benin is full of a diversity of animal genetic resources composed of cattle (2,111,000 head), sheep (842,000 head), goats (1,678,000 head), pigs (398,000 head), poultry (16,941,000 head), leporids (25,000 head) and grasscutters (52,000 head) [1] From all these species, cattle provide the most important part of meat products for human consumption. Cattle provide the most important part of meat products for human consumption These cattle are of Lagunaire, Somba, Borgou, White Fulani and Gudali breeds [2]. White Fulani cattle is rectilinear, elongated, hypermetric and has a hump and developed horns This cattle breed usually has a white coat, gray to light gray color with black mucous membranes [8]. White Fulani adult cattle weighs 347 kg [4] and produces a mean of 1.45 liter of milk per day in
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