GENETIC DIVERSITY OF BROILER CHICKEN BRANDS RAISED IN ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONES OF NORTHERN NIGERIA USING MITOCHONDRIAL DNA

A Y Abdullahi,A G Khalee,R M Ashiru,S Madaki,M Nasir,H M Zango,K Ahmad-Syazni,H C Ha,N Ismail

doi:10.33003/fjs-2021-0502-650

Abstract

A sector of broiler production is growing very fast to meet the high demand of meat in Nigeria. However, high mortality rates among the broilers especially during the hot dry season in arid and semi-arid zones is worrisome. There is a need for molecular genetics study that could aid in management, conservation and sustainable exploitation of this species. To evaluate the genetic diversity of broilers raised in these regions, a total of forty-six broilers were randomly sampled from eight different brands (Agrited, Amo, Chi, Fol-hope, Obasanjo, Olam, Yammfy and Zatech) for mitochondrial DNA analysis. Four haplotypes were detected among all the samples used that belong to the four strains. The sequences of mitochondrial regions revealed high haplotype diversity (0.78600) and low nucleotide diversity (0.00286). Lower genetic diversity observed may increase the chances of rapid disease infection and distribution during any disease outbreak. Introduction of new strains of broilers with high genetic diversity is highly recommended. Future study should be conducted on the performance of these strains during the extremely hot temperature period in arid and semi-arid zones of Nigeria. This is to provide reliable information for the sake of local broiler farmer’s benefit who invests largely on this sector. The study will also help the geneticists from these brands to develop a strain that could survive and perform excellently under severe climatic conditions of the rural areas of arid and semi-arid zones of Nigeria

Highlights

Population in Nigeria hits 200 million people with an estimated annual growing rate of 3.5% (Khaleel et al, 2020)
The current study showed high level of haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity
This study represents the first comprehensive overview of the maternal lineages of broiler strain in Nigerian through the analysis of the mtDNA control regions of 46 samples belonging to the eight brands

Summary

Introduction

Population in Nigeria hits 200 million people with an estimated annual growing rate of 3.5% (Khaleel et al, 2020). The number of farmers who own broiler parent and grand-parent stocks has increased rapidly, resulting in the increase in the production of broiler chicken in Nigeria. These farms produce and sell a variety of broiler strains under various brand names. The common broiler strains circulating in the Nigeria markets include Abor Acre Plus, Anak, Cobb, Ross, Hubbard, Marshall, Neoiler/Kroiler, and Cockerel (Olawumi and Fagbuaro, 2011; Amao et al, 2015). Broiler parents are commonly imported from temperate areas around the world (Udeh et al, 2011). Different strains of birds have been developed with an intention to obtain maximum meat production (Kebede, 2017)

Methods

Results

Conclusion