Abstract
There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius; the Friesian cows, the Creole cows and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds. The main objective of the study was to differentiate the Creole breeds from the other two breeds thus valorizing and conserving the Creole cow which is in danger of extinction. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and random microsatellite analysis were the two PCR based techniques used. The populations studied consisted of 5 Friesians, 5 Creole breeds and 5 Cross breeds. The breeds were obtained from the Curepipe Livestock Research Station which is the only place where there is a record of Creole cows in Mauritius. Among the 5 Creoles breeds chosen, 2 of them could have been impure breeds due to their morphological characteristics. DNA extraction was carried out from blood taken from the cows selected, and yielded DNA of good quality and quantity. Polymorphic bands were obtained from the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers and random microsatellite primers and the data obtained were used for constructing a dendogram. From the dendogram obtained, the breeds were separated and the two Creole samples, which were suspected to be impure, formed different clusters from the true Creole breeds. From the results obtained, the Creole breed was easily distinguishable from the other breeds studied using molecular techniques.
Highlights
There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius which are the Friesian, the Creole and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds which are kept on a small scale as a side activity in some household [1]
Polymorphic bands were obtained from the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers and random microsatellite primers and the data obtained were used for constructing a dendogram
Out of microsatellites primers screened maximum polymorphism was obtained using microsatellite primers TTCX5 (Figure 4) and GTAGX4 (Figure 5). Both microsatellite markers and RAPD markers were found to be suitable for the assessment of genetic diversity among the different cattle breeds in Mauritius
Summary
There are three main cattle breeds in Mauritius which are the Friesian, the Creole and the Cross (Creole and Friesians) breeds which are kept on a small scale as a side activity in some household [1]. The first cattle breed to exist in Mauritius was probably the Zebus or Sangas which was introduced by the Portuguese in year 1511 and afterwards the Ongle, Mysore and Hissar cattle were imported from India by sugar estates. The breed Afrikanders were introduced as Zebu herds and in 1922, Friesian cattle were imported from South Africa to start dairy herd. The Creole cattle breed found in Mauritius has been declining drastically mainly due to the introduction of new breeds such as the Friesian cattle. The Creole cows have adapted themselves quite perfectly to the environment and low level of nutrition in Mauritius. They are known to be resistant to diseases and have interesting potential both in terms of production and reproduction. In 1944 a decision was made to cross the Friesian breed with the Creole one through artificial insemination leading to the production of the Cross breeds [1]
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