Indigenous Duck Research Articles

Whole-genome selection signature differences between Chaohu and Ji'an red ducks.

Assessing the genetic structure of local varieties and understanding their genetic data are crucial for effective management and preservation. However, the genetic differences among local breeds require further explanation. To enhance our understanding of their population structure and genetic diversity, we conducted a genome-wide comparative study of Chaohu and Ji'an Red ducks using genome sequence and restriction site-associated DNA sequencing technology. Our analysis revealed a distinct genetic distinction between the two breeds, leading to divided groups. The phylogenetic tree for Chaohu duck displayed two branches, potentially indicating minimal impact from artificial selection. Additionally, our ROH (runs of homozygosity) analysis revealed that Chaohu ducks had a lower average inbreeding coefficient than Ji'an Red ducks. We identified several genomic regions with high genetic similarity in these indigenous duck breeds. By conducting a selective sweep analysis, we identified 574 candidate genes associated with muscle growth (BMP2, ITGA8, MYLK, and PTCH1), fat deposits (ELOVL1 and HACD2), and pigmentation (ASIP and LOC101797494). These results offer valuable insights for the further enhancement and conservation of Chinese indigenous duck breeds.

Status of duck breeding in India

Duck is the second most important species of poultry after chicken in India. Due to its many advantages, it is popular in the coastal states and states having large water bodies. Different indigenous and exotic breeds that are being evaluated and reported through research findings are summarized in this review. The history of import of exotic breeds to the country with breeding programme initiated for these breeds in India are discussed with reference to the status of breeds in respect to meat and egg production improved through selection in other countries. The status of purebred selection and breeding programme in indigenous duck being undertaken in our country are very few and being documented with reference to world scenario. Crossbreeding experiment using indigenous and exotic breeds in the countries are reported in respect to growth, conformation traits, production, reproduction, carcass quality, egg quality, egg weight and feed conversion ratio. Performance of the crossbred improved in respect to different traits measured compared to the indigenous breed showing heterosis in positive direction. General combining ability, specific combining ability and reciprocal effects are found to be significant for most of the traits studied in a 3×3 diallel cross using indigenous duck of Odisha, Khaki Campbell and White Pekin. The importance of availability of quality germplasm and performance improvement through duck breeding in India is to be taken on priority. Besides this, the conservation and documentation of all the indigenous breeds and variety is need of the hour. Commercial exploitation of indigenous duck breeds as they are well adapted to our harsh climatic conditions needs to be explored.

Comparison of meat yield and physicochemical characteristics of indigenous chicken and duck

Three indigenous male chicken and 3 indigenous male duck were slaughtered to compare the meat yield and quality characteristics. After slaughter meat yield characteristics of breast, thigh, drumstick, wing, liver, heart, head, gizzard, neck etc. were compared against their live weight. After comparing the yield characteristics the breast, thigh and drumstick of all birds were stored at 4˚C to evaluated different quality characteristics at 24-hour postmortem. The following parameters were compared; proximate composition, pH, cooking loss, drip loss, water holding capacity and instrumental color (CIE L* a* b*). Findings revealed that dressing, thigh, drumstick, breast, gizzard, heart and shank weight percentage were significantly higher in indigenous chicken (p<0.05), while blood weight, feather weight and head weight were significantly higher in indigenous duck (p<0.05). Significantly higher crude protein was observed in indigenous chicken breast and thigh meat (p <0.05), while ash and ether extract were significantly higher in indigenous duck breast and thigh meat. Significantly higher pH was observed in chicken breast and thigh meat compare to duck breast and thigh (p<0.05). Cooking loss was higher in duck breast but lower in thigh meat compare to chicken breast and thigh meat. Significantly higher (p <0.05) water holding capacity was found in duck breast compare to chicken breast meat (p <0.05). At 2 hour of post mortem, lightness (L*) of breast and thigh meat did not show significant differences (p , but highly significant difference was found in drumstick meat of chicken and duck (p Redness (a*) was significantly higher in duck breast and drumstick meat and yellowness was higher in duck breast at 2 hour of post mortem compare to chicken. At 24 hour of post mortem no significant differences were found between chicken and duck breast, thigh and drumstick meat. The present study reveals that the dressing, breast, thigh and drumstick weight percentage, crude protein and pH were significantly higher in the indigenous chicken compare to duck, while ether extract, ash and redness (a*) values were significantly higher in duck compare to chicken.

Transcriptome Profiling Identifies Differentially Expressed Genes in Skeletal Muscle Development in Native Chinese Ducks.

China boasts a rich diversity of indigenous duck species, some of which exhibit desirable economic traits. Here, we generated transcriptome sequencing datasets of breast muscle tissue samples from 1D of four groups: Pekin duck pure breeding group (P), Jinling White duck breeding group (J), P ♂ × J ♀ orthogonal group (PJ) and J ♂ × P ♀ reciprocal-cross group (JP) (n = 3), chosen based on the distinctive characteristics of duck muscle development during the embryonic period. We identified 5053 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the four groups. Network prediction analysis showed that ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation-related genes were the most enriched, and muscular protein-related genes were found in the 14-day-old embryonic group. We found that previously characterized functional genes, such as FN1, AGRN, ADNAMST3, APOB and FGF9, were potentially involved in muscle development in 14-day-old embryos. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that genes that participated in molecular function and cell component and key signaling pathways (e.g., hippo, ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation) were significantly enriched in the development of skeletal muscle at 14 days of embryonic age. These results indicate a possible role of muscle metabolism and myoglobin synthesis in skeletal muscle development in both duck parents and hybrids.

Characterization of Microsatellite Markers in Crossbred Ducks

Background: Chicken represents a valuable genetic resource and protein source, it remains a potential threat to human health as they serve as a reservoir for diseases and food borne pathogens. Diversification of the poultry production is one of the viable options to enhance the food production with less susceptibility to the threats from the emerging diseases and changing climatic conditions. Ducks are promising species suitable for the diversification and will be complimentary with an adaption potential from small to commercial farming. Majority of ducks in the country are desi type with a meagre proportion of improved duck strains. genetic characterization by developing duck specific microsatellite markers and designing suitable improvement program are required to be undertaken at the earliest. The microsatellite markers are extensively used for assessing genetic structure, diversity, and relationships. Information about genetic diversity of indigenous duck breeds is important to design effective improvement and conservation strategies. Therefore, the current studies aim at genetic characterization and evaluation of growth, production and reproduction traits of the crosses of local duck population besides undertaking a suitable duck improvement program. Methods: Spectrophotometric evaluation of DNA extraction, Electrophoretic evaluation of DNA extraction , microsatellite primers- Presently, a panel of 10 informative duck microsatellite markers were identified from database as reported by Alyethodi and Kumar (2010) and Huang et al., (2006) and used for the studies, Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) , Documentation of PCR products by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis, Metaphor agarose gel electrophoresis(MAGE)of microsatellites alleles, Determination of molecular size of microsatellite alleles and genotypes, Statistical analysis of population genetics data, Data on genotype of all experimental birds at ten microsatellites were compiled and analyzed using POPGENE® 3.1 software (Yeh et al., 1999) for their population genetics parameters. Results: The study was conducted at College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam, India. In this study, the genomic DNA was isolated and characterized microsatellite loci in crossbred duck (Pati x White Pekin). Ten microsatellites were used to detect polymorphisms in 50 cross bred ducks. A total of 28 nos of alleles were observed and all loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 5 with an average of 2.6 ±0.08 per microsatellite locus. The observed and expected heterozygosity of these polymorphic makers ranged from 0.00 to 0.42 with an average number of 0.047 and 0.41 to 0.82 with an average number of 0.57, respectively. The Polymorphic markers consist of observed heterozygosities of loci were less than 0.50. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of 10 loci ranged from 0.32 to 0.78 with an average of 0.477. Microsatellite markers will be useful tool for constructing the genetic linkage map of the duck as well as comparative mapping with the chicken.

Genetic characterisation of indigenous duck of Tripura state in India using microsatellite markers.

Exploring genetic variability by microsatellite markers is essential for genetic improvement, preservation of indigenous germplasm and production of high-quality offspring. Lack of information on microsatellite profiling of Indian indigenous ducks (Tripura state) has stoked curiosity in this work. Genomic DNA samples from randomly selected 36 native ducks were analysed at 25 duck-specific microsatellite loci. Alleles were separated through 3.4% MetaPhore™ agarose gel electrophoresis. Allele sizes were determined using Image Lab 6 software of GelDoc™ EZ System. Allelic data were analysed by POPGENE version 1.31. Total 112 alleles were resolved and all the loci were found polymorphic with 2 to 15 alleles across the loci. Average number of allele (Na) was 4.480 ± 0.659. Allele sizes and frequencies ranged from 96 to 357bp and 0.014 to 0.819, respectively. Average heterozygosity of Nei, effective number (Ne) of alleles and Shannon's information index (I) were 0.617 ± 0.036, 3.538 ± 0.527 and 1.184 ± 0.112, respectively. The estimates of Ne were less than the Na at all the loci, indicating prevalence of heterozygosity. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.252 (CAUD020) to 0.911 (CAUD019) with an average of 0.562 ± 0.040. Sixteen loci were moderate to highly polymorphic and informative (PIC ˃ 0.5). Chi-square and G-square statistics revealed Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium at all the loci. Moderate to high level of polymorphism of the studied microsatellites indicated that these markers might be helpful for genetic characterisation and adoption of appropriate conservation strategies to exploit optimum genetic potentiality of indigenous ducks of Tripura.

Optimization of hatchability and survivability traits of indigenous duck managed under backyard farming system

ABSTRACT An extensive field study was made in subtropical hot humid climate of north-east India to identify the most influencing climatic and human-made environmental factors and their effects on hatchability of eggs and survivability of indigenous ducklings hatched through indigenous broody hen (chicken) managed under a backyard farming system. Hatchability and survivability ratio was estimated from 858 batches duck eggs recorded from 220 marginal/landless duck farmers over a period of 24 months. Statistical analysis by fitting fixed effect general linear models revealed that the ambient temperature and relative humidity were the most critical climatic factors that affect the hatchability ratio of duck eggs and survivability ratio of ducklings. Besides, the human-made factor was also found to be associated with variations of the hatchability and survivability performances of duck under broody hen incubation. Thus identification of these factors and their effects on the studied traits would be helpful to provide appropriate season-based management strategies for economic and sustainable duck production in rural backyard farming systems. The present finding could be a valuable insight for duck farmers not only in north-east India but also in other developing countries with a subtropical hot humid climate with prevailing backyard duck production systems.

Chinese Domestic Ducks Evolved from Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and Spot-Billed Duck (A. zonorhyncha)

China has a rich genetic resource in its 34 domestic duck breeds. In order to detect the genetic diversity and explore the origin of these indigenous duck populations, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region was sequenced and analyzed for 208 individual ducks, including 22 domestic breeds, wild Mallards ducks, Eastern spot-billed ducks, White Muscovy ducks, and Black Muscovy ducks. The haplotype diversity (Hd) was 0.653 and the average nucleotide diversity (Pi) was 0.005, indicating moderate genetic diversity. Sixty haplotypes were detected, and the maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree and median-joining (MJ) network were generated from the sequence analyses. In this study, haplotypes from the Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) were detected in most of the Chinese domestic duck breeds. In addition, the Eastern spot-billed duck (A. zonorhyncha) H8 haplotype was detected in two duck breeds. Only two haplotypes were found in Muscovy ducks, suggesting low genetic diversity within this population. The sequence and haplotype analyses revealed that both A. platyrhynchos and A. zonorhyncha contributed to the evolution of domestic ducks in China.

Seroprevalence of avian influenza in free-range domestic ducks in some selected households in Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria

Since the report of the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Nigeria, surveillance of the disease has mostly been in chickens, with minimal focus on ducks. This work aimed to conduct a longitudinal study to determine the prevalence and temporal patterns of antibodies against Avian Influenza viruses (AIV) in healthy, unvaccinated scavenging ducks in some Local Governments Areas (LGAs) in Oyo State. We used a competitive ELISA to identify AI virus antibodies in a total of 200 duck sera collected from different households in Akinyele, Iseyin and Ibarapa Central Local government areas (LGAs) during dry and wet seasons as part of ongoing research on AI in the southwest, Nigeria. The overall seroprevalence obtained by ELISA was 42.5% (85/200). A significantly higher seroprevalence of 60% (60/100) of AI was found in the dry season than in the wet season with 25% (25/100). This study provides evidence of ongoing circulation of Avian influenza in the indigenous duck population in some selected local government areas in Oyo State, which may be a risk factor for future outbreaks of AI in chickens and possibly humans. Proper biosecurity and continuous surveillance are hereby advocated for effective prevention and control. Additionally, keeping ducks and chickens together should be discouraged both on farms and in households, particularly during the dry season.

Status of Indigenous duck and duck production system of India - a review.

Duck genotypes in India are generally grown in extensive conditions by small breeders. The purpose of breeding is to obtain meat and eggs to contribute a small amount to the family budget. These duck genotypes are known for their adaptability to the environment and their resistance to diseases. As per livestock census 2019, the duck population of India is 33.51 million constituting 4.0% of the total poultry population. Ducks are most abundant in Eastern (64.5%), North Eastern (16.02%), and Southern (12.60%) states of India. In most of the places, poultry farmers prefer rearing indigenous ducks under scavenging system. The flock sizes of ducks ranged from 2 to 9 ducks among different households in the surveyed locations. Plumage color and beak color are not defined in indigenous ducks. There is inter-individual variation in morphological and yield traits. The average first laying age in indigenous ducks ranges from 145 to 223days and 17.0-38.5% owners do not supply any additional feed to their ducks. The mortality rate among chicks was observed to be higher at younger ages. The average annual egg productions per indigenous duck are very poor. However, most of the duck farmers earned a good amount of subsidiary income from duck rearing. Hence, selective breeding as a genetic tool could be utilized to improve the productivity of indigenous ducks.

Histomorphological and carbohydrate histochemical study of the pancreas in native ducks (Anas Platyrhynchos)

In the current study, the histomorphological and histochemical characteristics of the pancreas in native ducks are examined with a particular emphasis on the structure of pancreatic acini and Langerhans islets (LI). Five adult male native ducks (Anas Platyrhynchos) are examined from the local market of Mosul. All samples are processed routinely for histological and histochemical analyses. Hematoxylin & Eosin, PAS-AB (pH 2.5), Toluidine blue, and Masson's Trichrome stains are used. The morphological examination reveals that male ducks’ pancreas is made up of three major lobes (dorsal, ventral, and third lobes). The pancreas is a small, semi-wide structure with a pale to white pinkish tone located between the duodenum branches. The findings show that the pancreas is enveloped in a thin layer of loose connective tissue capsule and mesothelial; septa extend from the capsule into parenchyma dividing it into many lobules. The study concludes that the pancreatic lobules are composed of a large area of exocrine acini and a small amount of LI, with an exocrine component consisting of round or oval acini with zymogen granules. The endocrine component is represented by three distinct LI types and lacks defined boundaries. Alpha islets are formed of alpha cells (ACs) and a few delta cells (DCs); beta islets are composed of peripherally located beta cells (BCs) and a few (DCs); and mixed islets are composed of alpha, beta, and delta cells. The present study sheds light on the morphological, histological, and histochemical characteristics of the indigenous duck pancreas. However, future research should focus on the pancreas of other bird species as well.

Genome-Wide Population Structure Analysis and Genetic Diversity Detection of Four Chinese Indigenous Duck Breeds from Fujian Province.

Simple SummaryThe aim of this study was to conduct a genome-wide comparative analysis of four indigenous Chinese duck breeds (Jinding, Liancheng white, Putian black, and Shanma ducks) from Fujian Province, to understand their genetic diversity and population structure. Population parameters showed that the four indigenous breeds were separated groups. Five genomic regions are presented as hotspots of autozygosity among these indigenous duck breeds, with candidate genes involved in muscle growth, pigmentation, and neuroregulation. Genomic information may play a vital role in the improvement of conservation strategies.The assessment of population genetic structure is the basis for understanding the genetic information of indigenous breeds and is important for the protection and management of indigenous breeds. However, the population genetic differentiation of many local breeds still remains unclear. Here, we performed a genome-wide comparative analysis of Jinding, Liancheng white, Putian black, and Shanma ducks based on the genomic sequences using RAD sequencing to understand their population structure and genetic diversity. The population parameters showed that there were obvious genetic differences among the four indigenous breeds, which were separated groups. Among them, Liancheng white and Shanma ducks may come from the same ancestor because the phylogenetic tree forms three tree trunks. In addition, during the runs of homozygosity (ROH), we found that the average inbreeding coefficient of Liancheng white and Putian black ducks was the lowest and the highest, respectively. Five genomic regions were considered to be the hotspots of autozygosity among these indigenous duck breeds, and the candidate genes involved a variety of potential variations, such as muscle growth, pigmentation, and neuroregulation. These findings provide insights into the further improvement and conservation of Fujian duck breeds.

Histochemical Studies on Post Natal Development of Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT) of Intestine of Pati Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) of Assam

Background: The Pati duck constitutes a major indigenous duck variety in the state of Assam. The study of the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) of Pati duck of Assam is of great value in regard to normal academic and bio-medical research aspects. It is also pre-requisite for correct diagnosis and evaluating the treatment of certain diseases like duck virus enteritis, duck cholera, aflatoxicosis, botulism etc, caused by different types of pathogens, food poisoning and food allergy. Methods: The study was conducted on Pati duck of Assam in where 45 numbers of ducks were selected by irrespective of sex at different stages of development. The birds were divided into five groups depending on its age viz., 1st week, 4th week, 16th week, 24th week and 42nd weeks old. The pieces of gut having lymphoid tissue or Peyer’s patches were collected immediately after slaughter. Samples were made cryosections (-20oC) at 10µm in thickness and were temporally stored at (-22oC). The histochemical staining was done after that. Result: The acid phosphatase activity was weak in the lymphoid follicles of 1st and 4th week of age of Pati duck, while its activity was moderate in 16th, 24th and 42th week of age.The alkaline phosphatase activity was moderate reaction in the lymphoid follicles of 1st and 4th week of age of Pati duck, while its activity was intense in 16th, 24th and 42th week of age of duck. The lymphoid follicles of both Peyer’s patches and solitary lymphoid nodules were showed moderate activity for adenosine tri-phosphatase activity in 1st and 4th week old Pati duck and strong activity in 16th, 24th and 42th week of age of Pati duck, respectively. The lymphoid nodules of intestine showed strong reaction for non-specific esterase activity in all the age groups of Pati duck.

Genetic Characterization of Indigenous Duck of North-East Region using Microsatellite Markers

Background: Duck farming plays a significant role, next to chicken in the socio-economic uplift men of the rural farmers of North-East India. Pati duck is the most common duck breed in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and the other common variety reared in North-East India is Chara-Chambeli, however it originatein Kerala. Genetic characterization plays a significant role for formulation of breeding strategies for improvement of any breed. Microsatellites are codominant in nature and are highly polymorphic. High level of allelic variation, co-dominant mode of inheritance and potential for automated analysis make them an excellent tool for genotyping, mapping and genetic characterization. Pati duck is the most common duck breed in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam and the other common variety reared in North-East India is Chara-Chambeli however its origin in Kerela. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to characterize these two duck breeds using microsatellite markers to evaluate the genetic diversity in these two duck population. Methods: For the present study, Blood sample were collected from 50 Patiducks and 50 Chara-Chambeli ducks from different parts of North-East India. Assessment of genetic characterization of duck breeds of north-east region were carried out using 16 microsatellite markers and population genetics analysis were done by POPGENE software. Result: In the present study, all the studied loci were highly polymorphic. Analysis generated a total of 41 microsatellite alleles. The number of observed alleles (Na) with an overall mean of 1.93±0.258. However, the effective number of alleles (Ne) with a mean of 1.6933±0.2712. The Shannon’s information index was found to a mean value of 0.5685±0.1693. The overall means for observed (HO) and expected (He) heterozygosities were 0.2889±0.2477 and 0.5289±0.0853, respectively. The chi-square (χ2) test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium revealed that all the loci are in within Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Genetic Diversity of Six Duck Populations in India

Background: The variety of indigenous duck germplasm contribute maximum to the poultry industry in India, besides chicken population. In southern part of India, the available duck genetic resource, particularly Arni ducks (comprises of Sanyasi and Keeri ducks) of Tamil Nadu, has its own characteristics with innate potentiality of higher productivity without any input system of management. Genetic characterization and diversity of indigenous duck genetic resources has not been properly studied. In the present study, the genetic diversity of Arni ducks with other indigenous and exotic duck germplasm were analysed with microsatellite markers. Method: Genomic DNA was isolated from the blood samples of six duck populations. Molecular characterization was carried out with duck specific FAO recommended microsatellite markers. The genotyping of ducks was done based on the size of 4324 PCR amplicons of 23 microsatellite loci, which were subjected to capillary electrophoresis using automatic sequencer.Result: A total of 222 alleles in six duck populations across 23 microsatellite loci with a mean of 9.65 ± 0.95 alleles were found. Kuttanad duck variety had the highest number of alleles (139) followed by Sanyasi (136), Keeri (129), Muscovy (118), Assam (91) and White Pekin (78) ducks. The mean observed number of alleles was 6.04 ± 0.59, 5.91 ± 0.76, 5.61 ± 3.17, 5.13 ± 0.44, 3.96 ± 0.76 and 3.39 ± 0.40 in Kuttanad, Sanyasi, Keeri, Muscovy, Assam and White Pekin ducks respectively. The overall mean polymorphism information content (PIC) values among the six duck populations was 0.6269. In most of the duck populations, the mean PIC value was more than 0.5 except in Assam (0.4815) and White Pekin (0.3725) ducks. The observed heterozygosity was the highest in Keeri ducks (0.5217) and lowest in White Pekin ducks (0.2766), while, the mean expected heterozygosity was the highest in Sanyasi (0.5628) and lowest in White Pekin (0.4038) ducks. The variations in the observed and expected number of alleles, differences in PIC of various microsatellite loci might be attributed to the genetic variability of the duck populations, number and type of microsatellite primers utilised for analysis and the genetic diversity of the duck breeds under study. Higher FST value indicates the substantial degree of breed differentiation among the studied duck populations.

Whole-genome resequencing reveals genetic characteristics of different duck breeds from the Guangxi region in China

Distinctive indigenous duck (Anas platyrhynchos) populations of Guangxi, China, evolved due to the geographical, cultural, and environmental variability of this region. To investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of the indigenous ducks of Guangxi, 78 individuals from eight populations were collected and sequenced by whole-genome resequencing with an average depth of ∼9.40×. The eight indigenous duck populations included four breeds and four resource populations. Moreover, the genome data of 47 individuals from two typical meat-type breeds and two native egg-type breeds were obtained from a public database. Calculation of heterozygosity, nucleotide diversity (π), Tajima’s D, and FST indicated that the Guangxi populations were characterized by higher genetic diversity and lower differentiation than meat-type breeds. The highest diversity was observed in the Xilin-Ma ducks. Principal component, structure, and phylogenetic tree analyses revealed the relationship between the indigenous duck populations of Guangxi. A mild degree of differentiation was observed among the Guangxi populations, although three populations were closer to the meat or egg breeds. Indigenous populations are famous for their special flavor, small body size, and slow growth rates. Selective sweep analysis revealed the candidate genes and pathways associated with these growth traits. Our findings provide a valuable source of information regarding genetic diversity, population conservation, and genome-associated breeding of ducks.

A single nucleotide polymorphism variant located in the cis-regulatory region of the ABCG2 gene is associated with mallard egg colour.

Avian egg coloration is shaped by natural selection, but its genetic basis remains unclear. Here, we used genome-wide association analysis and identity by descent to finely map green egg colour to a 179-kb region of Chr4 based on the resequencing of 352 ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) from a segregating population resulting from the mating of Pekin ducks (white-shelled eggs) and mallards (green-shelled eggs). We further narrowed the candidate region to a 30-kb interval by comparing genome divergence in seven indigenous duck populations. Among the genes located in the finely mapped region, only one transcript of the ABCG2 gene (XM_013093252.2) exhibited higher uterine expression in green-shelled individuals than in white-shelled individuals, as supported by transcriptome data from four populations. ABCG2 has been reported to encode a protein that functions as a membrane transporter for biliverdin. Sanger sequencing of the whole 30-kb candidate region (Chr4: 47.41-47.44Mb) and a plasmid reporter assay helped to identify a single nucleotide polymorphism (Chr4: 47,418,074 G>A) located in a conserved predicted promoter region whose variation may alter ABCG2 transcription activity. We provide a useful molecular marker for duck breeding and contribute data to the research on ecological evolution based on egg colour patterns among birds.

Evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure in four indigenous duck breeds in Vietnam

This study characterized genetic diversity and population structure of four indigenous Vietnamese duck breeds and an exotic breed for setting the conservation priority. A total of 200 samples from four duck breeds (Sincheng, Minhhuong, Muongchieng and Bauben) and an exotic breed (Supermeat) were genotyped for fifteen microsatellite markers. The average number of alleles per locus was 14.07. A moderate genetic diversity was observed for indigenous breeds as mean of observed and expected heterozygosity as Ho = 0.50 and He = 0.57, respectively. The Bauben had the lowest values of Ho (0.41) and He (0.48) while Sincheng had the highest values of Ho (0.6) and He (0.69), respectively. The inbreeding coefficients (F IS) ranged from 0.12 to 0.16, and all breeds were significantly under heterozygote deficit. Nei’s genetic distance was the shortest between Minhhuong and Muongkhieng. The discriminant analysis of principal components of studied breeds resulted in four genetic clusters. The Minhhuong and Muongkhieng breeds joined the same genetic cluster while other breeds had their own clusters. These results indicated that the possibility to combine Minhhuong and Muongkhieng for reducing the cost of conservation and suggested that conservation of the Bauben should be prioritized to avoid inbreeding depression and genetic drift.

Metaphor Gel Electrophoresis: A Tool For High Resolution Genotyping with Microsatellite Marker In Pati;The Local Indigenous Duck Of Assam

Metaphor Gel Electrophoresis: A Tool For High Resolution Genotyping with Microsatellite Marker In Pati;The Local Indigenous Duck Of Assam

Haemato-biochemical profile of Andaman local ducks

A study was designed to generate baseline information on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of Andaman local ducks. The blood samples were collected from both male and female of clinically healthy adult Andaman local ducks (ALD) from North and Middle Andaman. Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, total erythrocyte count (TEC), total leucocyte count (TLC), and packed cell volume (PCV) were estimated and their mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were calculated. The serum biochemical parameters viz.,total protein and albumin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), creatinine, aspertate transaminase (AST), creatinine, cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were estimated. The results revealed that all the haematological values and serum biochemistry of ALD were within the reference values of chicken. Hence, it is concluded that that ALD were in normal physiological and good condition. Based on these results, the haematological and biochemical values could be used for monitoring the physiological status of these indigenous duck population.