Biological diversity is the vital organic resource on which the present and future sustenance of humankind depends. The farm animal genetic resource (AnGR) sector of this diversity provides the variety and variability of species, breeds and populations including unique genotypes which underpin an essential component of food and agriculture production. Judicious use and enhancement of these living resources must be ensured, also with their conservation, so that we may meet the increasing demands for food.

La expansión actual de los criterios conservacionistas han promovido la utilización de las modernas metodologías que brinda la genética molecular para la caracterización de las razas, aunque la caracterización genética clásica basada en marcadores bioquímicos e inmunogenéticos se ha aplicado durante muchos años sobre todo en rumiantes y equinos en pruebas de identidad y control de filiación. El estudio del polimorfismo de los microsatélites del ADN han ofrecido muy buenos resultados, aunque también se ha trabajado con éxito en la investigación del ADN mitocondrial y de fragmentos de ADN amplificados aleatoriamente. En España estos métodos han sido utilizados en las especies bovina, ovina, caprina, porcina, equina y canina.

De cualquier forma, es importante considerar que la obtención de perfiles genéticos poblacionales para los caracteres morfológicos y productivos, es obligada en una aplicación práctica de los resultados obtenidos con los marcadores genéticos. En el presente trabajo se describen las principales iniciativas desarrolladas en los aspectos mencionados, ubicando los equipos españoles especializados.

The Polypay sheep breed was developed at the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station with a reproductive capacity markedly superior to that of domestic US western range breeds. The Polypay is a four breed composite of Targhee, Rambouillet, Dorset and Finnish Landrace breeds. It is a medium-sized wool sheep (average mature ewe weight of 72 kg) with a smooth body free of excessive skin wrinkles on the neck and body and a poll head. Comparative studies with other US domestic breeds have shown the Polypay to have earlier sexual maturity higher fertility and prolificacy rates. Mature ewes give birth to an average of 2.4 lambs and wean an average total litter weight of 63.8 kg per ewe at 120 days post partum. Lamb survival rates to 21 and 120 days are greater than those of other breeds compared. Average individual lamb weaning weight at 120 days (36.1 kg) exceeded that for Rambouillet and Targhee lambs (34.5 and 33.8 kg, respectively). Polypay carcasses are similar to those of Rambouillet and Targhee for dressing percentage, body wall thickness, kidney and pelvic fat, and ribeye area. Measures of carcass fat are less in the Polypay when compared to the Rambouillet and Targhee while qualitative leg scores for the Polypay were more favorable. Productive longevity under western range herded conditions does not differ among Polypay, Rambouillet, Targhee and Columbia sheep. In a farm flock production system, the average number of productive years for Polypay ewes exceeded that of most crossbred types. Wool characteristics are defined as a coarse to medium grade wool with a fiber diameter ranging from 24 to 33 μm. Fiber staple length ranges from 7.6 to 12.7 cm with a common mean of approximately 10 cm. Raw fleece weights are considered light and range from 2.7 to 4.5 kg. Yield of clean wool is approximately 57 percent. Economic evaluations favored the Polypay in all production systems considered with 15 to 36 percent increase in sales or profits compared to other US domestic breeds. When considering the Polypay breed for importation, some prudence should be exercised because it may not be suitable to all environments and production systems in the world, especially where nutritional and management resources are not sufficient to support lactating ewes rearing twins.

The present study is a first step of a global project aiming at the estimation of the genetic distances and relationships among buffalo breeds and sub-populations and the investigation of the production potential and adaptability of different buffalo genotypes in various environments.

Genetic diversity of Italian and Greek buffalo populations was estimated on the basis of allele frequencies at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci: CSSM43, CSSM38, DRB3, D21S4, CYP21, CSSM47, CSSM60, CSSM36 and CSSM33. The number of detected alleles per locus varied from two (D21S4) to thirteen (CSSM47). Allele frequency distribution was similar in the two populations, which have the same alleles at the highest frequency at all loci, except loci CSSM47 and CSSM60. Average gene diversity over all loci was 0.60. Across-loci average gene diversity increased with the number of alleles. Observed average heterozygosity was 0.167 and 0.177 in the Italian and Greek populations, respectively. The degree of differentiation between Italian and Greek buffalo was moderate and estimated at 0.021 ± 0.009.

Jakhrana is an important dairy breed of the semi-arid tract of the Rajasthan State of India. The habitat of this breed is a small hamlet in the Aravali hill ranges. The breed is spread over a limited area and the population size is small. The breed is of medium size, with a predominantly black coloured coat with white spots on ears and muzzle. Body weight, body length, punch girth, heart girth and body height at 12 months of age were respectively 30.9±1.7 kg, 69.5±1.9 cm, and 69.1±1.4 cm, 61.9±0.6 cm and 77.2±1.6 cm in males and 22.6±0.7 kg, 62.1±0.8 cm and 63.3±0.6 cm, 60.1±0.6 cm and 69.1±0.7 cm for the females. Pre-weaning and post-weaning body weight gains were higher in males. Overall milk yield in 181 days was 116 kg. Kidding rate was 75 percent in field conditions with a twinning percentage of 79.1 percent. The field survey on this breed indicated that the goats were managed in a traditional system. The goats were kept by the farmers to meet their nutritional as well as economic needs. The marketing of live goats and goat products had limitations. There is no breed conservation/improvement programme at the moment, this is urgently needed to improve this goat breed.

Le potentiel de production du mouton Martinik et de la chèvre Créole de Guadeloupe a été évalué en station. Les conditons d'élevage semi-intensives étaient basées sur un rythme de 3 mises-bas en 2 ans, sur l'utilisation de pâturages irrigués et fertilisés, exploités à fort chargement animal (1.6 t/ha) et en rotation et sur l'application d'une prophylaxie rigoureuse et adaptée. Les brebis Martinik et les chèvres Créole sont caractérisées par une très bonne fertilité (85 vs 92%), une prolificité élevée (1.7 vs 2.1) et une mortalité pré-sevrage réduite (10 vs 16%) qui les classent parmi les meilleurs génotypes tropicaux. La chèvre Créole présente comparativement à la Brebis Martinik une supériorité quant à sa productivité numérique annuelle: 2.90 vs 2.17 jeunes/femelle à la naissance ou 2.44 vs 1.97 au sevrage. Le même paramètre rapporté à l'unité de surface varie de 174 à 87 jeunes/ha à la naissance, ou de 147 à 78 au sevrage, respectivement pour les chèvres et les brebis. A l'inverse, le système ovin génère une productivité pondérale largement supérieure à celui des caprins avec 27.9 vs. 19.5 kg de jeunes sevrés/femelle/an ou encore 1 400 vs 1 130 kg de jeunes produits post-sevrage/ha/an. D'autres paramètres sont présentés dans le papier et une discussion est menée sur l'intérêt respectif des deux espèces pour le développement de la production de viande en zone tropicale. En effet le système allaitant est prometteur avec une productivité, quelle que soit l'espèce animale, de 1.3 t de jeunes sevrés/ha/an.

Le rapport Danchin/Lauvergne de mai 2000 qui traitait de la situation actuelle de la chèvre du Rove est analysé par un acteur passionné de sauvegarde de la race. La Rove est une chèvre qui, en Provence, accompagnait jadis les troupeaux ovins transhumant à pied. Pour sa sauvegarde deux axes de travail sont actuellement privilégiés: 1) l'accès aux primes pour les bergers des troupeaux qui nettoient avec leurs dents les pare-feux forestiers permettant l'accès des intervenants contre les feux de forêt et 2) la recherche de débouchés pour la viande de cabris lourds, unique produit commercialisable puisque les chèvres débroussailleuses ne produisent pas de lait. Des solutions sont en vue avec la mise en place de CTE (contrats territoriaux d'exploitation) pour le premier point et la montée en puissance d'une entreprise bouchère locale pour le second. Toutes ces actions vont dans le sens d'une gestion écologique et économique bien comprise des troupeaux Rove existant encore. Elle combine la conservation d'une ressource génétique domestique, une contribution à la protection de la forêt contre le feu, la production d'une viande saine car élaborée à partir d'une flore arbustive sauvage et la sauvegarde d'emplois dans des zones menacées par la désertification des campagnes.

Native chicken lines in South Africa are associated primarily with rural households. A programme was established only as recently as 1994 to conserve the different lines found in South Africa. As no scientific data was available on the production traits of these lines, a research trial was conducted to describe them phenotypically in terms of their growth, carcass traits and egg production. Four different native lines, the Koekoek, Naked Neck, Lebowa-Venda and Ovambo chicken were included in the study. Significant differences were observed among the lines, which means that the lines could be described as different native lines in terms of their phenotypic traits. The Ovambo chicken had the best growth performance, while the Koekoek showed the highest performance for egg production. Although production is poor in comparison with commercial lines, the contribution of these birds to household food security and application in low-input systems should be recognized and further investigated.

The Maltese Black-Bronze Turkey is a previously undescribed, rustic breed of turkey raised exclusively in backyard conditions. The broad-breasting trait (prevalence, P=100 percent), “bronzing” on the rump and tail (P=100 percent) and “wild type” wing markings (P=78 percent) were present. The average weight (AW) and standard error (SE) and weight range (WR) of turkeys (N=50) at 12 weeks, 20 weeks and 24 weeks of age was of 3.34 ± 0.04 kg and WR = 2.80–3.80 kg, 8.14 ± 0.09 kg and WR = 7.10–9.10 kg, 10.37 ± 0.10 kg and WR = 9.40–11.70 kg, respectively.

The AW ± SE and WR of a skinned, excised breast muscle (P. major and P. profundus combined) and of a skinned leg of turkey at 24 weeks was of 1.37±0.08 kg and WR=1.05±1.65 kg and 0.98±0.08 kg and WR=0.9-1.10 kg, respectively. There were no mortalities during the study (P=0 percent) and no birds were condemned at slaughter (P=0 percent) at 24 weeks. Although growth rates were not as fast as commercial strains raised in industrial conditions, carcass quality and conformation were good. Persons (N=2) visually assessing meat colour found only 2 percent breast muscle to be darker than that of industrially-raised turkey. However, poor intra-rater agreement and inter-rater agreement for darkness of breast muscle indicated that it was indistinguishable from the breast muscle of industrially raised birds. When only feed costs were included, the price per kg live weight was of US$ 0.99, US$ 0.74 and US$ 0.98 for 12, 20 and 24 weeks of age, respectively. Raising this breed of turkey for 20 weeks appears to be the most profitable age for marketing under small-scale semi-intensive conditions, but it is slower growing than industrial birds as the latter reach 8–16 kg at 14–20 weeks. A questionnaire based on 322 respondents identified that there was a high, but unsatisfied demand for slower growing turkeys raised in “more natural” backyard conditions (P=89 percent). The Maltese Black-Bronze Turkey had the necessary characteristics to fill this niche market.