It is essential to manage genetic resources, especially in local livestock breeds, to establish an equilibrium among livestock, humans, and the environment for sustainable development in conservation. Genetic resource management is necessary to overcome challenges to increasing productivity while ensuring environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Attempts to overcome these challenges have led to the threat of genetic erosion through uncontrolled crossbreeding, particularly threatening the hybrid vigor of indigenous breeds, such as Indonesian Ongole cattle. Considering community-based breeding as a viable management strategy for systematic livestock breeding, this study aimed to design a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle. The profile of socio-ecological community and genetic resources were studied using a purposive random sampling technique within an effective population size as a case study; both the respondents and the objects of the study were investigated. The study revealed that indigenous knowledge and livelihood-supported institutions are crucial to genetic resource management practices in cattle breeding. These factors are shown to be strategic priorities when designing community-based breeding programs. This approach to design empowers local cooperatives to operate a community-based breeding program for Indonesian Ongole cattle by standardizing an integrated system for selecting incentive initiatives using big data.
The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of litter size and piglet weight from farrowing to weaning in KHAPS Black sows. The genetic parameters investigated were the direct (h2d), maternal (h2m), realized (h2r), and total (h2T) heritability, as well as correlations (rd, rm, and rdm) within and between traits. The analyses were performed using single- and three-trait animal models with and without maternal genetic effects. In the three-trait model with maternal genetic effect, all estimates of h2d and h2m were significantly different from zero except the h2d of mean birth weight. Positive values of rd and rm between traits were observed as expected in the range of 0.322–1.000. Negative values of rdm were found within and between traits and were less associated with mean piglet weight traits than litter size traits. Estimates of h2T were consistently larger than those of h2r in both the single- and three-trait model analyses. In addition, the three-trait model can take into account the association between the traits, so the estimates are more accurate with smaller SEs. In conclusion, maternal genetic effects were not negligible in this study, and thus, a multiple-trait animal model with maternal genetic effects and full pedigree is recommended to assist future pig breeding decisions in this new breed.
This study proposed to identify a polymorphism in the IL8 gene in Holstein cows and analyze the relationship with milk production traits in Taiwanese Holstein cows. Investigations were done for single nucleotide polymorphism at position 2862 and the impact of IL8-T2862C polymorphism on the milk production traits of 68 Holstein cows was randomly analyzed by fixed effects model. No significant difference was found between genotypes for 305-2X-ME, fat%, protein%, total solid%, and somatic cell counts score (SCS). Significanteffects were observed on daily milk yield (MY), SCC (p<0.05), and lactose% (p<0.01). Cows with the CC genotype had less SCC compared with CT and TT ones. The allelic substitution effect was 0.70 kg daily milk yield for IL8 favorable allele T (p<0.05), and 3.24 x 104 cells/mL SCC for IL8favorable allele C (p<0.01). Significant dominance effects of IL8-T2862C on daily milk yield (1.22 kg,p<0.05) and lactose% (+0.07%, p<0.01) were found.
This study investigated whether maternal origin affects boar semen thermotolerance and its seasonal reproductive performance. Crossbred boars with different maternal origins were evaluated (K and KD boars with Meishan-derived cytoplasm and DK boars with Duroc-derived cytoplasm). Heat stress treatment (42 and 39 °C) on semen samples significantly reduced sperm viability and acrosome/membrane integrity while increasing mitochondrial damage. Notably, the decline in semen quality under heat stress was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in K and KD boars than in DK boars. The farrowing rates during the hot season were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the K and KD breed compared with the DK breed. No significant differences among groups were observed during the cool season. Collectively, these findings indicate that maternal origin may contribute to mitochondrial stability and semen resilience under tropical heat stress, thereby influencing reproductive performance in hot seasons. Maternal inheritance should therefore be considered in breeding strategies of improving heat tolerance in pigs.