Assessment of phenotypic diversity within Goliath chickens population in Benin.

Goliath chickens are a new strain of poultry that originated in the department of Zou, commune of Agbangnizoun in the Republic of Benin. The characteristics of this chicken strain have not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to characterize the phenotypic diversity of Goliath chickens in departments of Zou and Couffo. A total of 140 birds made up of 92 females and 48 males were sampled using 18 morphological descriptors. The results showed a wide variation in plumage colour within overall population with the most dominant being black (18.57%), white (17.14%) and red (16.43%). Black (21.74%) and white (20.65%) plumage dominated in females and red in males (35.42%). Coloured beaks and shanks were common in both chicken sexes. Yellow eyes were more common in females (63.04%), while red eyes were the most prevalent in males (43.75%). Comb and wattle colours were red in both sexes. Morphometrically, sexual dimorphism is very marked most of the body measurements with male birds being significantly superior. The average body weight was 3.26 kg in males and 2.78 kg in females. The population was clustered in three morphotypes according to the gradient size. Chickens from Bohicon and Agbangnizoun on the one hand, and those from Zagnanado and Toviklin on the other, formed groups 1 and 2, respectively, while group 3 included individuals from Djidja. 77.96% of observed diversity was due to variation between individuals. Molecular characterization is recommended for a thorough knowledge of the Goliath chicken strain of Benin.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships within local pigs in southern Benin.

The current context of climate change requires the conservation of local zoogenetic resources already very well adapted to the traditional breeding system, rough feeding, and heat and cold stress. This study assessed genetic diversity in local pigs in southern Benin, as a prerequisite for their sustainable use and sustainable management in Benin. A total of 69 individuals including 54 local pigs, 7 Large-White, and 8 hybrids (local pigs × Bush-pig) were genotyped by using 17 microsatellite markers. On the average, 8.94 alleles were detected per locus. Average expected and observed heterozygosities were respectively 0.51 and 0.46. Polymorphic information content was 0.61, and genetic diversity was 0.53. A phylogenetic tree gathered local pigs into three genetic clusters. Genetic structural analyses revealed introgression of Large-White's genes into the local pig's genome. Three groups were identified: hybrids (subpopulation 1), a mixture of Large-White and local pigs (subpopulation 2), and only local pigs (subpopulation 3). Symmetrical allelic distances were higher between subpopulations 1 and 2 (0.787) and then 1 and 3 (0.713). The same trend was detected for genetic distances between pairs of subpopulations. Genetic differentiation between subpopulations 2 and 3 was very weak as a consequence of high gene flow (10.82). Molecular variance analysis showed that 77% of genetic diversity within populations was related to variability between the individuals. These results showed that local pigs in southern Benin are threatened by genetic erosion and suggest prompt actions to implement sustainable conservation strategies.

Assessment of the reproductive performances of native sows in Southern Benin.

Native sows contribute to a large extent to food security and poverty alleviation in Benin. However, their reproductive performance particularly under extensive systems is poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by selecting 284 multiparous sows based on hair color and some reproductive parameters. The results showed that native sows of Southern Benin can be clustered into three groups with group 3 showing the best reproductive performances including highest average litter size (LS, 10.31 piglets), live-born piglets (LBP, 10.31 piglets), number of functional teats (10.94), and shorter average farrowing interval (6 mo). The analysis of sows' performances based on their origin revealed that sows from agro-ecological zone 8 have the highest number of LBP and the lowest age at first mating and first farrowing. The analysis of sows' performances based on the hair color showed that those with black hair have the largest LS and the highest number of LBP. This study showed that Benin's native sows have good reproductive ability with enough variation to develop a sustainable pig industry for a better contribution to food security and wealth creation.