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Silva FG, Carreira E, Ramalho JM, Correia T, Meira M, Conceição C, Silva SR, Pereira AMF, Cerqueira JL. Predicting Body Weight in Pre-Weaned Holstein-Friesian Calves Using Morphometric Measurements. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2129. [PMID: 39061591 PMCID: PMC11274149 DOI: 10.3390/ani14142129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Regularly weighing calves helps to assess the efficiency of the rearing period and contributes to animal welfare by allowing more precise feeding and medication application in dairy farming, but many farmers do not weigh their calves regularly. Improving the feasibility of this process is, therefore, important. The use of morphometric measurements has been used to estimate the weight of cattle. However, many studies have focused on adult animals or used a wide age range. As calves experience allometric tissue growth, specific models for certain ranges might be more accurate. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a weight estimation model specific for pre-weaned Holstein-Friesian calves using morphometric measurements and to compare the model with another equation previously validated for the same breed with young and adult animals. From four dairy farms, 237 measurements of body weight, heart girth, abdominal girth, hip height, withers height, and body length were taken from Holstein-Friesian male and female calves. Linear and non-linear regression analysis was used to test the relationship between body weight and morphometric measurements, with age, sex, and farm as possible explanatory variables. Selected models were compared with goodness of fit and agreement tests. The final model was able to accurately predict body weight (R2 = 0.96) with a mean difference of -1.4 ± 3.24 kg. Differences in the relationship between body weight and morphometric traits were observed between farms, but not between males and females. The genetics of the animal population at farm level may be responsible for this variability and further studies are needed to understand this variability and improve weight prediction models. The developed model was able to perform better in the agreement tests than the previously validated model for Holstein-Friesian animals, suggesting that different equations should be used depending on the growth phase the animal is in. In addition, a web application has been developed to facilitate the use of the developed model by farmers. This avoids the use of calibrated weight bands, which are usually calibrated for a broader age range or for beef cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flávio G. Silva
- Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV) and Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (S.R.S.); (J.L.C.)
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; (E.C.); (C.C.); (A.M.F.P.)
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
- Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability (CISAS), Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Agrarian School of Ponte de Lima, Rua D. Mendo Afonso, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Carreira
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; (E.C.); (C.C.); (A.M.F.P.)
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Joana M. Ramalho
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Tomás Correia
- Independent Researcher, Malagueira, 7000-407 Évora, Portugal
| | - Marília Meira
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Cristina Conceição
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; (E.C.); (C.C.); (A.M.F.P.)
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Severiano R. Silva
- Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV) and Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (S.R.S.); (J.L.C.)
| | - Alfredo M. F. Pereira
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; (E.C.); (C.C.); (A.M.F.P.)
- Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Joaquim L. Cerqueira
- Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV) and Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Department of Animal Science, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (S.R.S.); (J.L.C.)
- Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability (CISAS), Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Agrarian School of Ponte de Lima, Rua D. Mendo Afonso, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal
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Rocha-Silva M, Britto FB, da Silva DLS, Oliveira do O A, da Silva LAS, de Oliveira MB, de Araújo CV, Carvalho GMC, Sarmento JLR. Prediction of body weight of Curraleiro Pé-Duro cattle based on morphometric measurements. Trop Anim Health Prod 2024; 56:42. [PMID: 38214742 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03884-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Cattle weight development is highly correlated with some body measurements. Based on the relationship between morphometric measurements and body mass, our aim was to develop regression equations to estimate the body weight of Curraleiro Pé-Duro (CPD) cattle to be used in farms that lack access to weighting scales. Data from 1023 animals from four farms on withers height (WH), body length (BL), body score (BS), heart girth (HG), permanent teeth (PT), scrotal perimeter (SP), and live weight were used. The animals were classified into five categories depending on age and/or sex: newborns (NB), calves, weaned animals, cows, and bulls. The best models are GLM with Gamma, Gamma, inverse Gaussian, Gaussian, and Gamma distributions for NB, calves, weaned animals, cows, and bulls, respectively. Predictive modeling for bulls was the best performing overall, with a correlation of 0.97 between the estimated by the model and the obtained with a weighting scale. For NB, calves, weaned animals, and cows, the correlation (r) was 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, and 0.87, respectively. The evaluated models are adequate to be used as a technical solution to estimate weight in a cattle production system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mérik Rocha-Silva
- Center of Agrarian Sciences, Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.
- Animal Science Department, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil.
| | | | | | - Alan Oliveira do O
- Animal Science Department, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil
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Kelemen S, Józsa M, Hartel T, Csóka G, Néda Z. Tree size distribution as the stationary limit of an evolutionary master equation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1168. [PMID: 38216657 PMCID: PMC10786858 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51553-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The diameter distribution of a given species of deciduous trees is well approximated by a Gamma distribution. Here we give new experimental evidence for this conjecture by analyzing deciduous tree size data in mature semi-natural forest and ancient, traditionally managed wood-pasture from Central Europe. These distribution functions collapse on a universal shape if the tree sizes are normalized to the mean value in the considered sample. A new evolutionary master equation is used to model the observed distribution. The model incorporates four ecological processes: tree growth, mortality, recruitment, and diversification. Utilizing simple and realistic kernel functions describing the first three, along with an assumed multiplicative dilution due to diversification, the stationary solution of the master equation yields the experimentally observed Gamma distribution. The model as it is formulated allows an analytically compact solution and has only two fitting parameters whose values are consistent with the experimental data related to these processes. We found that the equilibrium size distribution of tree species with different ecology, originating from two contrastingly different semi-natural ecosystem types can be accurately described by a single dynamical mean-field model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szabolcs Kelemen
- Faculty of Physics, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400347, Romania
| | - Máté Józsa
- Faculty of Physics, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400347, Romania
| | - Tibor Hartel
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400294, Romania
| | - György Csóka
- Forest Research Institute, University of Sopron, Mátrafüred, Sopron, 3232, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Néda
- Faculty of Physics, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, 400347, Romania.
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Feng T, Guo Y, Huang X, Qiao Y. Cattle Target Segmentation Method in Multi-Scenes Using Improved DeepLabV3+ Method. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2521. [PMID: 37570328 PMCID: PMC10417518 DOI: 10.3390/ani13152521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Obtaining animal regions and the relative position relationship of animals in the scene is conducive to further studying animal habits, which is of great significance for smart animal farming. However, the complex breeding environment still makes detection difficult. To address the problems of poor target segmentation effects and the weak generalization ability of existing semantic segmentation models in complex scenes, a semantic segmentation model based on an improved DeepLabV3+ network (Imp-DeepLabV3+) was proposed. Firstly, the backbone network of the DeepLabV3+ model was replaced by MobileNetV2 to enhance the feature extraction capability of the model. Then, the layer-by-layer feature fusion method was adopted in the Decoder stage to integrate high-level semantic feature information with low-level high-resolution feature information at multi-scale to achieve more precise up-sampling operation. Finally, the SENet module was further introduced into the network to enhance information interaction after feature fusion and improve the segmentation precision of the model under complex datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the Imp-DeepLabV3+ model achieved a high pixel accuracy (PA) of 99.4%, a mean pixel accuracy (MPA) of 98.1%, and a mean intersection over union (MIoU) of 96.8%. Compared to the original DeepLabV3+ model, the segmentation performance of the improved model significantly improved. Moreover, the overall segmentation performance of the Imp-DeepLabV3+ model surpassed that of other commonly used semantic segmentation models, such as Fully Convolutional Networks (FCNs), Lite Reduced Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (LR-ASPP), and U-Net. Therefore, this study can be applied to the field of scene segmentation and is conducive to further analyzing individual information and promoting the development of intelligent animal farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Feng
- School of Internet, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China; (T.F.); (Y.G.); (X.H.)
| | - Yangyang Guo
- School of Internet, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China; (T.F.); (Y.G.); (X.H.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Agro-Ecological Big Data Analysis & Application, Hefei 230039, China
| | - Xiaoping Huang
- School of Internet, Anhui University, Hefei 230039, China; (T.F.); (Y.G.); (X.H.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Agro-Ecological Big Data Analysis & Application, Hefei 230039, China
| | - Yongliang Qiao
- Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML), The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
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5
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Ruiz-Ramos J, Torres-Chable OM, Peralta-Torres JA, Ojeda-Robertos NF, Luna-Palomera C, Portillo-Salgado R, Tyasi TL, Gurgel ALC, Ítavo LCV, Chay-Canul AJ. Estimation of body weight using body measurements in female water buffaloes reared in southeastern Mexico. Trop Anim Health Prod 2023; 55:137. [PMID: 36995455 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03549-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Buffalo farming is an important livestock activity in Mexico. However, the low technological level of the farms makes it difficult to monitor the growth rates of the animals. The objectives of this study were to analyse the body measurements of 107 adult female Murrah buffaloes, to estimate the interrelationships between those measurements and body weight, and to develop equations to predict body weight (BW) using body measurements including withers at height (WH), rump height (RH), body height (BH), heart girth (HG), abdominal girth (AG), pelvic girth (PG), body length (BL), girth circumference (GC), diagonal body length (DBL), pelvic circumference (PC), and abdomen circumference (AC). The study was conducted on two commercial farms in southern Mexico. Pearson correlation and stepwise regression techniques were used for the data analysis. To find out the best regression models, we used model quality criteria such as coefficient of determination (R2), adjusted R2 (Adj.R2), root mean square error (RMSE), Mallow's Cp, Akaike's information criteria (AIC), Bayesian information criteria (BIC), and coefficient of variation (CV). Correlation results indicated that BW had a positive high correlation (P < 0.01) of all the measured traits. Model 4 (-780.56 + 311.76GC + 383.51DBL + 51.82PC + 47.65AC-106.78BL) was the best regression model with a higher R2 (0.87), Adj. R2 (0.86) smaller Cp (4.24), AIC (749.19), BIC (752.16), and RMSE (36.91). The current study suggests that GC, DBL, PC, AC, and BL might be used in combination to estimate BW of adult female Murrah buffaloes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Ruiz-Ramos
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Oswaldo M Torres-Chable
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Jorge A Peralta-Torres
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Nadia F Ojeda-Robertos
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Carlos Luna-Palomera
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Rodrigo Portillo-Salgado
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
| | - Thobela Louis Tyasi
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Animal Production, University of Limpopo, Limpopo, South Africa
| | | | - Luís Carlos Vinhas Ítavo
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brasil
| | - Alfonso J Chay-Canul
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México
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Identification of Candidate Genes and Functional Pathways Associated with Body Size Traits in Chinese Holstein Cattle Based on GWAS Analysis. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13060992. [PMID: 36978532 PMCID: PMC10044097 DOI: 10.3390/ani13060992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Body size is one of the most economically important traits of dairy cattle, as it is significantly associated with cow longevity, production, health, fertility, and environmental adaptation. The identification and application of genetic variants using a novel genetic approach, such as genome-wide association studies (GWASs), may give more insights into the genetic architecture of complex traits. The identification of genes, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and pathways associated with the body size traits may offer a contribution to genomic selection and long-term planning for selection in dairy cows. In this study, we performed GWAS analysis to identify the genetic markers and genes associated with four body size traits (body height, body depth, chest width, and angularity) in 1000 Chinese Holstein cows. We performed SNPs genotyping in 1000 individuals, based on the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler Bovine 100 K. In total, we identified 11 significant SNPs in association with body size traits at the threshold of Bonferroni correction (5.90 × 10−7) using the fixed and random model circulating probability unification (FarmCPU) model. Several genes within 200 kb distances (upstream or downstream) of the significant SNPs were identified as candidate genes, including MYH15, KHDRBS3, AIP, DCC, SQOR, and UBAP1L. Moreover, genes within 200 kb of the identified SNPs were significantly enriched (p ≤ 0.05) in 25 Gene Ontology terms and five Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. We anticipate that these results provide a foundation for understanding the genetic architecture of body size traits. They will also contribute to breeding programs and genomic selection work on Chinese Holstein cattle.
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Montoya-Santiyanes LA, Chay-Canul AJ, Camacho-Pérez E, Rodríguez-Abreo O. A novel model for estimating the body weight of Pelibuey sheep through Gray Wolf Optimizer algorithm. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2022.2123812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Alvaro Montoya-Santiyanes
- Universidad Politécnica de Querétaro, El Marqués, Querétaro, México
- Red de investigación OAC optimización, automatización y control, El Marqués, Querétaro, México
| | - Alfonso Juventino Chay-Canul
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Colonia Centro Tabasco, México
| | - Enrique Camacho-Pérez
- Red de investigación OAC optimización, automatización y control, El Marqués, Querétaro, México
- Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico Superior Progreso, Progreso, Yucatán, México
| | - Omar Rodríguez-Abreo
- Universidad Politécnica de Querétaro, El Marqués, Querétaro, México
- Red de investigación OAC optimización, automatización y control, El Marqués, Querétaro, México
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Chico-Alcudia DR, Portillo-Salgado R, Camacho-Pérez E, Peralta-Torres JA, Angeles-Hernandez JC, Muñoz-Benitez AL, Lendechy VHS, Gurgel ALC, Dos Santos Difante G, Ítavo LCV, Chay-Canul AJ. Models to predict live weight from heart girth in crossbred beef heifers. Trop Anim Health Prod 2022; 54:275. [PMID: 36070021 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-022-03276-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate linear, quadratic, and exponential mathematical models to predict live weight (LW) from heart girth (HG) in crossbred heifers raised in tropical humid conditions in Mexico. Live weight (363.32 ± 150.88 kg) and HG (166.83 ± 24.88 cm) were measured in 400 heifers aged between 3 and 24 months. Linear and non-linear regression was used to construct the prediction models. The goodness of fit of the models was evaluated using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), coefficient of determination (R2), mean squared error (MSE), and root MSE (RMSE). In addition, the developed models were evaluated through internal and external cross-validation (k-folds) using independent data. The ability of the fitted models to predict the observed values was evaluated based on the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), R2, and mean absolute error (MAE). The correlation coefficient between LW and HG was r = 0.98 (P < 0.001). The quadratic model showed the lowest values of MAE (736.57), RMSEP (27.13), AIC (3783.95), and BIC (3799.91). Additionally, this model exhibited better goodness-of-fit values regarding external and internal validation criteria (higher R2 and lower RMSEP and MAE), thus having better predictive performance. The RMSE represented about 8% of the observed LW. Heart girth is highly correlated (r = 0.98) with LW. The quadratic model showed a high predictive capacity for crossbred heifers kept in tropical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis R Chico-Alcudia
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, Mexico
| | | | - Enrique Camacho-Pérez
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico Superior Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Jorge A Peralta-Torres
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Juan C Angeles-Hernandez
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Tulancingo de Bravo, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | - Alfonso L Muñoz-Benitez
- Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Tulancingo de Bravo, Hidalgo, Mexico
| | | | - Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
| | - Gelson Dos Santos Difante
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Luís Carlos Vinhas Ítavo
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária E Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Alfonso J Chay-Canul
- División Académica de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Tabasco, Mexico
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Malenje EM, Missohou A, Tebug SF, König EZ, Jung'a JO, Bett RC, Marshall K. Economic analysis of smallholder dairy cattle enterprises in Senegal. Trop Anim Health Prod 2022; 54:221. [PMID: 35767092 PMCID: PMC9242928 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-022-03201-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Smallholder dairy production in Senegal is important to both livelihoods and food and nutrition security. Here, we examine the economic performance of smallholder dairy cattle enterprises in Senegal, using data from longitudinal monitoring of 113 households. The mean (and standard deviation) of the net returns (NR) per cow per annum (pcpa) was 21.7 (202.9) USD, whilst the NR per household herd per annum (phpa) was 106.1 (1740.3) USD. Only about half (52.2%) of the dairy cattle enterprise had a positive NR. The most significant income components were milk sale followed by animal sale, whilst the most significant cost components were animal feed followed by animal purchase. When households were grouped by ranking on NRpcpa, an interesting trend was observed: whilst the mean NRpcpa showed a fairly linear increase from the lowest to highest NR groups, income and cost did not. Income and costs were both higher for the lowest and highest NR groups, in comparison to the intermediate NR groups. The mean NRs of households grouped by the main breed type they kept were not significantly different from each other, due to large variances within the breed groups. However, the mean total income and costs were significantly higher for households mainly keeping improved dairy breeds (Bos taurus or Zebu × Bos taurus crosses) in comparison to those keeping indigenous Zebu or Zebu by Guzerat crosses. This study highlights the highly variable (and often low) profitability of smallholder dairy cattle enterprise in Senegal. Further actions to address this are strongly recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evaristo Mukunda Malenje
- Department of Animal Production, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box, Kangemi, 29053- 00625, Kenya.
| | - Ayao Missohou
- Inter-State School of Veterinary Sciences and Medicine (EISMV), BP 5077, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Stanly Fon Tebug
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Ministries Road, Amarat, Juba, South Sudan
| | - Emelie Zonabend König
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Joseph Owino Jung'a
- Department of Animal Production, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box, Kangemi, 29053- 00625, Kenya
| | - Rawlynce Cheruiyot Bett
- Department of Animal Production, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box, Kangemi, 29053- 00625, Kenya
| | - Karen Marshall
- International Livestock Research Institute, P.O Box 30709-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
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KAYA M, BARDAKÇIOĞLU HE. Estimation of body weight and body condition score in dairy cows by digital image analysis method. MEHMET AKIF ERSOY ÜNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKÜLTESI DERGISI 2021. [DOI: 10.24880/maeuvfd.963188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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11
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Berlinguer F, Ahmed F, Tamponi C, Carta S, Scala A, Cappai MG, Varcasia A. Help from the sky: Can vultures contribute to Cystic Echinococcosis control in endemic areas? PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009615. [PMID: 34264952 PMCID: PMC8345826 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic in Sardinia and constitutes a serious public health concern due to high prevalence in livestock and humans. Despite sustained efforts, control of the disease had been unsuccessful in the region. Problematic carcass disposal due to soaring incineration costs and free access of dogs to infected carrion are dominant factors, fueling endemicity among other. As sole obligate scavenger, griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) are uniquely specialized to eliminate carcasses swiftly and efficiently, saving on unnecessary environmental and economic costs for carrion disposal. However, following drastic population declines across Europe, griffon vultures practically went extinct in Italy. A conservation expansion program in Sardinia successfully reinforced the last remaining Italian vulture population by mitigating the main threats to its survival; food shortage. Through the establishment of supplementary feeding stations, permanent supply of livestock cadavers was provided. In this research, the management and conservation implications on the controlled disposal of carcass disposal through vulture feeding stations on the control of CE in Sardinia were assessed. During the course of the project, vultures scavenged a total of 81,361 kg of biomass, saving €90,041 in incineration costs and € 1,054 in CO2 emission. Through extrapolation of these results, a total of 5,304 kg of suspected CE infected sheep carcasses (65.3%) was calculated to have been disposed by griffons, considerably reducing the CE risk and burden in Sardinia. A quantification of the amount of biomass that could be eliminated by griffon in a succeeding conservation project was also made. These calculations implied that 162,722 kg of biomass, including 10,608 kg of infected biomass from sheep, would be consumed over a period of 5 years, further lowering the CE burden in Sardinia. Our results, driven under one health approach, emphasize the crucial and direct role of griffons in breaking the lifecycle of CE as well as their indirect role in rendering multiple ecosystem and economic services through the elimination of carcasses. Please view a video Abstract here: https://youtu.be/Tm820nPq5KE. Cystic echinococcosis (CE), is a major parasitic disease of animal and public health significance due to high morbidity and mortality. The infection is caused by the larval stage of the dog tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, frequently reported in rural pastoral regions. In Sardinia, CE is very abundant in livestock, especially in sheep (65.3%). Several control strategies were attempted to limit the spread of CE, however, it turns out that the elimination of disease requires long lasting efforts. High prevalence of CE in Sardinia is due to multiple factors, but the cost of carcass incineration and free access of dogs to unattended carcasses are major points in the persistency of the infection. Griffon vultures as sole obligate scavengers, are highly specialized in removing the animal carcasses swiftly and efficiently, but have suffered severe population declines in the last decade. A wildlife conservation project in Sardinia envisioned to expand the griffon population by utilizing animal carcasses of animals as feed for vultures. We aimed to investigate these natural scavenging habits of vultures and the use of such “vulture restaurants” in relation to the control of CE. Our results show that the vultures remove a significant quantity of infected biomass, simultaneously saving high cost for incineration and carbon emission. The study is one of the pioneer investigations in the biological control of CE along with its estimation of ecosystem and economic services provided by the griffons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiammetta Berlinguer
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Fahad Ahmed
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Claudia Tamponi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Silvia Carta
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Scala
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Cappai
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Varcasia
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy
- * E-mail:
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Turini L, Conte G, Bonelli F, Madrigali A, Marani B, Sgorbini M, Mele M. Designing Statistical Models for Holstein Rearing Heifers' Weight Estimation from Birth to 15 Months Old Using Body Measurements. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11071846. [PMID: 34206227 PMCID: PMC8300225 DOI: 10.3390/ani11071846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The growth monitoring process represents an important part of rearing heifers. The use of a scale is not feasible in some breeding conditions; it may be interesting to investigate the possibility of evaluating body weight (BW) with body measurements. The aim of this study was to estimate heifers’ weight based on their body dimension characteristics. A total of 25 Holstein rearing heifers were monitored after birth, weekly until 2 months of life and monthly until 15 months of age. Animals were weighed, and their wither height (WH), shin circumference (SC), heart girth circumference (HG), body length (BL), hip width (HW) and body condition score (BCS) were measured using tape measure. Equations were built with a stepwise regression to estimate the BW at each time using body measures for the study group. Equations were able to estimate the BW of heifers under a 0.800 kg as an average weight gain target using different variables, representing an alternative method of BW evaluation without a scale. Three variables or fewer were needed for BW estimation at crucial growing times, making these models feasible for use in the field. Different growing rate target may be studied in order to evaluate possible modifications to our equations. Abstract Body measurements could be used to estimate body weight (BW) with no need for a scale. The aim was to estimate heifers weight based on their body dimension characteristics. Twenty-five Holstein heifers represent the study group (SG); another 13 animals were evaluated as a validation group (VG). All the heifers were weighed (BW) and their wither height (WH), shin circumference (SC), heart girth circumference (HG), body length (BL), hip width (HW) and body condition score (BCS) were measured immediately after birth, and then weekly until 2 months and monthly until 15 months old. Equations were built with a stepwise regression in order to estimate the BW at each time using body measures for the SG. A linear regression was applied to evaluate the relationship between the estimated BW and the real BW. Equations found were to be statistically significant (r2 = 0.688 to 0.894; p < 0.0001). Three variables or fewer were needed for BW estimation a total of 11/23 times. Regression analysis indicated that the use of HG was promising in all the equations built for BW estimation. These models were feasible in the field; further studies will evaluate possible modifications to our equations based on different growing rate targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Turini
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (A.M.); (B.M.); (M.S.)
- Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (G.C.); (M.M.)
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana ‘M. Aleandri’, 00178 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-3471022307
| | - Giuseppe Conte
- Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (G.C.); (M.M.)
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Bonelli
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (A.M.); (B.M.); (M.S.)
- Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (G.C.); (M.M.)
| | - Alessio Madrigali
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (A.M.); (B.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Brenno Marani
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (A.M.); (B.M.); (M.S.)
| | - Micaela Sgorbini
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (A.M.); (B.M.); (M.S.)
- Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (G.C.); (M.M.)
| | - Marcello Mele
- Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi”, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy; (G.C.); (M.M.)
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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Enriquez-Hidalgo D, Teixeira DL, Pinheiro Machado Filho LC, Hennessy D, Toro-Mujica P, Williams SRO, Pereira FC. Incorporating a Fresh Mixed Annual Ryegrass and Berseem Clover Forage Into the Winter Diet of Dairy Cows Resulted in Reduced Milk Yield, but Reduced Nitrogen Excretion and Reduced Methane Yield. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:576944. [PMID: 33330696 PMCID: PMC7714779 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.576944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The winter diet of dairy cows in Mediterranean climate regions is usually a total mixed ration with a base of conserved summer crops such as corn silage and alfalfa hay. However, there is increased labor and financial cost related to this kind of feeding, which could be reduced if fresh forages were used in place of some of the conserved forage in the cow diet. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of including fresh mixed annual ryegrass and berseem clover into the diet of dairy cows on milk, nitrogen utilization, and methane emission. Twenty-four lactating dairy cows were split into two groups and offered either a diet similar to that usually offered to the cows (CON) or one where a mixture of fresh annual ryegrass and berseem clover was used to partially substitute the corn silage and alfalfa hay in the diet (MIX). Milk yield was recorded automatically, and methane emissions were estimated using the SF6 tracer technique. The MIX diet had lower crude protein concentration (148 vs. 170 g/kg DM) but higher DM digestibility (81.6 vs. 78.6%) than the CON diet. Compared to the cows offered the CON diet, milk yield was reduced when cows were fed the MIX diet (36.4 vs. 31.9 kg/d), but methane emissions (381 vs. 332 g/d) and nitrogen excretion were also reduced (238 vs. 180 g/d). Nitrogen use efficiency was unaffected (30.8%). In addition, milk from cows fed the MIX diet had a fatty acid profile considered to be more beneficial to human health than that of the milk from cows fed the CON diet. Increasing the protein concentration in the MIX diet, either by direct supplementation or increasing the proportion of legume in the mixed herbage, could overcome the reduction on milk and positively affect methane emission and N use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Enriquez-Hidalgo
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Langford, United Kingdom.,Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago, Chile.,Rothamsted Research, Sustainable Agriculture Sciences, Okehampton, United Kingdom
| | - Dayane Lemos Teixeira
- Instituto de Ciencias Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales (ICA3), Universidad de O'Higgins, San Fernando, Chile
| | | | - Deirdre Hennessy
- Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Paula Toro-Mujica
- Instituto de Ciencias Agroalimentarias, Animales y Ambientales (ICA3), Universidad de O'Higgins, San Fernando, Chile
| | | | - Fabiellen Cristina Pereira
- Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratorio de Etologia Aplicada, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
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Marshall K, Salmon G, Tebug S, Juga J, MacLeod M, Poole J, Baltenweck I, Missohou A. Net benefits of smallholder dairy cattle farms in Senegal can be significantly increased through the use of better dairy cattle breeds and improved management practices. J Dairy Sci 2020; 103:8197-8217. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2019-17334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Hewitt A, Olchowy T, James AS, Fraser B, Ranjbar S, Soust M, Alawneh JI. Linear body measurements and productivity of subtropical Holstein-Friesian dairy calves. Aust Vet J 2020; 98:280-289. [PMID: 32319091 DOI: 10.1111/avj.12950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The study aimed to describe growth parameters and to quantify the association between linear body measurements as predictors of liveweight (LW) of Holstein-Friesian (HF), and HF crossbred dairy calves in Queensland. A secondary objective was to quantify the effect of disease events on LW change. STUDY DESIGN Longitudinal study. METHODS Fortnightly LW, hip height (HH), hip width (HW) and heart girth (HG) measurements were recorded from 16 male and 28 female HF calves from birth until weaning. The association between linear body measurement and the effect of a disease event on LW change were explored using linear mixed-effects modelling with random intercepts and random slopes. RESULTS HG was the best body measure used individually as a predictor of calf LW (R2 = 82%; P < 0.001), while the combined use of HG, HW and HH was the most accurate predictor of calf LW between birth and weaning (R2 = 90%; P < 0.001). HW, average feed intake and total feed intake were significantly affected by disease events (P < 0.05). On average, total average LW loss associated with a single pneumonia event was estimated at 14.6 kg (95% CI = 10.5 to 18.7 kg; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Calves of this study performed at a level consistent with the previously published reports. Growth performance was significantly compromised by pneumonia. HW was found to be the least predictive individual measure, and the combined use of HH, HW and HG had the most accurate prediction of calf liveweight from birth to weaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hewitt
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - Twj Olchowy
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.,Good Clinical Practice Research Group, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - A S James
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.,Good Clinical Practice Research Group, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - B Fraser
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - S Ranjbar
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.,Good Clinical Practice Research Group, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - M Soust
- Terragen Biotech Pty Ltd, Coolum Beach, Queensland, 4573, Australia
| | - J I Alawneh
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.,Good Clinical Practice Research Group, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
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Abanda B, Paguem A, Abdoulmoumini M, Kingsley MT, Renz A, Eisenbarth A. Molecular identification and prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in zebu and taurine cattle in North Cameroon. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:448. [PMID: 31511038 PMCID: PMC6737592 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3699-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Public interest for tick-borne pathogens in cattle livestock is rising due to their veterinary and zoonotic importance. Consequently, correct identification of these potential pathogens is crucial to estimate the level of exposition, the risk and the detrimental impact on livestock and the human population. Results Conventional PCR with generic primers was used to identify groups of tick-borne pathogens in cattle breeds from northern Cameroon. The overall prevalence in 1260 blood samples was 89.1%, with 993 (78.8%) positive for Theileria/Babesia spp., 959 (76.1%) for Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp., 225 (17.9%) for Borrelia spp., and 180 (14.3%) for Rickettsia spp. Sanger sequencing of a subset of positively-tested samples revealed the presence of Theileria mutans (92.2%, 130/141), T. velifera (16.3%, 23/141), Anaplasma centrale (10.9%, 15/137), A. marginale (30.7%, 42/137), A. platys (51.1%, 70/137), Anaplasma sp. ‘Hadesa’ (10.9%, 15/137), Ehrlichia ruminantium (0.7%, 1/137), E. canis (0.7%, 1/137), Borrelia theileri (91.3%, 42/46), Rickettsia africae (59.4%, 19/32) and R. felis (12.5%, 4/32). A high level of both intra- and inter-generic co-infections (76.0%) was observed. To the best of our knowledge, B. theileri, T. mutans, T. velifera, A. platys, Anaplasma sp. ‘Hadesa’, R. felis and E. canis are reported for the first time in cattle from Cameroon, and for R. felis it is the first discovery in the cattle host. Babesia spp. were not detected by sequencing. The highest number of still identifiable species co-infections was up to four pathogens per genus group. Multifactorial analyses revealed a significant association of infection with Borrelia theileri and anemia. Whereas animals of older age had a higher risk of infection, the Gudali cattle had a lower risk compared to the other local breeds. Conclusion Co-infections of tick-borne pathogens with an overall high prevalence were found in all five study sites, and were more likely to occur than single infections. Fulani, Namchi and Kapsiki were the most infected breed in general; however, with regions as significant risk factor. A better-adapted approach for tick-borne pathogen identification in co-infected samples is a requirement for epidemiological investigations and tailored control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babette Abanda
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Comparative Zoology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. .,Programme Onchocercoses field station of the University of Tübingen, P.O. Box 65, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. .,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon.
| | - Archile Paguem
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Comparative Zoology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Programme Onchocercoses field station of the University of Tübingen, P.O. Box 65, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Mamoudou Abdoulmoumini
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, Department of Parasitology and Parasitological Diseases, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Manchang Tanyi Kingsley
- Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD), Wakwa Regional Centre, P.O. Box 65, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Alfons Renz
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Comparative Zoology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Albert Eisenbarth
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Comparative Zoology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
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Marshall K, Gibson JP, Mwai O, Mwacharo JM, Haile A, Getachew T, Mrode R, Kemp SJ. Livestock Genomics for Developing Countries – African Examples in Practice. Front Genet 2019. [DOI: 10.10.3389/fgene.2019.00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Marshall K, Gibson JP, Mwai O, Mwacharo JM, Haile A, Getachew T, Mrode R, Kemp SJ. Livestock Genomics for Developing Countries - African Examples in Practice. Front Genet 2019; 10:297. [PMID: 31105735 PMCID: PMC6491883 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
African livestock breeds are numerous and diverse, and typically well adapted to the harsh environment conditions under which they perform. They have been used over centuries to provide livelihoods as well as food and nutritional security. However, African livestock systems are dynamic, with many small- and medium-scale systems transforming, to varying degrees, to become more profitable. In these systems the women and men livestock keepers are often seeking new livestock breeds or genotypes - typically those that increase household income through having enhanced productivity in comparison to traditional breeds while maintaining adaptedness. In recent years genomic approaches have started to be utilized in the identification and development of such breeds, and in this article we describe a number of examples to this end from sub-Saharan Africa. These comprise case studies on: (a) dairy cattle in Kenya and Senegal, as well as sheep in Ethiopia, where genomic approaches aided the identification of the most appropriate breed-type for the local productions systems; (b) a cross-breeding program for dairy cattle in East Africa incorporating genomic selection as well as other applications of genomics; (c) ongoing work toward creating a new cattle breed for East Africa that is both productive and resistant to trypanosomiasis; and (d) the use of African cattle as resource populations to identify genomic variants of economic or ecological significance, including a specific case where the discovery data was from a community based breeding program for small ruminants in Ethiopia. Lessons learnt from the various case studies are highlighted, and the concluding section of the paper gives recommendations for African livestock systems to increasingly capitalize on genomic technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Marshall
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - John P. Gibson
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Okeyo Mwai
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Joram M. Mwacharo
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Aynalem Haile
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tesfaye Getachew
- Small Ruminant Breeding and Genomics Group, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Raphael Mrode
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Scotland’s Rural College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J. Kemp
- Livestock Genetics Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, Nairobi, Kenya
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Roessler R, Mpouam SE, Schlecht E. Genetic and nongenetic factors affecting on-farm performance of peri-urban dairy cattle in west Africa. J Dairy Sci 2019; 102:2353-2364. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2018-15348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Trade-offs in livestock development at farm level: Different actors with different objectives. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY-AGRICULTURE POLICY ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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