Inheritance and linkage study of isozyme loci and morphological traits in red clover
Information on inheritance of isozymes and linkage maps in Trifolium pratense L is limited. Genetic analysis of 18 isozyme systems and three morphological traits (white vs. pink flower, present vs. absent leaf marker and green vs. sun-red stem) was conducted. Six loci of four isozymes had simple Mendelian inheritance. Joint segregation analyses among 8 isozyme loci and 3 morphological gene markers (55 pair-wise combinations) resulted in the assignment of one linkage group. Two morphological markers coding for flower (c) and stem (gs) color were found to be in the same linkage group based on the analyses of two segregating families. The recombination values of the two progenies for c-gs were 0.079 and 0.113. No linkage was found between any of the isozyme loci and the morphological traits.
Molecular breeding for animal, human and environmental welfare
Since farmers started to cultivate land and deliberately sow seed, selection has led to the development of domesticated crops suitable for a wide range of agro-ecological and socio-cultural conditions. Based on increasing understanding of genetics and genes, new prospects for molecular breeding have emerged. Both forward and reverse genetic approaches and techniques such as marker-assisted selection and introgression, mutation breeding and transformation are now available. Increased precision in genetic manipulation promotes the application of more targeted breeding strategies to a wider range of traits serving a broader range of objectives. These include enhanced prospects for multifunctional land-use with improvements in the efficient use of inputs such as nitrogen, phosphate and water; in soil quality and protection against erosion; in pest and disease resistance; in enhanced animal nutrition and improved livestock product quality; in reduced pollution risks and health problems; and in potential for alternative use of grassland such as for amenity purposes, industrial processing and pharmaceuticals.
Drivers of Live Cattle Price in the Livestock Trading System of Central Cameroon
Livestock production and trade are critical for the food security and welfare of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa. In Cameroon, animal trade consists mainly of live cattle commercialized through livestock markets. Identifying the factors contributing to cattle price formation is critical for designing effective policies for sustainable production and for increasing food availability. In this study, we evaluated the influence of a range of individual- and market-level factors on the price of cattle that were sold in all transactions (n = 118,017) recorded over a 12-month period from 31 livestock markets in the main cattle production area of the country. An information-theoretic approach using a generalized additive mixed-effect model was implemented to select the best explanatory model as well as evaluate the robustness of the identified drivers and the predictive ability of the model. The age and gender of the cattle traded were consistently found to be important drivers of the price (p < 0.01). Also, strong, but complex, relationships were found between cattle prices and both local human and bovine population densities. Finally, the model highlighted a positive association between the number of incoming trading connections of a livestock market and the price of the traded live cattle (p < 0.01). Although our analysis did not account for factors informing on specific phenotypic traits nor breed characteristics of cattle traded, nearly 50% of the observed variation in live cattle prices was explained by the final model. Ultimately, our model gives a large scale overview of drivers of cattle price formation in Cameroon and to our knowledge is the first study of this scale in Central Africa. Our findings represent an important milestone in designing efficient and sustainable animal health management programme in Cameroon and ensure livelihood sustainability for rural households.