STRAIN CLASSIFICATION OF DONKEYS IN NORTHWEST NIGERIA USING CANONICAL DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS ON QUANTITATIVE TRAITS
Abstract
Metric traits were used to determine the relationship among Red (Auraki), Black (Duni), White (Fari), Brown (Idabari) and Brown-white (Idabari-fari) donkeys. A total of 700 donkeys were used for the study. Metric measures taken were head length, head width, ear length, neck length, neck circumference, shoulder width, height at withers, heart girth, body length and tail length. Data obtained were subjected to General Linear Model Procedure of SAS to determine the relationship
among donkey strains. Canonical discriminant analysis (CANDISC procedure), was used to perform uni-and multivariate analysis to derive canonical variables (CAN), which was used to match the donkey strain groups until reached the satisfactory number of clusters (genetic groups) and to show the clustering groups among these four donkey strains. The canonical coefficients and a scatter diagram for visual interpretation of the different groups were also generated during the canonical discriminant analysis. Among the all the donkey strains, Black (Duni) strain had the highest trait loading in CAN 1 for HL (0.61), HW (0.71), NC (0.91), SW (0.71), HG (0.84) and BL (0.82). The four strains that is, red, black, white and brown donkeys were clustered or separated into a separate group while the brown-white were separated into another distinct group. The results of the study showed that Black donkeys had more canonical weight on the generalized canonical component followed by red and white donkeys. There is need to screen and conserve the four basic donkey strains to arrest further genetic erosion and dilution in these strains.
References
Blench, R. (2004). The history and spread of donkeys in Africa.In: Starkey, P. and Fielding, D. (Eds), Donkeys, People and Development. 244Pp.
Canacoo, E. A. and Avornyo, F. K. (1998). Daytime activities of donkeys at range in the coastal savanna of Ghana. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 60: 229 - 234
Carneiro, H., Louvandini, H., Paiva, S. R., Macedo, F., Memies, B. and Mcmanus, C. (2010). Morphological characterization of sheep breeds in Brazil, Uruguay and
Colombia, Small Ruminant Research, 94: 58-65.
Carrocio, A., Cavataio, F. and Montallo, G. (2000). Intolerance to hydrolyzed cow milk proteins in infants: Clinical characteristic and dietary treatment. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 30: 1597-1603.
Christensen, J.W., Zharkikh, T., Ladewig, J. and Yasinetskaya, N. (2002). Social behaviour in stallion groups (Equus przewalskii and Equus caballus) kept under natural and domestic conditions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 76: 11-20.
Fernando, P. and Starkey, P. (2004). Donkeys and development: Socio- economic aspects of donkey use in Africa. In: Starkey, P. and Fielding, D. (Eds), Donkey, People and Development. A resource book of the Animal Traction Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (ATNESA) ACP-EU Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Wageningen, the Netherlands 244Pp.
Fielding, D. and Pearson, R.A. (1991). Donkeys, Mules and Horses in Tropical Agricultural Development, University of Edinburgh, 329 pp.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2003).
F.A.O Statistical data base webside. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy (FAO Stats: http://apps.fao.org)
Kefena, E., Beja-pereira, A. and Han, J.L. (2011). Ecogeographical structuring and morphological diversities in Ethiopian donkey populations. Livestock Science, 141:232-241.
Lamoot, I., Callebaut, J., Demeulenaere, E., Vandenberghe, C. and Hoffmann, M. (2004). Foraging behaviour of donkeys grazing in a coastal dune area in temperate climate conditions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 92: 93 - 112.
McDonnel, S. M. and Haviland, J. C. S. (1995). Agonistic ethogram of the equid bachelor band. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 43: 147 – 188.
NPC, (2006). National Population Commission, Abuja, Nigeria. www.Nigeriannews.com/census/census2006.htm (Accessed on 25th January, 2018).
Ogungbile, A.O., Tabo, R., VanDuivenbooden, N. and Debrah, S.K. (1998). Analysis of constraints to agricultural production in the Sudan Savanna Zone of Nigeria using multi-scale characterization. Nigerian Journal of Animal Science 590, 1998.
Salako, A. E. (2006). Application of morphological indices in the Assessment of Type and Function in Sheep. International morphology 24: 13-18.
SAS (2004). SAS/STAT user guide: Statistics, Version 8.1, SAS. Institute Inc; Cary, Nc
Searle, T.M., McGraham, N. and Donnely, J.B. (1989a). Change of Skeletal Dimensions During growth in Sheep: The effect of Nutrition. Journal of Agricultural Science, 112:321-327.
Searle, T. M., McGraham, N., Donnely, J.B. and Makgari, D.E. (1989b). Breed and Sex Differences in Skeletal Dimentions of Sheep in the first year of Life. Journal of Agricultural Science, 113: 349-354.
Weissbrod, L. and Marshall, F. (2011). Domestication Processes and Morphological Change. Current Anthropology, 52: 397 - 413.
Yakubu, A. and Ibrahim, I. A. (2011). Multivariate analysis of morphostructural characteristics in Nigerian indigenous sheep, Italian journal of Animal Science. 10: 38-86.
Copyright (c) 2023 FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
FUDMA Journal of Sciences
