Report lists ways of securing the future of cattle production in Africa

A 'world-first' study of the genomes of indigenous cattle in Africa has revealed vital clues that will help secure the future of cattle production on the continent, said a report released by the University of Nottingham yesterday.

The report said scientists in England and East Africa mapped the genomes of five breeds of African cattle to help inform future breeding programmes and stop indigenous cattle from dying out. The scientists include Professor Olivier Hanotte from The University of Nottingham and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ethiopia, with Professor Heebal Kim from Seoul National University.

Professor Olivier Hanotte said: "This paper is important because it is the first time that the genome of African cattle has been studied in detail. The results will better inform breeding and crossbreeding programmes to improve cattle productivity and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa and crucially preserve the genetic diversity of the species.

“The African continent is now witnessing major transformations of its agricultural systems and rapid loss of indigenous livestock. Unfortunately, the opportunity to explore this treasure trove of diversity may not last for very much longer as current random breeding programmes mean some of that diversity will be lost."

Dr Jaemin Kim, joint first author of the paper said sequencing and analysing the genome of these African breeds has been a unique journey of discovery: "For the first time we have been able to pinpoint at fine scale genome regions involved in the unique adaptation of African cattle."

Cattle are an increasingly important resource in Africa as sustainable sources of food, milk, traction and manure. With its human population growing and the economy and subsequent wealth predicted to expand greatly, there will also be a huge increase in demand for livestock.

Scaling up livestock production is a big challenge in Africa partly because of the varying climates but also because of infectious and parasitic diseases. Since their introduction to the continent thousands of years ago from their centres of origins in the Near East and the North of the Indian subcontinent, African cattle breeds have gradually become genetically adapted to cope with their varying environments from the Sahelian desert to the sub-humid tropical forest and it is these useful adaptations that the team has identified.

There are around 150 breeds of cattle in Africa so the research team chose five distinct breeds that represent the genetic diversity of the species over a wide geographical area. Professor Hanotte said: "We analysed the genome of each animal and looked for what they were good at (e.g. coping with hot weather, infectious disease resistance). We then generated a catalogue of genetic variants in our five breeds and identified the unique regions in the genome of each breed that gives them an advantage."