The genetic structure of the goat breeds belonging to Northwest part of Fertile Crescent

Microsatellite diversity and restriction enzyme-based polymorphisms of MHC loci in native Turkish goats

“…Compared to the goat breeds raised in China (Salles et al 2011;Guang-Xin et al 2015), lower inbreeding was detected in native Turkish goats via MHC-linked microsatellite markers. Similarly, low inbreeding was reported in previous microsatellite studies on native Turkish goats (Gül et al 2020;Karsli et al 2020;Tefiel et al 2020). As highlighted by Argun Karsli et al (2020), higher null allele frequency (> 0.2) may affect estimates of observed heterozygosity and inbreeding coefficient parameters.…”

“…Additionally, mean observed heterozygosity values for native Turkish goat populations were higher than the values reported for Xuhuai, Pashmina, Changthangi, Vendi, Galla, Small East African goat breeds (Salles et al 2011). On the other hand, higher genetic diversity was reported in previous studies conducted on native Turkish goats breeds in which Karsli et al (2020) used 20 microsatellite markers, while Gül et al (2020) preferred a total 22 microsatellite markers to reveal genetic structure of studied goat breeds. It is not surprising, since genetic diversity may increase by using more microsatellite markers with higher population size.…”

Milk-y Way: the impact of single-nucleotide polymorphisms on milk production traits in Kilis dairy goats

“…It is thought that Kilis goats originated from the uncontrolled mating of Damascus (Shami) goats from Syria and Hair goats, which are one of the domestic goat breeds in Türkiye, under conventional breeding conditions (Gül et al, 2020;Keskin et al, 2017). The unrelated animal subjects of the study comprised 227 Kilis goats, which were obtained from the National Breeding Project of Kilis Goats under Farm Conditions.…”

“…Goat husbandry in Türkiye plays a pivotal role in the field of animal production (Gül et al, 2020;Gursoy, 2006), with an approximate population of 12 325 000 goats (TUIK, 2022). However, traditional breeding programs are limited with respect to achieving genetic progress, which can take several generations.…”

“…The use of major genes can accelerate genetic progress, but this requires an understanding of the effect levels of these genes, knowing individual genotypes and developing appropriate mating plans. The Kilis goat has emerged as a breed with a unique genetic profile that reflects its complex ancestry due to historical crossbreeding between the Damascus and Hair goat populations in the region (Gül et al, 2020). The Kilis goat is well adapted to the arid and semiarid regions of Türkiye and is known for its high milk yield and fecundity.…”