Genotyping of sheep (Ovis aries) from the territory of the Republic of Serbia using molecular markers in order to determine the number of breeds and preserve their gene pool

Institute of Animal Husbandry, 14/277, 2021-2022
Principal Investigator: Jelena M. Aleksic, PhD, IMGGE

Sheep farming is a very important branch of agriculture in the Republic of Serbia, which, unlike other livestock branches, shows a growth trend over the last decade. This refers to an increase in the number of highly productive, introduced sheep breeds, while the number of domestic, locally adapted sheep populations shows slowly growing trend. Considering that locally adapted sheep populations originated in specific ecological conditions characteristic of our region, and that they were continuously, over a long period of time shaped in accordance with specific dietary conditions and very complex demographic population dynamics conditioned by numerous migrations and controlled/uncontrolled crossings, they represent a unique and invaluable genetic resource of Serbia. Therefore, their preservation is one of the strategically important goals of the state, which has been continuously providing subsidies for farmers who maintain herd-booked sheep herds since 2012. The aim of this project is the genotyping of 200 sheep belonging to the Karakačanska, Pirotska and Bardoka populations of the Zackel breed, using at least 12 nuclear microsatellites in order to determine the level of genetic diversity and genetic differentiation for reliable breed determination and their adequate conservation, as well as determining the variability of the control region of the mitochondrial genome and a comparative analysis with relevant data available in the public data base GenBank, to better understand the evolutionary history of sheep breeds from Serbia. The obtained data may be used by the Main Breeding Organization to improve the sheep breeding programs. That represents a significant improvement of the system of conservation of animal genetic resources of sheep in our country, which will be in line with modern trends in Europe and the world. The project represents a major step forward in this area, and contributes to the improvement of livestock and agriculture in Republic of Serbia.