Evaluation of conservation program for the Pantaneiro horse in Brazil

A genealogical analysis of registered Pantaneiro horses was carried out with 3647 males and 6794 females. Of these animals, 50.66% had identified sires and 48.86% identified dams. The number of pedigrees increased over the generations, with higher registration of parents of sires than dams. Two municipalities are responsible for almost 70% of all registers: i) Poconé (Mato Grosso State), where the headquarters of the breeders association is located and ii) Corumbá (Mato Grosso do Sul State), where EMBRAPA Pantanal conducts its research. The mean inbreeding was 0.04% and average relatedness was 0.13%. Mean generation interval was 8.20 years. There is moderate to high genetic differentiation between farms (15% of total genetic variation) while between municipalities there is little differentiation. Wright's fixation statistics were calculated and F IS (inbreeding coefficient of individuals relative to the subpopulation) values indicate some heterozygosity between farms but not municipalities, with overall F IT (inbreeding coefficient of individuals relative to the total population) close to zero. The municipalities with the highest number of animals (Poconé and Corumbá) import relatively fewer sires (45 and 67% respectively). Genetic indices from genealogical data on the Pantaneiro horse population show that inbreeding is under control.Future breeding plans should include germplasm exchange between municipalities. The conservation program for the Pantaneiro horse has been shown to be successful but careful planning is needed in the future to avoid inbreeding and changes in important breed traits given the increasing interest in the use of the breed in sporting competitions.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	McManus,Concepta, Santos,Sandra Aparecida, Dallago,Bruno Stéfano Lima, Paiva,Samuel Rezende, Martins,Rafhael Felipe Saraiva, Braccini Neto,José, Marques,Pedro Rocha, Abreu,Urbano Gomes Pinto de
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia 2013
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-35982013000600004
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