Paramètres génétiques des caractères de croissance de races ovines élevées en Afrique (synthèse bibliographique)

Abstract

Genetic parameters of growth traits of sheep reared in Africa. A review Introduction. Due to the importance of sheep farming, the genetic parameters of the growth traits of several breeds in Africa have been estimated and reported in various scientific studies. This review takes stock of these different estimates. Literature. The values of the genetic parameters in this review concern 21 sheep breeds and are categorized according to the different geographic areas of the continent. The review indicates for each characteristic the estimation methods and the models used. The heritability coefficients of the characteristics, in particular, those estimated in West and Central Africa, testify to a significant improvement in cases where a selection scheme was adopted. Conclusions. The genetic parameters of the growth traits of sheep reared in Africa are compiled in this review with a particular emphasis on the specificities of each geographic area. Note that the values were estimated from data taken over several consecutive years in a controlled environment (research station).

Keywords

• sheep
• heritability
• genetic correlation
• weight gain
• african countries