Full Length Research Paper

Phenotypic characterisation and molecular polymorphism of indigenous poultry populations of the species Gallus gallus of Savannah and Forest ecotypes of Benin

I. A. K. Youssao¹*, P. C. Tobada¹, B. G. Koutinhouin¹, M. Dahouda², N. D. Idrissou³, G. A. Bonou¹, U. P. Tougan¹, S. Ahounou¹, V. Yapi-Gnaoré⁴, B. Kayang⁵, X. Rognon⁶ and M. Tixier-Boichard⁶

¹Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey-Calavi, Département de Production et Santé Animales, 01 BP 2009 Cotonou, Bénin.

²Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques / Université d’Abomey d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526 Cotonou, Bénin.

³Centre de Gestion Durable des Ressources Animales et Végétales (CGDRAV_ONG), BP 1096, Parakou, Bénin.

⁴Centre National de Recherche Agronomique, 01 BP 1740 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire.

⁵Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.

⁶INRA,AgroParisTech, UMR1313 "Génétique animale et biologie intégrative", Centre de Recherches INRA, 78352 Jouy-en-Josas Cedex, France.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: issaka.youssao@epac.uac.bj.

Tél: 00 229 97 91 20 74 / 95 28 59 88.

Accepted 19 October, 2009

   Abstract

The study of the phenotypic characterisation and molecular polymorphism of local chicken populations was carried out in Benin on 326 chickens of the Forest ecological area and 316 of the Savannah ecological area, all were 7 months old at least. The collection of blood for the molecular typing was achieved on 121 indigenous chickens of which 60 from the Savannah ecological area and 61 from the Forest ecological area. The genotyping was carried out for 22 microsatellite loci. Weight and body measures of the Savannah chickens were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those of the Forest chickens. In the Savannah ecological area, the most frequent plumage colours were the black (22.15%), the white (19.62%), the coppery black (7.59%) and the golden partridge (7.59%). In the Forest area, the fawn (15.34%), the black (10.43%), the white (6.8%), the silver white (6.8%) and the golden partridge (6.75%) were the dominant feather colours. Thus, phenotypic characterisation showed significant differences between Savannah and Forest local chickens. The F_ST calculated between the Savannah and Forest populations revealed a low genetic differentiation and the dendogram showed that Savannah and Forest chickens were quite intermingled. In conclusion, local populations from Savannah and Forest area may be considered as ecotypes, but not as two distinct breeds.

Key words: Body weight, plumage colour, molecular polymorphism, local chickens, Benin.