Abstracto
- Colombia has three creole pig breeds (Casco de mula, San Pedreño and Zungo) that are directly descended from the Iberian pigs brought to the American continent just over 500 years ago by the Spanish. Due to the preferential use of improved exotic breeds, all creole pig breeds are at risk of disappearing. The objective of this study was to characterize the genetic diversity in the closed nucleus of the Zungo creole pig from the germplasm bank of the colombian nation through pedigree analysis. The information collected in the field books between 1994 and 2019, which includes the genealogical records of 5460 animals, was used to calculate the consanguinity, the average generation interval and the pedigree completeness. The number of maximum, complete and equivalent generations tracked in the pedigree were 12, 5 and 7.64, respectively, while the average generational interval was 3.02 years. The effective population size and the parameters derived from the probability of genetic origin were calculated for pigs born between 2017 and 2019 (reference population). The observed effective population size of 36.38 animals and the increase in inbreeding per complete generation of 2.09%, means that both parameters are below the indicators defined by FAO as ideal. In conclusion, to maintain genetic variability and reduce the levels of consanguinity of the conservation nucleus of the Zungo pig breed, it is necessary to avoid crossing related individuals; the intensive use of few animals in reproduction and finally it is necessary to include unrelated individuals from other populations. © 2021 Fundacion CIPAV. All rights reserved.
