Evaluation of conservation program for the Pantaneiro horse in Brazil

Abstract

A genealogical analysis of registered Pantaneiro horses was carried out with 3647 males and 6794 females. Of these animals, 50.66% had identifiedsiresand48.86%identifieddams.Thenumberofpedigreesincreasedoverthe 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 fixationstatisticswere calculated and FIS (inbreeding coefficientofindividualsrelativetothesubpopulation)values indicate some heterozygosity between farms but not municipalities, with overall FIT (inbreeding coefficientofindividualsrelativetothetotalpopulation)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.