Berthouly, Cécile (2008) Characterisation of the cattle, buffalo and chicken populations in the northern Vietnamese province of Ha Giang. PhD thesis Génétique des Populations, UMR GDA 1236- AgroParisTech/ CIRAD UR-22, AgroParistech 2008AGPT0031 p.263.

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Abstract

The context of the research work presented in this thesis was, on one hand, the assumed status of Vietnam as a “hot spot” for animal biodiversity, and on the other hand, the recent development livestock production in Vietnam. A French-Vietnamese research program, called BIODIVA, including the present work, was devoted to the survey of livestock populations in a mountainous area of Vietnam, namely the Ha Giang province. The Ha Giang province was chosen for several reasons: as it is one of the poorest provinces of Vietnam and as so a political wish to develop agriculture, presence of various ethnic groups including the H’mong group which is assumed to rear indigenous breeds culturally identified. First, characteristic of farming systems following the five main ethnic communities were analysed. Secondly, FAO microsatellite markers and phenotypic traits were used to study the genetic status and characterise the cattle, buffalo and chicken populations of the Ha Giang province.

The H’mong community lived in the heights and growth maize as main crop. For draught power, they used cattle which is assumed to be a different breed called the H’mong breed. Genetic analysis showed that genetic diversity was high whereas also was inbreeding. Two subdivided cattle population were observed in the west and east mountainous region of the province. Genetic admixture with the Yellow cattle from neighbouring province of Cao Ban, seemed to occurred in the eastern districts from the Ha Giang province.

Others ethnic communities living in lower lands preferentially growth paddy rice and so reared swamp buffalo. Therefore, repartition area is not disrupted in contrary to the cattle which is mainly found in the heights. As a consequence, gene flow is continuous and no genetic subdivision was observed in the buffalo population.

Two analysis were done on chicken breeds. First, we showed the usefulness of: (i) combining two data sets, European and Asian chicken breeds with a third one previously used from AVIANDIV project and, (ii) the multivariate approach for establishing conservation policies. Secondly, the chicken population from Ha Giang was assumed to belong to the H’mong breed, i.e. H’mong Black chicken (black skin and meat). The Ha Giang chicken data was combined with wild populations, Asian breeds and commercial breeds previously studied. The Ha Giang chicken showed high genetic diversity and high number of private alleles. Within the Ha Giang province, no genetic subdivision into subpopulation was observed and so the H’mong chicken was not genetically different from others chickens from the province. Genetic admixture analysis showed that four communes from the Ha Giang province clustered with the wild populations providing evidence of gene flow between wild and domestic chickens.

In conclusion, local breeds showed high genetic diversity and so they may represent important reservoir of genes that need to be conserved.

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