Characterisation of the caprine collection of the national cryobank for better management of threatened races

Abstract

In France, the conservation of farm races combines field (or in situ) management and the long-term preservation of reproductive material in liquid nitrogen (or conservation ex situ), in relation with the national cryobank, one of the BRCs of the animal division of the AgroBRC/RARe. Regarding local goat races, the bucks included in the Cryobank were sampled from genealogical data, knowledge of which was sometimes very partial. The use of these males for Animal Insemination (or AI) is therefore sometimes limited for want of reliable information. Different French and European research projects have permitted financing the sampling and genotyping (50 K caprine chip) of animals from 5 local races of goats, with small numbers (Fossés, Lorraine, Poitevine, Provençale, Pyrénées) from the active population and from the collection ex situ. On the basis of this genotyping data, the objective of our study funded by the H2020 IMAGE project (https://www.imageh2020.eu) was to better characterise the caprine collections present in the Cryobank, by comparing them with the population in situ. The degree of genetic introgression has also been assessed for these males to ensure they can be defined as « pure race » . Different indicators were calculated, which have permitted determining the real family relations between the animals, identifying the crossed animals, and targeting the strains present in living populations but absent from the Cryobank. These results permitted better characterisation of the caprine collection of the Cryobanque, thereby facilitating future uses. Likewise, the management of these races in the short and medium terms was refined in relation with breeding associations.