Implication of phenotypic and molecular characterization to breed differentiation of Ethiopian cattle. A review

Phenotypic characterization of Guraghe and Jimma cattle breeds in Ethiopia: Implications for breed differentiation and in-situ conservation

“…Information regarding their breeding tract and distribution areas was obtained using secondary information. The Guraghe zone was reported to be the breeding tract of Guraghe cattle, but its distribution can reach the neighboring Silte and Hadiya zones [ 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, two districts (Meskan and Abeshge) were randomly selected from the Guraghe zone to represent the indigenous Guraghe cattle.…”

“…Within and among breeds, diversity is the most important public asset that can be used as an input for selection-based genetic improvement and conservation programs. In addition to the existence of some exotic breeds introduced for genetic improvement purposes, the majority of Ethiopian cattle populations are indigenous and consist of 28 registered breeds [ 8 , 9 ]. This makes them the most diverse species in the country.…”

“…This makes them the most diverse species in the country. However, the actual number of cattle is expected to increase due to the presence of some studied but unregistered cattle breeds, including the Bonga, Fellata, Gamo, Hadiya, Jimma, Mahibere-Silassie composite, Maya, Qocherie, Ruthana, Sidama, and Wollo highland cattle breeds [ 9 ]. On the other hand, a few cattle breeds were registered without full phenotypic characterization studies.…”

“…On the other hand, a few cattle breeds were registered without full phenotypic characterization studies. These cattle breeds include Adwa, Ambo, Bale, Borana, Guraghe, Hamer, Jem-Jem, Jigjiga, and Smada [ 9 ]. These gaps show the lack of exhaustiveness of the previous studies, which need to be addressed by further and inclusive phenotypic characterization studies [ 9 ].…”