Haemoglobin Polymorphism and Genetic Diversity of Indigenous Nigerian Cattle Breeds: Insights from Gudali, Red Bororo, and White Fulani Populations

Abstract

Polymorphism is the occurrence of varieties attributed to biochemical differences which are under genetic control.
It has provided a medium for genetic improvement of farm animals, because it is a useful tool for characterization
of livestock breeds and population. The degree of resemblance or differences within and between breeds can be
ascertained, and they are important raw materials for genetic improvement of animals. This study was carried out
to analyse the haemoglobin (Hb) polymorphism in 380 cattle comprising of three different breeds; 126 Gudali
(G), 106 Red Bororo (RB), and 148 White Fulani (WF), at the general abattoir, Ibadan. The samples were
subjected to Cellulose Acetate Electrophoresis (CAE) to determine the genetic variants of Haemoglobin using
Tris EDTA borate buffer. The result showed that Haemoglobin (Hb) exhibited two alleles A and B, with three
genotypes (HbAA, HbAB, and HbBB). In the G, the allele frequencies were A (0.588) and B (0.412) respectively,
while A (0.491) and B (0.509) were observed in the RB, A (0.466) and B (0.534) were observed in WF, and in
the overall population A (0.514) and B (0.486). The genotype frequencies obtained in all populations showed that
genotype HbAB had the highest frequency in all the breeds, and highest individually in Gudali (0.476), White
Fulani (0.527), and Red Bororo (0.453), while HbBB was lowest in Gudali (0.175), and also lowest in the overall
population (0.243). All the breeds studied were found to be in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium.