Characteristics by STR Markers of Ukrainian Grey Cattle Breed in the Russian Federation

Using 14 microsatellite markers (BM1824, BM2113, CSRM60, CSSM66, ETH3, ETH10, ETH225, ILSTS006, INRA023, SPS115, TGLA53, TGLA122, TGLA126, TGLA227), samples of Ukrainian Grey cattle herds of the Ivanov Institute Askania-Nova (Kherson oblast) (n = 101) and experimental farm of Cherga (Altai Republic) (n = 41). When considering Wright’s F-statistics for the studied loci, the value F_IS = –0.0285 indicates an excess of heterozygous genotypes in the population of Ukrainian Grey cattle, with a low probability of encountering alleles of the common ancestor F_IT = 0.1161, and the level F_ST = 0.1394 indicates an average divergence of subpopulations, the largest contribution to which is contributed by the Eth3 locus. At the same time, the number of detected polymorphic loci of 95.64%, the level of allelic diversity A_R = 7.66, and genetic diversity H_E = 0.76 were higher in the Altai subpopulation than in the Kherson subpopulation—58.13, 4.41, and 0.61%, respectively. At the same time, the Kherson herd was characterized by better evenness, homogeneity, and consolidation, which allows us to consider it as a source of valuable breeding material for breeding the Ukrainian Grey breed.