Genetic Diversity of Staple Length Phenotypes in Inner Mongolian Cashmere Goats
摘要
Abstract—The Inner Mongolian Cashmere goat is an excellent local breed that has been obtained through long-term natural selection and artificial breeding. Statistical analysis showed that the staple length of the goats varies between 5 and 34 cm. The progeny of Long staple length (LSL) dams mated with other types of sires exhibited a maximum staple length of 19.12 cm. Moreover, the coefficient of variation of staple length in the progeny ranged from 19.57 to 45.05% and decreased with the increase in the staple length of the parents. The Shannon–Wiener index of the staple length of the Inner Mongolian Cashmere goat population was high (3.87), and that trait of LSL goats had higher phenotypic and genetic diversities. The heterosis of the different staple types varied, with positive mid-parent heterosis in the entire population. In addition, the mid-parent heterosis increased with the increase in staple length, and the mid-parent heterosis for LSL goats is the highest. Therefore, the staple length of progeny could be increased by selective breeding of LSL goats.