Abstract:
The aim of this study was to identify QTL associated with mohair production and quality
traits in South African Angora goats. Limited research has been performed on QTL influencing
the economically important mohair traits of Angora goats. Twelve half-sib Angora
goat families with an average of 58 offspring per sire were genotyped for 88 microsatellites
covering 22 autosomes. Phenotypic data was collected at second and third shearing
for males and females respectively. A linkage analysis was performed under the half-sib
model using the least squared regression approach of GridQTL. Three putative QTL were
detected for fleece weight on CHI 2, 5 and 24, which corresponds with the locations of keratin
and keratin-associated proteins. This study detected two putative QTL associated with
mohair fibre diameter (on CHI 4 and 24, respectively), which is the most important pricedetermining
trait. Four QTL were detected on CHI 8, 13, 18 and 20 which influence both
comfort factor and spinning fineness. The variance explained by the QTL ranged between
6.9% for fibre diameter and 33.6% for standard deviation along the length of the staple. These
results reveal segregation of QTL influencing mohair production and quality, and contribute
to the understanding of the genetic variation of mohair traits.
