Abstract:
• Angora and meat producing goats play an important role in food
security and sustainable livelihoods of livestock producers in South
Africa. To maintain their role, it is important to select animals that
can thrive in the harsh South African climate, especially under the
envisioned climate change conditions.
• Several phenotypes have been identified as selection criteria for adaptation.
These include litter size at birth, litter size at weaning and
litter weight at weaning (reproduction), weaning weight (growth),
fecal egg counts, FAMACHA score, packed cell volume, tick counts,
hair length, and coat type (endo- and ecto-parasite resistance) and
coat type, coat thickness, color of skin and coat, rectal temperature
(heat tolerance). Many of these phenotypic indicator traits have limitations
such as low heritabilities or being difficult to measure.
• The application of new technologies in breeding and selection is
under-utilized in goats in general, and especially in South African
goats. The use of validated causative mutations affecting traits relating
to adaptation to harsh environments in selection programs
would facilitate genetic progress in herds where phenotypic recording
is challenging.
• In addition, increased investments by various role players in applying
new technology in the systematic collection of phenotypic indicator
traits (especially for traits related to adaptation), can be used to improve
the rate of animal improvement in the South African goat breeds.
