Ghumusar is an inadequately studied goat population of western region of Ganjam district of Orissa state. Sporadic information is available on its morphological traits but no information is found on its genetic variability. Therefore, an attempt was made to measure the genetic diversity in Ghumusar goat population using 25 microsatellite markers. Genomic DNA isolated from blood samples drawn at random from 50 individuals were utilized for this study. The average number of observed allele was 9.80 and the effective average number of allele was 4.28. The polymorphic information contents ranged from 0.53 to 0.91. The average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0.73 and 0.71, respectively. The values of Nei's gene diversity in Ghumusar goat population ranged from 0.11 to 0.87 with a mean of 0.69. The overall Fis value was observed to be 0.002, which is not significantly different from zero; hence indicating no global deficit of heterozygotes. Under sign test, expected number of loci with heterozygosity excess (Hee) was 14.88, 14.79 and 14.74 for the infinite allele model (IAM), stepwise mutation model (SMM) and two-phased model (TPM) of mutation, respectively. The observed number of loci with heterozygotic excess (He) was 14, 8 and 2 under these three models, respectively. Under all the three models, He was less than Hee and this deviation was significant under SMM and TPM models. There was no serious genetic reduction in effective population size as indicated by L-shaped curve in Ghumusar goat population.

Konkan Kanyal goats are medium-sized animals reared for meat purpose. They are predominantly black in colour with white markings in a specific pattern and are found in the Kudal, Sawantwadi, Dodamarg, Malvan and Vengurle Talukas of Sindhudurg district of Konkan region of Maharashtra state. The mean body weight ranges from 30 kg in adult females to 35 kg in males. The age at first kidding, kidding interval and twinning of these goats is 546 days, 240 days and 35 percent respectively. The average daily milk yield and lactation yield were found to be 0.6 and 69 kg, respectively. Characterization of Konkan Kanyal goats was carried out using a panel of 25 microsatellite markers. The genomic DNA of 50 unrelated goats was isolated and PCR amplified under standardized PCR conditions. The amplified DNA was used for genotyping by the automated DNA Sequencer ABI 3730. The analysis of data revealed that the effective number of alleles ranged from 1.17 to 8.94 and the number of observed alleles ranged from 5 to 19. A total of 255 alleles were observed with a mean of 10.2 alleles/locus. The observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.13 to 0.95, while the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.14 to 0.89, indicating the heterogeneous nature of the population distributed in the breeding tract. The mean polymorphism content was 0.79. The qualitative graphical method based on the allele frequency spectra detected no shift in the frequency distribution of alleles and a normal L-shaped curve was observed where the alleles with the lowest frequencies were found to be most abundant. Based on the phenotypic and genetic variability, Konkan Kanyal goats appear to be distinct from other goats of Maharashtra state.

Introduction. Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) est une espèce dont les fruits font l’objet d’un important commerce au Sahel. Son amélioration à travers les programmes d’hybridation est entravée par l’absence d’informations sur sa stratégie de reproduction. Nos travaux ont étudié l’anatomie florale de l’espèce au sein d’un essai de quatre provenances ouest-africaines mis en place dans la forêt de Gonsé (Burkina Faso). Matériel et méthode. L’échantillonnage a porté sur 100 fleurs de chaque provenance. Nous avons observé la morphologie des fleurs mâles et des fleurs hermaphrodites à la loupe binoculaire, compté les différentes formes du pistil en fonction des diverses provenances et étudié, par coloration à la fushine, la viabilité in vitro des grains de pollen issus d’individus mâles et d’individus hermaphrodites. Résultats. Les populations sahéliennes de Sclerocarya birrea se sont révélées androdioïques. Les fleurs hermaphrodites montrent un ovaire volumineux surmonté de un, deux ou trois stigmates distincts à style court. Leurs grains de pollen sont viables in vitro et ils ont les mêmes caractéristiques morphologiques que ceux des fleurs mâles. Discussion et conclusion. L’androdioécie morphologique mise en évidence pourrait avoir une fonction adaptative en palliant l’insuffisance de pollinisation. Elle pourrait être exploitée pour des programmes d’hybridation et pour la conception des plans d’aménagement.