Genetic characterization of domestic pigs in the core zone of swine production of Argentina

Abstract

Argentina is a small player in the global pork market, contributing only 0.7% of the total production. With increasing global demand for meat, there is an opportunity for countries with an agricultural profile to grow their pork production. However, there is a need to understand the current state of the pork production sector in all aspects to inform decision-making. The aim of this study was to genetically characterize pig herds from different production strata in the primary region for pork production in the country. For this purpose, phylogenetic and genetic variability analyses were performed using the mitochondrial control region marker (n=95 pig samples). Moreover, genotyping of ryr1 and PRKAG3 genes (n=108 pig samples) were performed to evaluate the frequency of deleterious alleles for meat quality traits in the region. The results showed high levels of genetic variability in the pig herds (Hd= 0.840 ± 0.031 and π= 0.010 ± 0.001), with a creole sow and Iberian lineage standing out in the phylogeny. The genotyping of the ryr1 marker revealed the presence of the deleterious t allele in all analyzed strata. However, the RN-allele of the PRKAG3 gene was detected only in the two lower strata. This study represents the first analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among domestic pigs from Argentina and provides an initial assessment of genetic variability in the region. Additionally, the results present, for the first time, the frequency of deleterious alleles for pig production in the productive core area, demonstrating their prevalence.