BODY MORPHOMETRY OF LOCAL PIGS OF CURIMATAÚ PARAIBANO. CHARACTERIZATION OF FACTORS
Olímpia L. Silva Filha1, E.C. Pimenta Filho2, L.P.G. Silva2, W.E. Pereira2, R.J.F. Oliveira3, J.V. Delgado4 and J.R.B. Sereno5
1 Instituto Federal do Sertão Pernambucano. Campus de Floresta, Floresta, Pernambuco, Brazil email: [email protected]
2 CCA/Universidade Federal de Paraiba. Campus III. CEP 58 397-000, Areia. Paraíba, Brazil
3 Universidade Federal de Bahía, Salvador. Bahia, Brazil
4 Universidade de Córdoba. Avenida Medina Azahara 9, 14005 Córdoba, Spain
5 Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Cerrados, Planaltina. Distrito Federal, Brazil
SUMMARY
The aim of this work was to evaluate factor affecting body morphometry in 109 local pig (35 males and 74 females) in Curimataú Paraibano region of Brazil. The research comprised five municipalities, representing 28% of the in the region. The following 22 body measurements were recorded: shoulder blade junction (AC), back (AD), croup (AG), tail insertion (AIC) and leg (AP) heights; body (CC), head (COC), snout (COF), croup (COG), ear (COO), shank (COP) and neck (CP) lengths; inter-orbital distance (DO); head (LAC), ear (LAE), snout (LAF), croup (LAG), neck (LAO) and chest (LAP) widths and abdomen (PA), shin (PC) and thorax (PT) perimeters. A total of five zoometric indices were estimated too. Analysis of variance of collected data was conducted according to a 5 x 2 (municipality x sex) factorial arrangement.
A significant (P<0.05) municipality effect was detected for AP, CC, COF, COG, COP, CP, DO, LAC, LAE, LAF, LAP and PC measurements. Among sexes, a significant effect (P<0.05) was observed for AC, COC, COO, PA and PT measurements. On the other hand, a clear sexual dimorphism was observed.
The results demonstrated the existence of a wide variability among the pig local resource of the evaluated region, from the morphologic point of view.
Key words: pigs, body morphometry, morphology, conservation, Brazilian Northeast Short title: Factors affecting morphometry of local pigs
MORFOMETRÍA CORPORAL DE CERDOS LOCALES EN CURIMATAÚ PARAIANO. CARACTERIZACIÓN DE FACTORES
RESUMEN
El objetivo de esta investigaciòn fue evaluar la morfometría corporal de 109 cerdos locales de la regiòn brasileña de Curimataú Paraibano (35 machosy 74 hembras). La investigaciòn comprendó cinco municipios, representando el 28% de la región. Se midieron los siguientes 22 ìndices: altura de unión de espalda (ÁC), espalda (AD), grupa (AG), inserción de la cola (AIC) y patas (AP); longitud del cuerpo (CC), cabeza (COC), hocico (COF), grupa (COG), oreja (COO), flanco (COP) y pescuezo (CP); distancia interorbital (DO); anchura de la cabeza (LAC), oreja (LAE), hocico (LAF), grupa (LAG), pescuezo (LAO) y pecho (LAP); perímetro del abdomen (PA), caña (PC) y tórax (PT). Se estimó también un total de cinco índices zoométricos. El análisis de varianza de los datos acopiados se hizo segùn un arreglo fatovial 5 x 2 (municipalidad x sexo).
Se detectó un efecto significativo (P<0.05) de municipalidad para las medidas AP, CC, COF, COG, COP, CP, DO, LAC, LAE, LAF, LAP y PC. Se encontró efecto significativo (P<0.05) de sexo para AC, COC, COO, PA y PT. Por otra parte, se observó un claro dimorfismo sexual.
Los resultados demostraron la existencia de una amplia variabilidad entre los recursos porcinos locales de la región evaluada, desde el punto de vista morfológico.
Palabras claves: cerdos, morfometría corporal, morfología, conservación, Nordeste brasileño Título corto: Factores que influyen en la morfometría de cerdos locales
INTRODUCTION
Natural selection , which has been imposed to those animals brought into Brazil since country discovery, has determined a somewhat more efficient adaptation to the natural environment probably due to physiological and behavioural changes for surviving in a new milieu (Ferreira and Lima 2001; Mariante et al 2003). Along centuries, this process could originate some specific characteristics in these animals. In Brazilian Northeast, pig populations show an evident diversity in skin, size and several morphological characteristics. Nevertheless, these animals are homogeneous from the point of view of rusticity and requirements in feeding and management, especially when compared with improved breeds (Carvalho 2000; Silva Filha 2006).
To obtain a full breed characterization, it is not only necessary to analyze productive, reproductive and behavioural characteristics, together with genetic aspects, but also morphological indices, as it was pointed out by Barba (2005). Productive and reproductive traits of economical importance, are characteristics of local pigs which are hardly available in the Brazilian Northeast, due to the fact that these animals are mostly raised under low input, subsistence conditions in family farms, without any recordings accounting for animal production (Silva Filha 2006). Therefore, morphometric characterization should be a useful first step in the complete characterization of this important genetic resource from the social and small economy point of view.
The objective of the herein reported work was directed not only to define the body configuration of local pigs from the Brazilian Northeast, but for developing some types of breed organization (breeders association, herdbook, et cetera), but specially to assess criteria of protection for the animals to be used as stimulus for a sustainable development of this poor region of Brazil. Different biometrical approach were used in these directions, from what factorial characterization of this pig population are presented in this communication.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
This investigation was carried out in the Curimataú Paraibano region, comprising the municipalities of Casserengue, Cuité, Barra de Santa Rosa, Remígio and Campo de Santana (or Tacima), representing 28% of all Curimataú Paraibano, which possess 18 administrative centres. A total of 215 farms were explored in the above mentioned five municipalities, and then 109 pigs were selected for morphometric evaluation. Data collection was accomplished in the period between September 2005 and May 2006.
The conducted morphometrical study was adapted from the methodology proposed by Delgado et al (2000) and Cabello (2004), which was set out for a closely related breed, the Iberian pig (Zadik 2000). Body measurements were obtained from the animals, which were from both sexes, 75 females (F) and 34 males (M) pigs which were raised in the five evaluated sites (table 1).
Because of lack of any records in the examined herds, it was necessary to determine some criteria for sampling the animals to be involved in this study: age, rather over six months; no evidences of genetic relationship with exotic breeds and criteria of predomination in the municipalities.
Table 1. Municipalities and sex of pigs evaluated in the investigation
Municipality Female Male Total
Barra de Santa Rosa 17 3 20
Casserengue 17 16 33
Cuité 16 9 25
Remígio 11 3 14
Tacima 14 3 17
Total 75 34 109
The 22 types of measurements, which were considered as body variables, are listed in table 2.
Table 2. Pig body measurements Acronym Description AC1 Shoulder blade junction
AD Back height
AG Croup height
AIC Tail insertion height
AP Leg height
CC Body length
COC Head length
COF Snout length
COG Croup length
COO Ear length
COP Shank length
CP Neck length
DO Inter-orbital distance
LAC Head width
LAE Ear width
LAF Snout width
LAG Croup width
LAO Neck width
LAP Chest width
PA Abdomen perimeter
PC Shin perimeter
PT Thorax perimeter
1 Acronyms are in Portuguese, and are listed in alphabetical order
A metric tape and a hypo meter were used to collect such measurements. On the other hand, the weight in kg was estimated by means of biometrical measurements transforming PT and CC values into meters (Correa 2007), by using the following equation,
Weight = [(PT x PT) x CC] x 69.3
The racial and functional evaluation of the studied animals was developed using five zoometric indices in accordance with Cabello (2004). These indices are detailed in table 2.
Table 3. Pig zoometric indices (x 102) Acronym Description
ICC1 Shin load index. Quotient resulting from PC/body weigth
ICE Cephalic index. Quotient resulting from LAC/COC
ICO Compacity index. Quotient resulting from AC/body weight
IFA Facial index. Quotient resulting from COF/COC
IPE Spleen index. Quotient resulting from LAG/COG
1 Acronyms are in Portuguese, and they are listed in alphabetical order. For details, see table 2
The cephalic, facial and spleen indices were used as racial diagnosis signs according to Cabello (2004), whereas ICO and the ICC indices were used for productive guidance of the studied population.
All data were compiled in an excel file, then processed by using the PROC.MEANS procedure of SAS (1999) software and were manipulated to express the descriptive statistics of the entire population and within every municipality sub population. In a second approach, the effects of two type of factors, municipality (5) and sex (2) were evaluated (Steel and
Torrie 1980). The aim was to locate the individual variables showing regional influences and sexual dimorphism, respectively. When statistical differences were evident, the Duncan test of homogeneity of means (P<0.05) was employed. In this particular case, a linear model was used.
Yij= μ + ci + eij
Details of the employed model appear in table 4.
Table 4. Description of the employed model Item Detail
Yij Animal observed value in the municipality of sex μ Mean
ci Fixed effect of the municipality or sex Ei Error
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 5 lists results obtained in the descriptive statistical analysis accompanied by the homogeneity groups established by the homogeneity Scheffe test, which was used following the analysis of variance.
Table 5. Body measurement of local pigs according to four municipalities of the Brazilian region of Curimataú Paraibano
Municipality Cuité
Barra de
Santa Rosa Remígio Tacima SD ±
n 25 20 14 17 AC 61.80 60.30 62.54 62.43 8.90 AD 64.56 64.53 68.27 67.48 8.60 AG 66.03 67.24 70.20 68.79 9.23 AIC 51.09 53.50 55.27 54.78 7.60 AP 50.09 44.73 45.77 46.02 7.63 CC 116.17a 99.61b 104.70ab 119.58a 18.14* COC 29.16 29.77 32.06 28.92 4.21 COF 14.41a 10.08b 10.42b 12.70a 2.23 COG 19.18a 14.19b 15.54b 18.44a 2.84* COO 18.73 19.71 20.12 18.82 2.29 COP 22.87a 13.67c 14.75c 18.30b 3.21* CP 8.65ab 8.07ab 6.72b 8.91a 1.30* DO 6.83ba 6.79ba 5.61b 7.88a 0.90* LAC 8.29b 9.41ba 7.70b 10.51a 1.10* LAE 20.54 21.54 22.88 23.47 3.21 LAF 8.10ab 8.67a 7.10b 7.55ab 1.00* LAG 18.09 20.38 21.14 21.48 3.20 LAO 12.87 13.67 13.42 12.31 1.25 LAP 6.94b 7.02b 5.71b 13.20a 2.12* PA 107.36 112.15 115.42 114.29 18.40 PC 13.66b 15.30ab 15.64ab 17.47a 2.03* PT 96.60 96.83 107.50 105.23 17.10
1 Acronyms are in Portuguese and are listed in alphabetical order. For details of acronyms, see table 2
* P<0.05
A high level of variability was observed, which could reflect the existence of wide differences in pig managements, according to the high segmentation of the population within every municipality. Nevertheless, it should not be discarded some genetic effect, which could in turn be detected in future molecular assays. Table 5 also shows results corresponding to the individual single model of the analysis of variance conducted in the present study. Significant (P<0.05) effects were observed for CC, COF, COG, COP, CP, DO, LAC, LAF, LAP and PC. Therefore, only ten of the studied variables were significantly (P<0.05) different among the subpopulation means, which was below 50% from those studies.
If it is taken into account the nature of the heterogeneous variables, it could be noted that only DO and LAC were stable variables from the ethnological point of view, because they were variables of the head. The reminder heterogeneous variables are subjected to a harsh environmental dependence, especially during the body development. In this sense, it could be thought that the studied population had a common genetic basis, but a high environmental diversity, at least from the morphological point of view.
The pair comparison stood out the relations Cuité-Remígio and Remigio-Tacima as the most diverse, showing seven and eight heterogeneities respectively; while the other comparison was in the range of four-five heterogeneities. These results could not be compared with those from other findings obtained from other Brazilian pig population.
Taking into account exclusively the heterogeneous variables
(table 2), as before, it could be noted that the municipality of Tacima showed nine high mean values with respect to the other municipalities. Except for the COP variable, Remígio municipality obtained eight lower mean values, and for POC and CC vaues, the Tacima animals were of major size, followed by those from Cuité and Barra de Santa Rosa. Finally, the Remígio pigs were of minor size.
These body measurements were lower than those reported by Cabello (2004) in the morphological characterization of the Iberian pig breed. These findings are difficult to understand, if it is considered that Iberian animal are included in the origin of the Brazilian local population. Perhaps it could be explained as a result of a divergent genetic evolution of the Iberian populations of pigs in Spain and Portugal.. COF, COG and LAF measurements, mentioned by Hurtado and González (2002) in local pigs from Venezuela, although belonging to the same origin, also were superior to those found on local pigs of the Curimataú Paraibano region. Revidatti et al (2005) in their morphostructural study of feral pigs in Corrientes, Argentine, reported average values also bigger for COG and LAC. It was also true in studies carried out by Barba et al (1998) on the same variables in Cuban Creole pigs.
According to Hurtado and González (2002), shin perimeter allows some inferences about the animals skeleton development. Nevertheless, the obtained results through measurements on Curimataú Paraiban region, suggested that there was not a very slow growth in the examined animals, since they have presented similarities with those found by Cabello (2004) in Iberian pigs.
Table 6. Estimated body weight and body indices of local pig by municipality in the Curimataú Paraibano region
Body indices, %
Weight, kg ICE1 IFA IPE ICO ICC
Site x CV x CV x CV x CV X CV x CV 12 79.33 55.02 - - - - - - 50.99 71.93 - - 2 73.34 37.65 29.26bc 17.06 49.41ª 34.91 86.53c 34.76 45.33 44.87 10.77 60.14 3 66.38 41.76 32.07ba 24.79 33.79bc 19.81 149.81ª 19.27 40.82 51.75 10.67 53.83 4 91.52 76.50 24.31c 14.27 32.52c 21.41 140.25ba 19.49 62.91 87.09 15.79 89.07 5 97.48 43.30 37.38ª 30.41 44.48ba 29.84 120.32b 24.64 63.46 50.85 17.83 52.23 x 81.22 54.40 31.18* 25.14 39.52* 28.98 127.79* 22.67 52.38 66.88 13.91 67.50 R2 0.06 0.26 0.27 0.40 0.06 0.10
1 Acronym expression is detailed in table 3
2 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 refer to Casserengue, Cuite, Barra de Santa Rosa, Remígio and Tacima municipalities, in this order * P<0.05
abc Means in the same row without letters in common differ significantly (P<0.05) among them
Table 6 shows results corresponding to estimated weights and body indices. Body weight was the variable that showed the major coefficient of variation and the major standard deviation when compared to other variables of this group, probably because the added bias of the environmental conditions and the fact of the indirect estimation of this animal trait. Significant (P<0.05) differences were found among municipalities for the average values of cephalic, facial and pelvic indices, with 31.18, 39.52 and 127.79%, in this order.In agreement with Cabello (2004). Special attention must be paid to cephalic index (ICE) as the best tool for racial diagnosis. Considering the measurement of pig ICE in the Curimataú Paraibano region, Tacima populations exhibited the biggest records, with average of 37.38%, while Remígio was the smallest with 24.31%. Cuité and Barra de Santa Rosa were homogeneous for this index. There are not data availability of this nature from
other national pig populations. As a consequence, discussion in this sense was not possible to be assessed. The Canarian Black pig, another possible involved genotype in the origin of the Latin-American creole populations, was measured by López et al (1992) in Gran Canaria, Spain, and had an ICE index of 42.97% in males and 39.24% in females, stating to be ultraconcavilineous. Barba et al (1998) found in Cuban local pigs a value of 46.13 and 44.94% for male and female individuals, respectively. In this connection, Revidatti et al (2005) reported 53.23% for the ICE average of the region of Corrientes, Argentina. On the other hand, Hurtado and González (2002) found 34.18% for the ICE index in Venezuelan local pigs, considering a confounded sex effect. The above mentioned data and those from the current investigation could not strictly be compared due to the fact that they have been recorded by different researches and methods.
The evident similarities among some of these groups could be explained by a common origin, since the animals had been brought by Iberian colonizers, to the Americas. According to Aparicio (1960), coincidences in head measurements could be explained by cephalic features, because they are very constant in each breed and values are little affected by environment.
As it can be observed on table 6, body weight was not significantly (P>0.05) different among municipalities. Functioning indices of shin compacity and load provided average values of 52.38 and 13.91%, with not significant (P>0.05) differences. In the case of the ICO index, it was verified that it was thoroughly inferior to that presented by Revidatti et al (2005) for 104.43%, therefore showing that the animals studied here had minor values than those from Corrientes, Argentine. It could be necessary to point out the difficulty found for measurement recording, particularly in animal immobilization, which always provoked bias because the aggressive behaviour of the animals could determine less accurate measurements. The high level of variability found in the dispersive statistics calculated in the present study is in agreement with those reported in other similar studies. It could be explained basically by the high morphological diversity of the animals within every group, and affected by genetic and environmental factors. However, it must not be discarded, as it was pointed out before (vide supra), that the added experimental error in the measurements could be provoked by the hard conditions of recording.
Table 7 shows the results of the analysis of variance, using municipality and sex as source of variation. A significant (P<0.05) municipality effect was detected for AP, CC, COF, COG, COP, CP, DO, LAC, LAE, LAF, LAP and PC measurements. Among sexes, a significant effect (P<0.05) was observed for AC, COC, COO, PA and PT measurements. On the other hand, a clear sexual dimorphism was observed.
Table 7. Effect of municipality and sex on body measurements of local pigs
Municipality Sex F P F P AC1 0.32 0.8664 4.09 0.0463 AD 0.51 0.7249 1.52 0.2217 AG 0.46 0.7146 0.92 0.3416 AIC 0.50 0.6822 2.73 0.1041 AP 6.59 0.0001 3.31 0.0724 CC 2.63 0.0402 3.68 0.0587 COC 1.49 0.2267 8.03 0.0063 COF 4.94 0.0041 1.83 0.1822 COG 6.30 0.0009 0.71 0.4028 COO 0.53 0.6632 8.38 0.0054 COP 10.32 0.0001 0.07 0.7893 CP 304.82 0.0001 2.44 0.1217 DO 4.95 0.0040 0.02 0.8794 LAC 5.56 0.0018 0.04 0.8415 LAE 6.87 0.0001 1.72 0.1938 LAF 3.11 0.0337 0.75 0.3895 LAG 1.37 0.2605 1.26 0.2664 LAO 1.25 0.2998 1.06 0.3071 LAP 16.23 0.0001 2.69 0.1053 PA 0.35 0.8399 5.42 0.0223 PC 2.96 0.0405 0.81 0.3731 PT 1.18 0.3265 6.31 0.0140
1Acronyms are in Portuguese, and they are listed in alphabetical order
The differences found in pigs of different regions and countries could be due to animal adaptations along years to the surroundings where they are inserted. In this sense, it could be thought that the local pigs found in Curimataú Paraibano possess suis generis characteristics, distinguishing themselves from native animals of other countries.
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