Early view

Tariku Woldeyohannes, Aberra Melesse, Simret Betsha

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the diversity of morphometric traits in indigenous sheep populations reared in the highland, lowland, and midland agroecological zones of the Sidama region. Morphometric measurements were collected from 621 sheep individuals sampled across four districts representing these zones. Multivariate analyses, including canonical discriminant analysis, cluster analysis, and stepwise discriminant analysis, were conducted to evaluate variation among the populations. The results revealed that most morphometric traits were significantly affected by the sex and age of the animals. Sheep from the lowland agroecological zone exhibited the highest values for body length and ear length among morphometric traits, while the lowest values were for head length. Stepwise discriminant analysis identified body length, rump length, and body weight as the three most important variables for distinguishing the sheep populations across the studied agroecological zones. The Mahalanobis distance between highland and lowland sheep populations was the largest, reflecting substantial phenotypic differentiation. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 71.3% of highland, 67.3% of lowland, and 64.5% of midland sheep populations into their respective agroecological zones, with an overall accuracy rate of 67%. Canonical discriminant analysis further revealed considerable overlap between the midland sheep population and those from the highland and lowland agroecological zones, indicating significant admixture. In conclusion, this study highlights phenotypic variations among sheep populations reared in different agroecological zones of the Sidama region. The phenotypic diversity identified can therefore support the development of appropriate genetic improvement programs for indigenous sheep populations.

Keywords

Agroecology, morphometric traits, multivariate analysis, native sheep

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