Improving local chicken production in Ethiopia will be a priority toward achieving “zero hunger”, food security, and sustainability. Chickens provide an excellent source of protein that can satisfy growing human needs. Indigenous chickens in Ethiopia are not selected and improved, so they have low productive and reproductive performance. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and population structures of three Ethiopian local chicken ecotypes using 16 SSR markers, and the Koekoek breed was used as a comparison. A total of 97 alleles have been detected, with an average value of 6.062 alleles per locus. Polymorphic information content ranged from (0.54) MCW0183 to (0.85) LEI0166, with an average value of 0.67 per locus. Across all studied populations, the mean observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity were 0.026 and 0.60, respectively. The Shannon information index varied from (I = 0.83) MCW0098 to (I = 1.57) LEI0166. AMOVA showed that genetic variance varied by 3% within individuals, 82% within populations, and 15% between breeds. According to UPGMA, the Horro and Tilili populations were grouped, while the Jarso population was distinct and the Koekoek breed was distinct as expected. The studied population showed high genetic diversity within populations, and the Jarso ecotype showed the highest genetic diversity and a number of unique alleles. The SSR markers used in this finding were polymorphic and useful for determining the genetic variation of Ethiopian local chicken ecotypes. The information obtained will be used for genetic conservation and national breeding program efforts.

Indigenous chickens, genetic diversity, simple sequence repeat marker

SSR markers give important insights into the genetic diversity and population structures of local chickens. According to the results of this study, a high level of genetic variation was detected in populations, their geographical origins were sorted, and distinct alleles were observed in specific populations. These findings support the notion that ecotypes are genetically distinct and the reliability of the results. However, within-ecotype variation is found to be very high, which is supported by the high heterozygosity level of microsatellite markers tested in all ecotypes. The evaluation of genetic diversity among indigenous chicken populations studied in the current study was efficient and yielded reliable results. The conservation of diverse native chicken breeds will protect genetic resources from extinction and contribute to the genetic pool of chickens as a whole. Some indigenous (local) chickens possess major genes that allow for survival in unfavorable environments. In the near future, finding indigenous chickens will be more difficult due to unintentional cross-breeding between exotic and indigenous kinds. We are losing agronomically important adaptation traits, so the national breeding program should take quick measures

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Shibru Tekle, Dejenie Mengistie, Wondossen Ayalew, Shelema Kelbessa, Biruk Alemu and Geremew Temesgen (2024). Genetic Characterization of Some Selected Ethiopian Indigenous Chickens using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers . International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 15(1): 35–44.