**6. Maintenance of endangered breeds**

*Landraces - Traditional Variety and Natural Breed*

The control region of mtDNA showed polymorphisms at 32 sites in the Hungarian Cikta evaluated by Kovács et al. [86]. However, herds shared 24 polymorphic sites, so the maternal background of the Cikta appears to be genetically uniform. The total number of haplotypes were 13, furthermore, most of the samples belonged to the haplogroup B of sheep. The average number of pairwise differences (k) and the average nucleotide diversity (π) were 6.863 and 5.95 × 10–3, respectively. The values of the Cikta population were not significant (p < 0.10) neither by the Tajima D-test (0.107) nor by Fu's Fs statistics (2.533), meaning that the greatly reduced population size of the breed known from the breed history did not cause genetic drift, it is in genetic equilibrium regarding its ancient families. The Cikta shown some degree of genetic narrowing based on Cyt b gene [87]. However, the average number of pairwise nucleotide differences is relatively high, which indicates different genetic characteristics of the families occurring in the farms.

Kusza et al. [88] investigated the two variants of Wallachian sheep by country sequencing 599 bps of the D-loop region. They isolated altogether, 42 haplotypes, of which 23 were common in both eco-types. Since they estimated a very low level of genetic differentiation between the Gyimesi Racka (in Hungary) and Turcana (in Rumania) breeds, therefore these are really two variants of one transbound-

According to the haplotype diversity results Kirikci et al. [89] stated the Karayaka breed from Northern Anatolia cannot be categorized as a genetically homogeneous population. That breed not only has not suffered from a genetic bottle neck effect, but even has four different haplogroups (A, B, C, and E).

Term animal genetic resources is defined shortly as a potential of domestic animals that is used for production of food and fiber [90]. Animal genetic resource management is necessary on a global scale and its improvement requires careful thinking. While the contribution of livestock sector to 43 percent of world's agricultural Gross Domestic Product, which in some developing countries accounts for about 30 percent of national agricultural GDP. Actual economic modeling estimates that for those rural populations, poverty is limiting, economic growth suggested to be critically low. The fate of poor people and their livestock is interlinked, so none should be overlooked in future food security efforts [91]. The World Bank forecasts that contribution of livestock sector to agricultural GDP in undeveloped regions

Sheep are very important in the socio-economic lives of the people. However, their potential is not realized under poor conditions because of low productivity resulting from high mortality and weak performance among others. That fact calls the attention to the environment of production. But a given loss of animal genetic resources concerns the loss of genetic diversity within improved, cosmopolitan breeds and not only the extinction of traditional breeds [92]. The first reason for loss, the uniformity with increasing homozygosity as consequence of enormous development of highly improved breeds has led to growing concerns about the erosion of genetic resources [93]. Lenstra et al. [94] give a detailed review about molecular tools and analytical approaches for the characterization of farm animal

Integration of local breeds threatened by extinction but carrying appropriate alleles into the further refinement of breeds for mass production result in effective management of erosion of farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR, [95]). Therefore, the maintenance of old, local breeds is in any case justified by this requirement.

will be necessary by about 80 percent between 2000 and 2030.

**190**

genetic diversity.

ary breed.

**5. Animal genetic resources**
