Unveiling genomic regions that underlie differences between Afec-Assaf sheep and its parental Awassi breed

Table 1 Phenotypic, production and reproductive traits of local Awassi, improved Awassi, Assaf and Afec-Assaf sheep

Traits	Local Awassi	Improved Awassi	Assaf	Afec-Assaf
Body size	Small^a	Large^a	Large^a	Large^a
Tail shape	Fat tail	Fat tail	Partial fat tail	Partial fat tail
Horn shape	Most rams and ewes are horned or carry scurs		Most males and females are polled, but some carry short knobs or scurs
Wool type	Coarse	Coarse	Medium-coarse	Medium-coarse
Coat pigmentation	Most sheep have brown face and white fleece		Most sheep have white face and white fleece
Seasonality	Seasonal	Seasonal	Moderately seasonal	Moderately seasonal
Adaptation to Middle-Eastern climate	High	High	Intermediate	Intermediate
Milk production	Low	High	High	High
Prolificacy (lambs born/ewe lambing)	1.2	1.3	1.6	2.5

ISSN: 1297-9686