ASSOCIATION OF CYTOCHROME AND NADH GENES POLYMORPHISM WITH GROWTH TRAITS IN TURKEYS SELECTED FOR HIGHER BODY WEIGHT

Increasing growth and meat yield is crucial to turkey breeding goals. Producers may produce birds that grow more effectively by discovering genetic markers linked to improved growth. This study aimed to improve the growth traits of the local Baladi turkeys through the selection for higher body weight (BW) at 6 months of age and to evaluate the relationships between Cytochrome and NADH gene polymorphism with the body weight (BW) of turkeys. Two lines of turkeys were compared: One line (S) was selected for higher body weight at 6 months. The second line is unselected random-bred control (C). Blood samples were collected from 200 turkey chicks one-month-old. Single nucleotide polymorphism between turkey genotypes was determined through DNA sequencing. Results: In Baladi turkeys, the selected line was significantly heavier than the control line in both males (5781.62 vs. 5501.75 g) and females (3376.44 vs. 3200.00 g) following one generation of selection for increased BW at 6 months of age. Realized response in BW increased significantly by 57.32 g per month during the period (0–6) months. Realized heritability estimates for BW at 6 months of age of turkeys were moderate in males (0.26) and females (0.29). A significant association of Cytochrome and NADH genes with body weight at different ages in turkeys was observed. Conclusion: Selection for increased body weight was effective in the genetic improvement of turkeys for growth traits. The Cytochrome and NADH genes can be used as genetic markers in marker-assisted selection programs to improve growth traits in turkeys.