Comparison of different breeding strategies to improve alpaca fibre production in a low-input production system

Alpaca production in Huancavelica (Peru) is a low-input production system characterised by a high number of small herds with feeding based on the use of natural resources. Producer’s income depends basically on the quantity (unwashed fleece weight, UFW) and the quality (fibre diameter, FDM) of the fibre commercialised. Productive and genealogical information is difficult and expensive to record because of the geographical characteristics (altitude > 3,800 m) and the lack of effective communication between communities of alpaca’s owners. The aim of this study was to analyse different breeding schemes in terms of genetic response and inbreeding level, but also considering cost and participation of farmers. A genotypic aggregate value defined as a linear function of UFW and FDM was considered as breeding goal. Six different strategies were considered, involving different numbers of selected males in a similar way to Wurzinger et al. (2009) in Bolivian llamas: three considering one central nucleus with artificial insemination (15 males -NAI-) or natural mating (50 males -NM50-, 33 males -NM33- ), two considering a communal nucleus involving 23 herds (79 males -C79-, 113 males -C113-) and a combination of both on the basis of natural mating, one central nucleus and a communal nucleus involving 12 herds (81 males -NC-). SelAction software (Rutten et al., 2002) was used to derive genetic response and inbreeding level assuming different values for phenotypic and genetic parameters of UFW and FDM, and different amounts of phenotypic information. With respect to the C113 scheme, NAI increases the genetic response in a 50%, NM33 in a 30%, NM50 in a 20%, and C79 and NC in a 10%. In average, the increase of inbreeding was 0.90 % per generation for NAI, 0.35% for NM33, 0.20% for NM50, 0.10% for C79 and NC, and 0.05% for C113. Communal nucleus schemes, alone or combined with a central nucleus, showed a low rate of genetic response but they could be useful to start a breeding programme in Huancavelica. That is because of the lower inbreeding level, the lower economic costs, and the higher level of participation of farmers as opposed to central nucleus schemes only, especially when they make use of artificial insemination.