Abstract

Taro white cattle have a small population found in Taro Village, Tegalalang, and Gianyar, Bali, which must be protected as one of the most valuable biological resources for the Hindu community in Bali. White cattle require conservation efforts, with morphometric characterization and genetics providing the first phases of an animal conservation program. The purpose of this study was to identify the genetic diversity of Taro white cattle based on allele frequency, heterozygosity, and fixation index (FIT) using different microsatellite DNA loci so that it can be used as a study and reference in determining policies for the conservation of Taro white cattle in Indonesia, particularly in Bali. This cross-sectional observational study utilized ETH 185, INRA 035, and INRA 037 microsatellite DNA markers. Polymerase chain reaction amplified a total of 22 Taro white cattle blood samples with an average of 4.33 alleles; the average observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity were 0.288 and 0.637, respectively, with an average fixation index value of 0.55. In conclusion, there is a significant deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with the likelihood of inbreeding, as indicated by the Hardy-Weinberg balance. The microsatellite loci used in this study can be further used to evaluate the genetic diversity of Taro white cattle.