Leptin, a 16 (kilo Dalton) kDa hormone secreted predominantly by white adipocytes, regulates reproduction, energy intake and expenditure, and is involved in immune system function. Previous studies have identified associations between polymorphism E2FB in the leptin gene (lep) of cattle and milk quality and quantity, feed intake, and fat deposition in dairy and beef cattle though further studies have shown inconclusive results. Furthermore, indigenous South African cattle have not been involved in lep investigations or the applicability of the marker in South African beef grading systems. An investigation was conducted into the association of an SNP of a cytosine (C) to thymine (T) SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) mutation in exon 2 of the bovine lep (leptin) gene with weight gain, body condition, carcass fat content and quality in a population of indigenous Nguni cattle (n = 70) as well as a population of exotic British Hereford cattle (n = 54). The Hereford population had higher T-allele frequencies and a lower P-value (P = 0.172) for the E2FB genotypes than the Nguni population (P = 0.958). The resulting E2FB lep genotypes CC, CT and TT did not show an association with the pre- and post-slaughter traits initial live weight (ILW), body condition score (BCS), slaughter live weight (SLW), carcass fat content (FAT), carcass conformation (CFN) or warm carcass mass (WCM) for either population though t-tests revealed an association with the CT genotype with increased ILW than TT and a significantly higher WG in the TT genotypes than the CT (P<0.05). Subsequently, differences in pre- and post-slaughter traits in both populations were largely attributable to breed differences. The Hereford population exhibited significantly higher WG, CFN, SLW, WCM and CCM (P<0.05) than the Nguni population. The Nguni displayed significantly higher ILW and BCS values when graded in terms of the commercial South African AAA feedlot system. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

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Beef constitutes an important part of many consumers’ diets. Beef is the most consumed red meat in South Africa. Consumer perceptions can affect the whole supply or value chain of beef. Recently there has been increased interest in food safety; greater concern for environmental and animal welfare issues, increased importance of eating quality and healthy food as well as the greater role of food services. The demand for beef is no longer limited to economic factors alone but to non-economic factors as well. Consumers of beef in Alice have become more concerned about meat-borne risks and personal health. This research prioritized the exploration of the beef consumers’ (i) self-perception (ii) price perception (iii) benefit perception [in the form of – (a) value perception and (b) quality perception]. The study was conducted in the Eastern Cape Province specifically in Alice town and the surrounding rural areas (Ntselamanzi, Gaga, Hillcrest, Gqumashe, and Dyamala) of the Nkonkobe municipality. Anyone who admitted to eating beef and at the point of data collection bought beef for their own consumption or family consumption was deemed as a unit of analysis. Non – probabilistic sampling techniques which included accidental and random sampling were used to collect data from 100 interviewees. A semi structured questionnaire was used to analyse the perceptions and attitudes of beef consumers. The respondents were asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with 47 statements or items presented on either five alternatives in a Likert scale scored from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) or a six Likert scale ranging from 1 (very low) through 5 (very high) to 6 (I do not know).The data was analysed using SPSS. It was discovered that beef consumers did not consider either intrinsic or extrinsic cues in isolation when purchasing beef but rather all characteristics contribute to the final perception. The Alice consumer market is heterogeneous and consists of different races with different cultures and market segments with varying needs and preferences. The results showed that five factors were extracted from forty seven items Factor 1: Information reliance and quality indication; Factor 2: convenience; Factor 3: Traceability and animal Welfare; Factor 4: Health and safety Conscious and Factor 5: Price and Branding. Furthermore, four main consumer segments emerged as - Segment 1: Informed buyers; Segment 2: Elite buyers; Segment 3: Health & safety conscious buyers and Segment 4: Apathetic buyers. The cluster analysis shows that quality is a subjective concept that is informed by a consumer’s personal taste and preferences. Taste and preferences inform the consumer’s effective demand which in retrospect is informed by the consumer’s socioeconomic status.

The objective of the study was to evaluate cow reproductive performance in the sweetveld and sourveld communal grazing areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In the first experiment, farmer perceptions were obtained using participatory rural appraisals. Farmers ranked lack of fences, tick-borne diseases, poor animal condition during winter and poor breeding practices, respectively as major constraints limiting cattle production in the Eastern Cape. Cattle, sheep and goats, in that order, were ranked as the most important livestock species and were mainly kept for meat, cash and ceremonies, respectively. The non-descript cattle breed was the most common breed found in the smallholder areas. Most farmers preferred Nguni breed because of its adaptive attributes. In the second experiment, structured questionnaires were administered, between June and August 2006, to a total of 551 farmers from 10 communities of the Eastern Cape. There was a significant association (P<0.05) between the use of pregnancy diagnoses and community. About 87 and 77 % of the interviewed farmers did not respond on the extent of pregnancy and calving rates in their herds. A higher proportion of farmers from Hekele (51%) and from Upper Mnxe (45.3%) communities reported low number of bulls as a major constraint to cow reproductive performance. Body condition and ovarian activity were measured in the sweet and sour veld types. Body condition score of animals was measured from March iii 2007 until January 2008 and ovarian activity of cows was performed by a veterinarian through rectal palpation in June, August and October 2007 and January 2008. From March to July, there was a marked decline in body condition on both veld types. In the sweetveld, body condition improved from September until January, whereas in the sourveld the improvement in body condition started in October. The cows in both veld types conceived throughout the year. Most cows in the sweetveld were cycling in January and August (P<0.05) whereas in the sourveld there was no distinct period when the animals were cycling. Overall, there were no differences in the proportion of cows that were cycling between the sour and sweet veldts (P>0.05). There were more cows cycling in sourveld in October than in the sweetveld. Reproductive performance of cows in communal areas could, therefore, be determined by levels and quality of nutrition. Keywords: Participatory rural appraisals; Structured questionnaires; Farmer participation; Farmer perceptions; Body condition scoring; Ovarian activity; Pregnancy diagnoses.