Sel’skokhozyaistvennaya Biologiya [Agricultural Biology], 2012, № 6, p. 35-42 UDK 633.11:631.527:632.4:577.2 EVALUATION OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT PIG POPULATIONS TO THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE LARGE WHITE BREED 1 All-Russia Research and Development Institute for Livestock Husbandry, RAAS, Dubrovitsy settlement 142132, Podolsk region, Moscow province, Russia e-mail: n_zinovieva@mail.ru N.A. Zinovieva1, V.R. Kharzinova1, E.I. Sizareva2, E.A. Gladyr’1, O.V. Kostyunina1, S.I. Lugovoi3, V.A. Tapiha3, L.N. Gamko4, E.V. Ovseenko4, K.M. Shavyrina1, L.K. Ernst 1 4 Bryansk State Agricultural Academy, Kokino settlement 243365, Vygonichsky region, Bryansk province, Russia e-mail: bgsha@bgsha.com, cit@bgsha.com 3 Nikolaev State Agrarian University, Nikolaev 54029, Ukraine e-mail: lugovoy79@mail.ru 2 Znamensky Genetic Selection Center, Orel 302030, Russia e-mail: sizareva@nsgc.ru Received July 19, 2012 S umma r y The characteristic of the allele pool of the Large White and Yorkshire pig breeds using 11 microsatellites (S0155, S0355, S0386, SW72, SW951, S0101, SW240, SW857, S0228, SW911 and SW936) was done. <...> It was shown that 24.2 per cent of the total microsatellite diversity was due to intra population differences (Rst = 0.242, p = 0.01). <...> Based on Fst and Rst (AMOVA) values the greater contribution of geographically distant and local populations into microsatellites diversity was observed. <...> The cluster analysis performed according J.K. Pritchard (2000) and M. Nei (1983) showed that the cluster structure was in concordance with populations' origin. <...> In Russia, Large Whites represent more than 85% total livestock population, in France and Finland - about 63%, in Poland - 60%, in the UK - 50% (3). <...> In the last decade, the increased demand for lean pork has led to a notable depopulation of lard-type Large Whites of domestic selection, because many breeding farms replaced them by improved pigs of foreign selection obtained from Canada (Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement, CCSI), Denmark (breeding farms – the participants of DanBred program organized by Danish Pig Research Centre), Ireland (Hermitage Genetics), Netherlands (Hypor BV, Topigs), France (Cooperl <...>