Facts about the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme
- General
- Q: 'Nuclear' in what sense?
- Animal Production and Health (APH)
- Q: Which nuclear techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- The techniques used can be divided in two categories:
1 - Isotopic methods
2 - Nuclear methods but not isotopic, and
The isotopic techniques are: stable- (15N) and radio-isotope (35S or 32P) incorporation methods for measuring microbial mass in vitro and in vivo, enabling the selection of feeds based
on the efficiency of microbial protein production; 125I-labeled bovine serum albumin and 14C-labeled polyethylene glycol assays for measuring tannin in feeds; a method based on the feeding
of isotope-labeled protein (15N or 125I) complexed with tannin for ranking different tannins for their abilities to release protein for digestion in vivo; 14C-uric acid and 14C-allantoin infusion
methods for development of models describing excretion of purine derivatives in urine and microbial protein supply to ruminants, which permit assessment of nutritional status of animals and
determination of nutritional quality of feed resources; a 15N isotope dilution technique using 15N-leucine to distinguish feed and endogenous secretions at the ileum, for determination of true
digestibility of protein-rich tree leaves and aquatic plants in pigs; progesterone radioimmunoassay (RIA) for enhancing reproductive efficiency of ruminants, and RIA based leptin and insulin
growth factor assays for assessing the nutritional status of animals; feeding of 15N enriched plant material to generate 15N-labeled excreta for research on the fate of excreta N in the
environment; 15N, 13C and 34S isotopic methods for nutrient budgeting and for following the nutrient pathways in soil-plant-animal continuum; 32P- or 33P-labeled fertilizers for
estimating the efficiency of P utilization in legume leaf production used for livestock feeding; doubly labeled water (18O and 2H labeled) method for estimation of energy expenditures
of grazing animals, body composition, basal metabolic rate, and milk output in cows with calves; NaH13CO3/ NaH14CO3 infusion for estimation of the carbon dioxide production which
in turn is used to estimate energy expenditure in free-ranging animals; 3H- or 14C-labelled methane and 14C-labeled volatile fatty acids dilution technique for direct and indirect
(using stoichiometry of carbohydrate fermentation) respectively for determination of methane emission from livestock; and 15N dilution technique requiring labeling the soil
with 15N fertilizer (15N-ammonium sulphate or 15N-urea) for estimation of nitrogen fixation by leguminous trees and pastures, for better management of pastures and efficient integration
of cereal crops with the fodder crops.
The nuclear techniques which have been used or have the potential for use are: dual energy X-ray absorptionmetry and computer tomography for body composition
determination; 13C, 3H and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy, and mass ionization spectroscopy for identification and structure
determination of bioactive moieties of plant origin having potential for rumen manipulation or controlling internal parasites; gamma irradiation for inactivating antinutrients such as protease
inhibitors, lectin, phytic acid, non-starch polysaccharides and oligosaccharides in feeds; and induced mutations with gamma radiation, electron beam and fast neutrons for producing useful
mutants of forage plants having higher yield and nutrient profile and their uptake.
- Q: Which molecular techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- » On Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
- Plant Breeding and Genetics (PBG)
- Q: To which extent is radiation used in plant breeding today?
- Q: How do induced mutants compare to spontaneous mutants in crop improvement?
- Q: What's the role of marker-aided selection (MAS) in crop improvement in LIFDCs?
- Q: What are the current and future trends in Plant Breeding?
- Insect Pest Control (IPC)
- Q: Are Sterile Insects that have been Irradiated Radioactive?
- Q: Is the SIT a stand-alone technology?
- Q: Is Eradication Necessary when Using the Sterile Insect Technique?
- Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition (SWMCN)
- Q: What isotopic and nuclear techniques are commonly used to study soil and water management and crop nutrition?
- Q: I would be interested in receiving training in the use of nuclear techniques to evaluate water management and crop nutrition. How should I proceed?
