Facts about the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme
- General
- Q: 'Nuclear' in what sense?
- Everything in the universe - soil, plants, animals, the air we breathe and the food we eat - is made of elements. Every one of the 90 or so elements
found in nature consists of atoms. Inside each atom, electrons orbit around a nucleus of neutrons and protons. For any given element, the number of neutrons in the atom's
nucleus may vary, giving us different forms or "isotopes" of the same element. Some are heavier than others, some are stable, some undergo decay and give off energy as
radiation. Scientists have learned to use these "nuclear" properties of isotopes to measure and track many processes in the production of food and other agricultural products.
Isotopic tracers are particularly useful, for example, in optimizing fertilizer and irrigation efficiency, or as signals for detecting disease agents. Sealed sources containing
radiation-emitting isotopes are used to change the genetic make-up of plants, insects and micro-organisms in ways that lead to better crops, more environmentally friendly
pest control and safer foods with longer shelf life.
Nuclear techniques can be an efficient, effective and inexpensive option for certain agricultural problems. But techniques alone don't solve problems.
While the IAEA laboratory at Seibersdorf works on the science, the Joint Programme draws on FAO's expertise in agriculture, food and nutrition, forestry, and fisheries
to help member countries put the techniques to work.
- Animal Production and Health (APH)
- Q: Which nuclear techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- 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?
