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?
- Q: Which molecular techniques can be used in animal production research for enhancing livestock productivity?
- Lately, molecular methods have found some exciting applications in the area of nutrition, reproduction and breeding. 32P labeled oligonucleotide probes,
denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, dot-blot hybridization, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) etc. permit the development of feeding strategies and the sensitive identification
of feed additives that could improve the efficiency of utilization of locally available forages and crop residues while reducing methane emission, leading to more sustainable and environmentally
friendly livestock production systems. These techniques have also been used for detection and quantification of pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in food
products and for detection of probiotics and intestinal microbiota in monogastrics. These techniques, coupled with non-isotopic molecular tools for identification of genes, microsatellites and
quantitative trait loci assist the selection and breeding of preferred animals with natural resistance to gastrointestinal helminthic and trypanosomoses infections, or having the ability to thrive under
climatic or nutritional stress. Better understanding of the functional genetics as affected by nutrition and genotype, through northern analysis, RNA Slot Blotting, reverse transcriptase real time
PCR or cDNA microarrays for mRNA measurement; through proteomics methods such as two dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis coupled with matrix assisted laser desorption-time
of flight-mass spectrometry for protein separation and identification for the study of expressed proteins and their post-translational modification; and through other techniques such
as immunoprecipitation (antibody and protein arrays) for signal transduction together with bioinformatics could impact significantly on health, welfare and production of livestock species.
- » 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?
