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Joint FAO/IAEA Programme
About the Programme

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?
» 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?
The underlying principles in the use of marker assisted selection (MAS) in crop improvement hold true whether or not mutants are used in the improvement programme, namely that MAS could make varietal selection more efficient. The decision to apply MAS would normally depend on some estimation of the comparative advantages. This implies therefore that it would take a while before MAS is applied uniformly on a global scale. We at the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme encourage our counterpart plant breeders in member states to adopt MAS when it leads to greater efficiency in varietal selection. Currently on account of the varying capacities, not all national programmes are able to adopt this strategy while amongst those using MAS, there is also a wide variation in the scope of application. And finally, when induced mutations form part of an improvement scheme (just like in all crop improvement strategies), while the use of MAS could be advantageous, it doesn't have to be always used in order to efficiently generate new varieties especially if it is a lot easier or cheaper to use phenotypic data to trace the inheritance of the trait in question. In actual fact, experience shows that the greatest benefits are derived when MAS is used in concert with phenotypic selection.
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?