Recent Developments Of Biotechnology In ''Crop and Livestock Production''

Biotechnology has achieved some dramatic advances in recent years in both crop and livestock production. These include transferring a specific gene from one species to another to create a transgenic organism; the production of genetically uniform plants and animals (clones); and the fusing of different types of cells to produce beneficial medical products such as monoclonal antibodies.
 Today, biotechnology has a number of applications in livestock production. It is being used to hasten animal growth, enhance reproductive capacity, improve animal health and develop new animal products. 
The ares of resent development in both crop and livestock production:

Feed, Growth and Production

Biotechnology can increase the digestibility of low-quality roughage, and genetically modify plants to improve their feed value, such as the amino acid balance. It can also provide hormones and other substances that enhance animal size, productivity and growth rates.

Feed Additives

High-protein yeast cell products are being used as a feed additive for cattle, pigs and poultry. Highly palatable and nutritious, these products also help create a healthy balance of bacteria in the digestive tract, and prevent bacterial diarrhea.

A bacterial phytase formula, TRANSPHOS, is being used to replace the costly mineral phosphate used as an additive in the feed of monogastric animals, a bacteriocin is being produced which has antibacterial properties against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and other pathogens found in livestock feed and human food.

L-lysine monohydrochloride, a safe and stable form of lysine, is being produced by the fermentation of a special strain of bacteria in raw molasses. Lysine is one of the most essential amino acids. Livestock requirements for it are hardly met by the amount present in natural feeds. Lysine supplementation improves the nutrient balance of feed, and feed conversion rates by livestock.

Genetic Improvement of Forage Crops

Tissue culture is being used for the genetic improvement of forage cultivars in Korea, including alfalfa and orchardgrass. A particle bombardment delivery system has been developed in Korea for transferring useful genes with heat tolerance, drought tolerance etc. into forage crops. A DNA product cloned from Brassica campestris confers heat tolerance to forage crops which generally do not perform well in temperatures above 30oC. Another useful gene being transferred into forage crops gives resistance to paraquat. This is a non-selective herbicide which kills all green plants. If forage crops can be given a resistant gene, paraquat will become a simple and effective way of controlling weeds in grassland.

 

Waste Treatment

A bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas capsulata, has the ability to grow rapidly in simple synthetic media. It is being used in advanced swine waste treatment plants in both Japan and Korea. Short chain fatty acids, one of the main sources of the bad odor of swine wastes, decreased dramatically after treatment. The residues after treatment can be used as a safe organic fertilizer.  

Animal Reproduction

Biotechnology can greatly accelerate the speed at which desirable characteristics (e.g. better growth rates, or increased milk production) can be introduced into animals. While classical breeding to enhance animal traits works well, it takes decades to produce major changes. Through biotechnology, an organism can be modified directly in a very short time if the appropriate gene has been identified.

 

Improving the Reproductive Rate 

Embryo transfer is being used on valuable animals, so that oocytes and embryos from high-value animals are transferred into the uterus of surrogate mothers. In Korea and Taiwan, a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test has been developed to establish the sex of cattle embryos. This is very important, particularly when combined with embryo transfer, since it gives control over the sex of the offspring. Similar tests are being developed for other types of livestock. The hypoosmotic swelling test has been developed to evaluate the quality of frozen and thawed bovine sperm.

 

Improved Transgenic Animals

In Taiwan, transgenic pigs have been bred with a porcine lactoferrin transgene. Lactoferrin is a milk protein which promotes gut growth and prevents diarrhea. Sows with this gene maintain a high lactoferrin level in their milk throughout lactation. Transgenic boars can transmit this gene to their offspring.

Genetic markers for milk production traits have been established for dairy cattle. This would be a great benefit in identifying the best progenitors for a high-yielding dairy herd.

 

 Animal Health

One important benefit from biotechnology is the diagnosis of livestock diseases, and genetically transmitted conditions which damage health and productivity. Biological techniques can also produce cheaper and more efficient drugs. In cases where a natural source material is prohibitively expensive, genetic engineering (in microbial or tissue culture systems) can be used to produce drugs of high value for humans or animals. Examples are insulin, human growth hormone and tissue plasminogen activator (used in treating heart disease).

 

Vaccines

Vaccines are used to stimulate an animal's immune system to produce the antibodies needed to prevent infection. Recombinant DNA technology has provided the means to produce large quantities of inexpensive vaccines, while a better understanding of the immune system has helped produce vaccines that do a better job of boosting the body's immune system.

 

Animal Products

Biotechnology can lead to new and improved animal products. For example, it can modify the composition of milk, or the fat content of meat. Genetically transformed cows can produce designer milks with superior properties for use in various milk products. Added caseins in milk, for instance, can enhance cheese making. Increasing the phosphate group in casein can enhance the level of calcium. Removal of the source of lactose intolerance in milk can have a significant impact on the market for dairy products, especially among the 90 % of people with an Asian or African background who are lactose-intolerant.

 

Conclusion

There is no doubt that biotechnology can bring about improvements in animal growth and production, nutrition, reproduction, health and animal products. It can do this while conserving natural resources and the environment.