Optimizing Local Resources

Through the use of mutation induction, the rate of spontaneous mutants that come up in nature in millions of years can now be achieved in less than 10 years. Artificial mutation induction consists of using X rays, gamma rays and fast neutron irradiation to increase the frequency of mutations. Packaging this procedure with adequate efficiency-enhancing biotechnologies, such as in vitro culture and molecular techniques can aid in the selection of the most beneficial mutants. Harnessing these unique changes can lead to varieties that are higher yielding and better adapted and may be released as commercial varieties with added value.

Application of nuclear technologies can speed up the plant breeding process in producing the desired traits, while preserving most of the genetic background of the adapted or existing commercial varieties or preferred local landraces. As more and more mutant crop varieties are released to farmers, they make great contributions to local, national and regional food security.

Mutation induction also has proven useful in breaking linkages between adverse and favourable genes – linkages that could not be separated by conventional cross breeding. It also allows improvement of vegetatively propagated and/ or sterile crops, where no mating is possible. Mutation induction has been part of the crop breeding toolkit since the late 1920s, meaning it is well tested and has proven to be a robust, cost-effective and ubiquitously applicable technology. It also has proven non-hazardous and, thus, is unregulated. This makes the technology eminently adaptable to low infrastructure laboratory environments and thus transferrable to any developing country.

After 6 years of research by more than 300 researchers from 25 countries and US $53 million in funding, the cow genome has been defined. The Bovine Haplotype Map, as it is called, characterizes genetic diversity among breeds. Having this map allows cattle breeders to select for features they want in their cows – in particular, high quality milk. Until now, guaranteeing quality milk required inseminating cows, then waiting for the female offspring to grow and produce calves and the milk to feed them, at a cost of US $25 000 to US $50 000 per bull. Most genetic improvements in cattle come through males, because each male can produce tens of thousands of females. Already, cattle breeders are eagerly mapping single nucleotidepolymorphisms in most of their bulls, with an eye toward identifying which single nucleotide-polymorphisms are linked with good milk and other desirable qualities.

Conserving genetic diversity. Traditionally, because of the pressure for higher animal output and the trend to promote the “advantages” of a small number of highly specialized breeds from the developed world, farmers in developing countries have been replacing or cross-breeding local breeds with exotic animals. Although the genetic improvement has been quite successful in many instances, practicing selective inbreeding and use of exotic lines and breeds while neglecting or making blanket upgrades of indigenous animals has eroded genetic diversity. Indigenous animals are also underutilized in conventional breeding programmes, due to misconceptions about their value and failure to identify breeds or animals carrying advantageous traits.

Improving local feeds. The Joint Division is involved in efforts to improve the efficiency of using locally available feed resources through development, adaptation and transfer of economically viable and “simple-to-use” feeding strategies for sustainable livestock production. Examples of nuclear technologies implemented include: using 13C,14C, 15N, 125I, 51Cr, 3H, 32P, 35S as tracers to evaluate nutritive value, passage rate and voluntary feed intake, and using doubly-labelled water (18O and 2H labelled) and deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution for measurement of energy expenditure and body composition.

The Joint Division is directly involved in applied research, which brings together the needs of the world’s farmers with the capacity of the world’s scientists. More than 3 000 officially released crop varieties of 170 different species have been improved for agronomic traits, thanks to the efficiency of mutation induction. These traits include increased yield, improved quality, resistance to disease or harsh conditions, more appropriate plant architecture and higher nutritious value.

• In Kenya, Bangladesh and Cuba, development of drought tolerant wheat, rice and tomato, respectively has significantly improved the livelihoods of farmers. A new mutant variety of the ancient Andes grain Kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus) – a staple of the Incas – has been widely accepted by consumers because of its improved yield and seed quality (yellowish-white colour and larger grain). Cultivated under good agronomic practice with little or no chemicals used for weed, pest or disease management interventions, it is certified organic which means higher value and increased income for farmers. The application of mutation induction to the Kiwicha has had a socio-economic impact on thousands of native Andean subsistence farmers that can be measured by the increase of exports – from 20 metric tonnes in 2002 to 200 metric tonnes in 2009. This shows the remarkable impact of mutation induction in improving livelihoods of populations living in remote harsh environments adding to the efforts to attain the UN Millennium Development Goals.
• One salt-tolerant mutant rice variety in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam has meant US $300 million in additional income to the farmers, and another mutant rice variety with a shortened growing period allows three harvests per year, where only two were possible before.
• Bangladesh has taken advantage of support from the Joint Division to develop a self-sustaining Communitybased Dairy Veterinary Service. The service measures progesterone by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in milk samples collected at specific times in relation to artificial insemination, and makes use of the Artificial Insemination Database Application to calculate reproductive indices and identify factors which affect them. This has enabled them to created a self-financing foundation which, in collaboration with farmers association and the local dairy processor, is running the programme without financial support from the university or the government.