1. Application of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of
Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture

2. Atomic energy for peace, health and prosperity
Corporate Mission
Atomic energy for peace, health and prosperity
Sustainable agricultural development, improved nutrition and food security
to contribute to sustainable food security and safety by use of nuclear techniques and biotechnology

3. Our Goals:
Food Security
Food Safety
Sustainable Agriculture

4. Our Mandates Supporting research Providing technical services
to Member States:
Supporting research
Providing technical services
Conducting training
Promoting information exchange

5. Organizational Chart

6. Application in Food and Agriculture
Nuclear Techniques
Insect Pest Control
by Sterile Insect Techniques
Animal Production & Health
by serological and molecular techniques
Plant Breeding & Genetics
by Mutation Techniques
Soil & Water Management
& Crop Nutrition
by Isotopic and Nuclear Techniques
Food & Environmental Protection
by Food Irradiation and Radio- analytical Techniques

7. 1. Plant Breeding and Genetics
Technical basis - Crop improvement by mutation techniques
Variation is the source of evolution
Spontaneous mutation rate is 1×10-8 ~ 1×10-5
Radiation can cause genetic changes in living organisms and increase mutation rate up to 1×10-5 ~ 1×10-2
Induced mutation is useful for crop improvement
Induced mutants are not GMOs, as there is no introduction of foreign hereditary material into induced mutants

8. Crop improvement by mutation techniques
negative mutation
Mutant cultivars
Higher yielding
Disease-resistance
Well-adapted
Better nutrition
no mutation

9. Mutation techniques - Improving crop cultivars
- Enhancing biodiversity
- Increasing farmer’s income

10. Crop improvement by mutation techniques
MUTANT VARIETIES
(2006)
Total Number :
Plant Species :
Cereals 1206
Flowers 454
Legumes 203
Oil crops 198
Others 611
Sources: FAO/IAEA Mutant Varieties Database

11. 2. Soil-Water-Crop Nutrition Management
Isotopic and nuclear
techniques
Crop Nutrition

12. 2. Soil-Water-Crop Nutrition Management
Technical basis
Both stable and radioactive isotopes can be used as tracers in soil and water management & crop nutrition.
Isotopes are atoms with:
the same chemical properties
the same number of protons and electrons.
different number of neutrons and mass number (atomic weight).
Isotopes can be either stable or radioactive
stable isotopes: different masses (18O and 16O).
radioactive isotopes: radioactive decay (32P).

13. 2. Soil-Water-Crop Nutrition Management
31Posphate
13CO2
15N
12CO2
15N
14Nitrogen
32P
18O
13CO2
16O
12CO2
18O
16O
13C
12C

14. 2. Soil-Water-Crop Nutrition Management
Major Achievements
Enhance the efficient and sustainable use of soil-water-nutrient resources.
Quantify biological nitrogen fixation.
Minimize effects of soil erosion and degradation.
Enhance water use efficiency by crops.
Select drought and salt-tolerant crops.
Evaluate effects of crop residue incorporation on soil stabilization and fertility enhancement.
Track and quantify off-site water (nutrients) losses beyond the plant rooting zone.

15. 3. Insect Pest Control by SIT
Technical basis
Radiation is used to induce lethal mutations in chromosomes of insect pests to cause sterility.
Sterile males are released into the wild where they compete with wild males for matings with wild females.
SIT relies on:
mass production of the target pest
sterilization and shipment
inundative releases mostly by air
matings result in no offspring
SIT integrated with other pest control methods is applied for suppression, containment, or even eradication.

16. Insect Pest Control by SIT
Gamma Radiation No
Offspring
(BIRTH CONTROL)
Sterile
Sterile males
Wild

17. Major Achievements
SIT developed and transferred to over 30 Member States with substantial socio-economic impact:
In Chile, fruit and vegetable exports have climbed to US $1.6 billion in 2005 as a result of fruit fly-free status.
Medfly-free status in Mexico translates to annual savings of US $2 billion in reduced crop losses and pesticide costs, and access to export markets.
In Zanzibar, eradication of tsetse and trypanosomiasis resulted in very significant increases of meat and milk production, as well as crop productivity

18. Sustainable control of major insect pests
New Challenges:
Develop and improve methodologies for insect mass rearing, sterilization and release
Assess modern biotechnological methods to improve the effectiveness of SIT
Increase capacity of Member States to implement area-wide integrated management of key pests
Support development and application of IPPC standards to facilitate agricultural trade

19. 4. Animal Production & Health
Technical basis
I-125 based RIA is used to measure the presence of the reproductive hormone progesterone through immunological definition to optimize birth frequencies
DNA assisted characterization and selection of superior animals for productivity and disease resistance traits
Evaluation of locally available feed to overcome nutritional deficiencies
Gamma irradiated viruses as antigen in serological tests
Stable isotopes to trace flight paths of birds
Disease diagnosis and characterization of pathogens using molecular tools (PCR, PCR-ELISA, PCR-sequencing)
Production of safe standard reagents by irradiation

20. Efficient Utilization of Locally Grown Feeds
Animal Production & Health
Efficient Utilization of Locally Grown Feeds
Local
plant materials
Feed to
livestock
Tissue sampling to
assay isotope
distribution
Label with isotope
e.g. 15N, 14C
Nutrients dispersed
throughout body

21. DNA-Assisted Selection
Animal Production & Health
DNA-Assisted Selection
80 cm
Sample DNA
(blood, hair, milk)
Identify superior genes by
isotopic 32P, 35S methods
Measure productivity
Develop nuclear-related
test for selection and breeding

22. Use of nuclear and nuclear related techniques in disease management
What is the disease status of this cow?
Take blood
Run a serological (ELISA) or
molecular (PCR) diagnostic test
Vaccinated
Infected
Native
Analyze the result

23. Combat Bird Flu Reducing Health Risks
Through the early, rapid and sensitive serological and molecular detection of AI viruses and their characterization (ELISA and PCR)

24. 4. Animal Production & Health
Major Achievements
Diagnostic technologies developed and transferred to enable diagnostic laboratories in more than 70 Member States
Rinderpest, Brucellosis, FMD, CBPP, Newcastle Disease, Trypanosomiasis and Avian Influenza
Rinderpest eradication saves Africa about 1bn US$ per year
Network for DNA analysis of local animal breeds established in 10 Asian countries
Diagnostic Standards available for PPR, FMD with other diseases to follow
Specific feeding regimes developed in more than 30 Member States

25. Sustainable intensification of livestock production systems
New Challenges:
Early and rapid diagnosis of emerging and re-emerging transboundary animal diseases (TADs) and those of zoonotic nature
Sustainable and effective surveillance and control of TADs
Optimize use of locally available natural feed resources whilst protecting the environment
Optimizing reproduction and breeding strategies
Assuring the safety and quality of animal products

26. 5. Food and Environmental Protection
Technical basis
Food irradiation is the treatment of food by ionizing radiation
Radiation at appropriate doses can kill harmful pests, bacteria, or parasites, and extend shelf-life of foods.
Isotopic techniques are employed to monitor foods for contamination with agrochemicals
optimizing sample preparation by radioisotopes
detecting contaminant by electron capture detector

27. Several energy sources can be used to irradiate food
Gamma Rays
Electron Beams
X-rays

28. OVERCOME QUARANTINE BARRIERS
Food Irradiation
OVERCOME QUARANTINE BARRIERS
ENSURE FOOD HYGIENE
MANGOS
GRAPES
SHRIMP
MEAT
FOOD SAFETY
TRADE
ORANGES
CHICKEN
SPICES
CUT FLOWERS

29. Application of Food Irradiation
More than 60 countries permit the application of irradiation in over 50 different foods
An estimated 500,000 tons of food are irradiated annually
About 180 Cobalt-60 irradiation facilities and a dozen electron beam (EB) machines are used to treat foods worldwide
More and more countries accept the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary measure

30. Improving Food and Environmental Safety
New Challenges:
Enhance application of irradiation for quarantine, sanitary and phytosanitary purposes
Develop and improve of analytical techniques for food safety hazards and facilitation of exports
Emergency planning and response to nuclear emergencies and radiological events, including the application of agricultural countermeasures
Over 60 countries have approved the use of food irradiation – a 15% increase over the biennium. Over 20 countries have approved the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment.
Seven food safety or environmental monitoring laboratories have been established or enhanced over the biennium, three of which achieved accreditation under ISO
Cooperative arrangements between FAO and IAEA for the exchange of information in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency in place and are currently being revised (May/June 2006). First actions and agricultural countermeasures to respond to such events on web.

31. Proposal for strengthening partnership with RCA
Increase technical inputs through TC projects
Support research activities through CRPs
Promote joint activities through RCARO
Provide more technical advice and service
Help to get more supports from FAO
Improve the communication with RCARO and RCA MSs

32. Atoms for Food and Agriculture:
Meeting the Challenge