Agriculture: Improving Livestock Production

Nuclear applications provide added value to conventional approaches in addressing a range of agricultural problems and issues, including crop and animal production, animal disease diagnosis and control, insect pest control, food safety and sustainable use of natural resources. Examples specific to livestock include isotopes as tracers to evaluate feed intake and body composition, 125 I and 3 H labeled hormones for radioimmunoassay (RIA) to monitor reproductive hormones, X-rays and 60 Co for developing genetic maps, X-rays and 60 Co gamma irradiation for vaccine development, stable isotopes to determine the migratory path of birds, and X-rays and gamma rays to sterilize insects for pest control such as tsetse flies and the New World screwworm fly.