Q.73 Modern methods of breeding animals and plants can alleviate the global food shortage’.

Comment on the statement and give suitable examples.

With ever increasing population of the world, enhancement of food production is a major

necessity. Modern biological principles as applied to animal husbandry and plant breeding

have a major role in our efforts to increase food production. These modem techniques

include embryo transfer technology and tissue culture techniques.

Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer Technology (MOET) is a programme for herd

improvement in animals lke cattle, sheep, rabbits, buffaloes, mares, etc.

High milk-yielding breeds of female are bred with high quality meat-yielding (meat with less

lipid) bulls to increase herd size. It ensures good quality of progeny. Its also economic and

time saving process to obtain the desirable progeny.

The procedure for MOET is as follows

(i) A cow is administered hormones with FSH-like activity to induce follicular maturation

and siiper-nvaitation,

(ii) The cow produces 6-8 eggs instead of one egg produced normally

(iii) Itis now, either mated with an elite bul or artiticial insemination is carried out,

(iv) When the fertilised eggs attain 8-32 cells stage, they are non-surgically removed and

transferred to a surrogate mother,

(v) The genetic mother can now be again super ovulated

Modern methods in piant breeding involves following

(Tissue culture is an in vitro technique of regeneration of a whole plant from any part of a

plant (explant) by growing it an culture medium uindler aseptic conditions.

(i) Biofortiication is the method for developing crops with higher levels of vitamins,

minerals, proteins and healthier fats to improve public health.

(ii) Single cell protein is an alternative protein source for animal and human nutrition from

certain beneficial m croarganisms like Spirulina.