The role of biotechnology in animal production

Abstract

Biotechnology in animal production is widely used to increase not only the number of population of livestock animals to meet the requirement for world demand of animal products but also for endangered species to enhance the propagation and sustaining the current levels of biodiversity and genetic diversity. Biotechnologies can affect efficiency of reproduction and therefore also selection programs (artificial insemination, embryo transfer, sexing, cloning and other related techniques), improve determination of genetic values of animal (genetic markers, candidate genes and other related techniques, and biotechnologies can transform artificially the genome at the DNA level such as genetic engineering, gene transfer, and related techniques. The objective of this study was to review the importance of the most common current biotechnologies on animal production and some results that have been implemented in Indonesia.