1. Application of Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry
1.1 Global Overview
Biotechnology has been increasingly developed and applied worldwide. This report focuses on the application of biotechnology in developing countries, where conditions are similar to those in Vietnam.
Animal husbandry is becoming more significant in agricultural development in developing countries. In these nations, most livestock farming is done on small-scale farms with limited land and few animals. Furthermore, farmers often face challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to address climate issues (heat, humidity, lack of clean water, etc.) and insufficient information to identify suitable feed resources. Consequently, livestock productivity and reproduction rates are relatively low compared to developed countries with advanced animal husbandry practices. However, applying scientific and technological advancements, particularly biotechnology, can significantly enhance livestock productivity in these countries.
Biotechnology techniques have been applied in both developed and developing countries. Successful applications in developing countries include genetic technology, reproductive technology (including embryo transfer and related techniques), vaccine technology, diagnostic techniques, and feed technology to improve feed availability. Specifically:
- Genetic Technology: The application of genetic technology in livestock has yielded significant results compared to crops. While genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are widely used in crops such as rice, corn, and soybeans, genetically modified animals (GMAs) are limited to pharmaceutical production for the healthcare sector. In livestock, research focuses on genes that directly impact productivity, such as HAL, ESR, RN, BLAD, phytase gene, and keratin gene. Somatotropin (BST or PST) is one of the first biotechnological products to effectively impact the livestock industry. Additionally, a notable application is in livestock breeding, such as the use of laminar Bovine SNP50 BeadChip, a thin glass slide containing thousands of DNA markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) used to find correlations between DNA markers and traits. This technology is being tested on dairy and beef cattle in 23 locations across 11 countries.
- Reproductive Technology: The goal is to improve livestock reproductive performance, indirectly increasing productivity, accelerating genetic improvement, and controlling disease spread through reproduction. Techniques include artificial insemination (AI), multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET), in vitro fertilization (IVF), sexing embryos (SE), and cloning.
- Vaccine and Diagnostic Technology: Approximately 90% of biotechnology techniques related to health focus on solving problems in developing countries, which account for only 10% of the global population. These techniques include the production of recombinant DNA vaccines, which involve identifying and removing toxic genes from pathogens to produce safe live vaccines, and identifying molecular structures of pathogen proteins to stimulate host immune responses. Other biotechnology techniques, such as ELISA, PCR, monoclonal antibodies, and recombinant antigens, have become essential tools for the molecular diagnosis of livestock diseases.
- Feed Technology: To increase feed efficiency and effectiveness, challenges include technology for storing feed under harsh climate conditions and enhancing the nutritional value of feed ingredients. Additives such as enzymes, probiotics, single-cell proteins, and antibiotics are incorporated into feed to aid livestock nutrition. Metabolic enhancers like rBST (recombinant somatotropin) are also used.
1.2 In Vietnam
Similar to other developing countries, biotechnology in animal husbandry in Vietnam has not achieved significant advancements compared to crop biotechnology. However, the following results have been achieved:
- Genetic Technology: Research has focused mainly on pigs, including Halothane gene, estrogen and prolactin receptor genes, and the polymorphism of genes like PSTF1, Myogenin, and HFA-BP. Notably, there has been little research on applying genetic technology to livestock breeding, with only a few studies conducted:
- Research on the effect of the Halothane gene on growth, reproduction, and meat quality in pigs by Nguyễn Ngọc Tuân and Trần Thị Dân (2001); Nguyễn Văn Cường et al. (2002).
- Research on the effect of estrogen and prolactin receptor genes on reproductive performance (number of piglets per litter) by Lê Thị Thúy et al. (2002); Trần Thị Dân et al. (2005).
- Research on the polymorphism of PSTF1 gene, Myogenin gene, and heart fatty acid BP gene related to growth, muscle differentiation, and fat in muscle by Phạm Thu Thủy et al. (2003); Nguyễn Văn Anh (2005); Nguyễn Thu Thủy et al. (2005).
- Reproductive Technology: This field has received more focus, evidenced by numerous research projects both domestically and internationally, such as embryo freezing studies (Biotechnology Institute), in vitro and in vivo embryo production, embryo transfer techniques, embryo splitting, sexing embryos, and the use of sorted semen. Reproductive technology is primarily applied to beef and dairy cattle due to their single pregnancy trait, making reproductive improvement more critical than in multiparous species. However, these techniques remain at the experimental stage and have not been widely adopted due to various challenges such as lack of funding, insufficient technical expertise, and inadequate facilities. Some completed studies include:
- Research on egg maturation (IVM), in vitro fertilization (IVF), in vitro embryo production (IVP), and using sorted semen for embryo production in various livestock species by Nguyễn Quốc Đạt et al. (2003); Bùi Xuân Nguyên (2004); Trần Thị Dân et al. (2005); Chung Anh Dũng et al. (2008) on cattle; Huỳnh Thị Lệ Duyên (2003); Chung Anh Dũng et al. (2008) on pigs; Trần Thị Dân et al. (2005) on dogs.
- Vaccine and Diagnostic Technology: Biotechnological techniques for livestock disease diagnosis have been widely applied due to the increasing complexity of livestock diseases. Techniques such as PCR have been used to diagnose pathogens like E. coli, Campylobacter (causing diarrhea in livestock); Mycoplasma in pigs (causing secondary lung infections); Hog Cholera virus in pigs; Foot-and-Mouth Disease in cattle and buffalo; PRRS virus, Circovirus type 2 in pigs; Gumboro virus or influenza virus in chickens. Additionally, recombinant antigens like VT2e from E. coli and antigens from Gumboro virus have been produced. Research projects include:
- Application of PCR and cell culture in disease diagnosis: E. coli (Nguyễn Ngọc Tuân et al., 2005); Campylobacter (Võ Ngọc Bảo et al., 2006); Mycoplasma infections in pigs (Nguyễn Thị Phướng Ninh et al., 2006); chickens (Nhu Văn Thu, 2006); FMD impact on buffalo, cattle, and pigs (Tô Long Thành et al., 2004); swine fever (Nguyễn Thị Thu Hồng, 2003).
- Production of recombinant antigens: Nguyễn Ngọc Hải and Milon (2005); Nguyễn Hồng Thanh et al. (2004); Chu Hoàng Hà et al. (2005).
- Production of antibiotics and antimicrobial agents: Nguyễn Phương Nhuệ et al. (2004).
- Feed Technology: Research has focused on producing beneficial microorganisms for digestion, such as Bacillus, Aspergillus, and Saccharomyces, and developing probiotic products. Enzymes like phytase and bromelase have been successfully produced in trials. However, the quality and cost of domestic products still need improvement. Research projects include:
- Bacillus subtilis: Tô Minh Châu et al. (2005) for probiotic production; Đỗ Thị Bích Thủy and Trần Thị Xô (2004) for protease production; Tăng Thị Chinh (2006) for alkaline alpha-amylase from Bacillus HA401.
- Production of phytase enzyme from Aspergillus niger: Trần Thị Tuyết et al. (2004).
- Production of S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Trần Thị Hương et al. (2005).
2. Future Directions for Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry by 2020
2.1 Objectives
The application of biotechnology in animal husbandry aims to rapidly improve livestock production and reproduction. This will contribute to increasing farmers’ income, reducing production costs, ensuring domestic livestock products remain competitive during integration, and promoting stable and sustainable development in the livestock sector.
Recognizing the importance of biotechnology in agriculture and animal husbandry, the government issued Decision No. 11/2006/QĐ-TTg on January 12, 2006, approving the “Key Program for Developing and Applying Biotechnology in Agriculture and Rural Development until 2020,” which includes:
- Research on applying genetic technology (gene transfer and molecular marker methods) to create new livestock breeds (poultry, pigs, cattle) with 1-2 high-performance lines for each species, characterized by high productivity, quality, and disease resistance under adverse environmental conditions.
- Research on improving and applying advanced animal cell technologies to enhance reproductive efficiency, aid in the preservation and conservation of germ cells, and evaluate livestock quality. This includes applying embryo transfer and improving in vitro fertilization methods for reproductive purposes. Widespread application of semen and embryo freezing technologies for the long-term preservation of indigenous and rare genetic resources in livestock is also targeted. Genetic technology will be used to determine the sex of embryos in cattle at 7 days of age.
- Research on producing vaccines for livestock diseases and functional feed; aiming to produce and meet basic vaccine needs for livestock by 2015.
**2.2 Specific Directions for Biotechnology Application in Animal Husband