%0 Journal Article
%T Opportunities, Constraints and Future Implication of Biotechnology in Animlal Feed Improvement
%A Bimrew Asmare
%J Open Access Library Journal
%V 1
%N 6
%P 1-7
%@ 2333-9721
%D 2014
%I Open Access Library
%R 10.4236/oalib.1100493
%X The major cause of poor
livestock productivity in tropical regions of the world is inadequate nutrition.
The shortage of feed in most developing countries and the increasing cost of
feed constituents entail that there is a call for to improvement feed
utilization strategies in developing countries. Animal feeds and feeding
practices can be enhanced by biotechnology to develop better animal nutrition
packages in smallholder and commercial production systems as well as to reduce
environmental waste. Roughages are the major diets of farm animals,
particularly ruminants in the tropics; hence, improving the nutritive value of
such kind of feed is very important for best utilization. Among application of
biotechnology, roughage improvement using a non-toxic fungus has been practiced
in many countries. The white rot fungi have been used especially because of
their ability to delignify the plant material. The other application of
biotechnology is to produce genetically modified fodder crops of vast benefits
to consumers as well as environment like that of food crops. Another area of nutritional
biotechnology is the successful attempt in the use of genetically modified
micro organisms to enhance rumen fermentation and thereby increase nutrient
availability to the host animal. The ultimate goal of using biotechnology in
animal feeds and feeding systems is then to improve the plane of nutrition
through the use of enzymes to improve the availability of from feed and to
reduce the wastage of the feed. Though application of biotechnology has various
opportunities, it is not easily expanded due to prevailing environmental and
social constraints of developing countries in the tropics.
%K Biotechnology
%K Roughage
%K Lignin
%K White Rot Fungi
%U http://www.oalib.com/paper/3064172