Thirty years of benefits from nuclear techniques in food and agriculture

The benefits derived from the use of nuclear techniques in agriculture and food production remain perhaps largely unknown outside the community of those directly involved. But these methods - from the use of isotope tracers to study fertilizer uptake, through the application of mutations in plant breeding to the control of major insect pests by the sterile insect technique - have had a significant impact. This article looks at some of the highlights of the past thirty years and considers activities both within and outside the Joint FAO/IAEA Division relating to: soil fertility and the use of water; plant mutation breeding; animal production and health; insect pest control; protection of the environment from agrochemical residues; and food preservation. 6 figs