Production of livestock and poultry products that meet diverse customer needs is required. At the same time, for the sustainable production, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from global livestock and poultry production system, and the development of effective methods to keep genetic resources from the extinction crisis caused by frequent spread of domestic animal and poultry infectious diseases are required.
Meat Animal and Poultry Nutrition Group is working towards improving the technologies of feeding and management for swine and poultry, such as technological developments to produce pork and chicken meat that meet customer needs based on feeling of the market, and to reduce nitrogen excretion by pigs and poultry and GHG emission from their manure or excreta. Particularly, we aim for the reduction of GHG emissions without lowering high-quality of products. In addition, we are challenging to develop and spread new method using primordial germ cells (PGCs), progenitor cells for gametes (spermatozoa and ova), for maintaining poultry genetic resources. Preservation of poultry genetic resources is said to be very difficult by methods other than in situ living populations. Specifically, we are trying to develop efficient methods for collection and cryopreservation of PGCs, and production of cryopreserved PGCs-derived progeny.
Furthermore, studies about clock genes or chrono nutrition are undertaken as basic research, to create new technologies of feeding and management in swine and poultry production.
