APLICACIONES ACTUALES Y POTENCIALES DE GENÉTICA EN PRODUCCIÓN ANIMAL

Abstract

This article presents a general overview of the most important scientific advances in genetics, which have permitted the implementation of diverse selection methods with domestic animal species. The goal of this paper is to describe the evolutionary process of genetic technologies from their early beginnings with relatively simple procedures such as observation and recordings of field data to organisms whose DNA has been modified and which have been multiplied with biotechnological procedures allowing improved male and female specimens to breed thousands of descendants per year.

All these techniques have been satisfactorily applied in the last century in numerous studies in animal science in different countries. Specifically in Nariño, our research group has been concerned with the study of basically all the selective methods in the species which are more relevant for the region, namely, dairy cattle and guinea pigs.

The importance of carrying out research in this field is indisputable, since the positive aspects derived from genetic application and the potential risks they entail for human health and for the environmental balance need to be taken into consideration.