1. Plants and their biologically active chemical constituents, sometimes called secondary metabolites or bioactives, present numerous opportunities for the improvement of livestock production by inclusion in the diet. 2. Many such plant derived materials have well established therapeutic values in man; however, their potential as feed additives in animal production, particularly of poultry, remains largely unexploited. 3. There is increasing evidence indicating that they can be efficient in controlling diseases, and plant bioactives may also influence production parameters such as feed efficiency and product quality. 4. It has been reported that they may even replicate some of the effects of antibiotic growth promoters, which were banned from use in Europe from 2006. 5. This review assesses the status of plant bioactives in poultry production and their mode of action on avian physiology, particularly in the digestive tract.

Sex identification in Pistacia species during the long juvenile stage is an economically desirable objective. Due to the lack of morphological methods to identify sex at this stage, the application of molecular markers is expected to facilitate breeding programs. The aim of our study was to identify a marker closely linked to sex loci in Pistacia atlantica Desf subsp. mutica, P. khinjuk, and P. vera subsp. Sarakhs. Samples were collected from both male and female plants of each species, and their band patterns were analyzed according to the presence or absence of specific bands. Thirty random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) primers and a pair of sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers were tested as potential markers of sex in wild Pistacia species. Among the RAPD primers, only BC 1200 was found to amplify a specific sex band present in female plants. Based on our analysis of all individual samples, a fragment of approximately 300 bp was amplified in female trees but absent in male ones. Although sex determination mechanisms in Pistacia are still unknown, they may be controlled by a single locus that acts as a trigger. The SCAR technique has proved to be a reliable technique in gender determination of pistachio genotypes at the seedling phenophase. This method could reduce both the time and costs associated with breeding programs.

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Modern biotechnological methods like in vitro micropropagation technique hold tremendous potential for the production of high-quality plant-based medicine. They also allow to achieve the large scale multiplication of diseasefree plants, faster cloning and the conservation of desired genotypes, in a very short span of time. Via genetic transformation techniques, the modification of both genetic information of MAPs and the regulation of genes responsible for the production of valuable biologically active substances has also become possible in either higher amounts or with better properties.Micropropagation protocols are worked out for many plant species cultured in vitro to provide macro-and micro-mineral nutrients, vitamins, source of carbohydrates, appropriate environmental conditions (light intensity, photoperiod and temperature) and plant growth regulators required to obtain high regeneration rates. As such they are expected to facilitate commercially feasible micropropagation. Well-defined cell culture methods have also been developed to produce pharmacologically important secondary metabolites. Genetic engineering is applied to produce transgenic medicinal plants and metabolites.This chapter offers a brief insight into the present status of the biotechnology of MAPs. Special emphasis has been placed on the in vitro micropropagation and rapid clonal multiplication of selected elite genotypes, the regulation of organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis, the exploitation of advantages in somaclonal variation and genetic engineering techniques for both crop improvement and in vitro germplasm conservation. The production of flavor and volatile constituents in tissue cultures will also be briefly discussed, similarly to the application of farther biotechnological approaches.