Proceedings of a final research co-ordination meeting organized by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Rockhampton, Australia, 20–24 February 1989. This publication reports the results of the second five year co-ordinated research programme to determine the constraints on buffalo production in terms of nutrition, reproduction and disease. Studies on nutrition focused on the comparative aspects of digestion of tropical forages and crop by-products, and on the effects of supplementation or treatment of fibrous feeds. In reproduction, emphasis was placed on the evaluation of methods for overcoming prolonged postpartum anoestrus and for improving overall productivity. The studies on diseases dealt with trypanosomiasis and rotavirus infection. Field oriented interdisciplinary research was stressed and many of the trials were carried out under smallholder conditions.