This paper reviewsthe technical bases of in vitro embryo production in small ruminantswith special attention to the results obtained by our group in NortheasternBrazil. The laparoscopic oocyte recovery in hormonally treated live animalsindicates a promising future for the application of this technique to geneticimprovement program. New molecular biology tools should provide informationto improve the efficiency of in vitro maturation. Furthers efforts haveto be made to improve the oocyte maturation and to standardize the semen-capacitatingprocess.
