NUTRITIVE-VALUE OF PEAS FOR NONRUMINANT DIETS

Peas, the seeds of Pisum sativum, are produced usually in temperate re gions but are accepted as a food source worldwide, Traditionally, nonr uminant diets utilized peas which had been rejected by the food indust ry but specific cultivars of feed (or field) peas also have been devel oped for livestock use. In view of the diversity of varieties, seeding times (spring or winter-sown) and agronomic conditions during the gro wing season, there is a considerable range in the composition and nutr itive value of peas, The seed coat (hull) represents 70 to 140 g kg(-1 ) of the total weight and consists mainly of non-starch polysaccharide s, while the major components of the dehulled pea are starch (similar to 450 g kg(-1)) and protein (similar to 250 g kg(-1)). Published ener gy values for the whole seed range from 12.2 to 16.6 MJ ME kg(-1) DM f or pigs and 10.1 to 12.8 MJ TME(N) kg(-1) DM for poultry, Reported ana lyses for crude protein vary from 156 to 325 g kg(-1) DM, while conten t and availability of the constituent amino acids vary also with culti var, seed type and analytical methods. Most concerns about low digesti bilities relate to the sulphur amino acids and tryptophan. Potentially detrimental constituents in raw peas include anti-proteases, haemaggl utinins, phytic acid and tannins although these appear negligible in C anadian peas, When analytical data are lacking, the following limits t o use of peas are suggested: 100, 200 and 350 g kg(-1), respectively, in pig starter, grower and finisher diets; 200 g kg(-1) in broiler, 25 0 g kg(-1) in turkey and 300 g kg(-1) in layer diets.