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Chemical Composition and Digestibility of Flat Pea Forage in Three Stages of Maturity¹

State College of Washington

Abstract

Six digestion experiments were conducted with sheep to determine the apparent digestibility of flat pea (Lathyrus sylvestris wagneri) forage at three stages of maturity when used as fresh green feed and as an artificially dried hay.

The fresh and artificially dried materials were palatable and highly nutritious. Several losses of sheep during the first weeks of feeding indicate that caution should be used in feeding this forage until more comprehensive trials can be conducted to determine its possible toxicity.

The fresh green forage contained on an average 29.6 percent digestible protein and 69.8 percent total digestible nutrients as compared with 26.0 percent and 67.3 percent, respectively, for the artificially dried forage.

The fresh green flat pea in the early stage of maturity (pre-bloom) contained 34.26 percent digestible protein, the early bloom 30.17 percent, and in the late bloom 24.32 percent digestible protein. The total digestible nutrient content for the three stages of maturity was 74.94 percent, 68.86 percent, and 65.44 percent, respectively.

The artificially dried flat pea had digestible protein contents of 30.72, 27.09 and 20.12 and a total digestible nutrient content of 73.47, 65.54 and 62.96, respectively for the three stages of maturity.

¹ Published as scientific paper No. 650, College of Agriculture and Agricultural Experiment Station, State College of Washington, Pullman. T. W. Daniel, formerly Grazing Specialist at the Western Washington Experiment Station is now Professor of Silviculture, School of Forestry, Utah State Agricultural College. F. B. Wolberg is Assistant Dairy Husbandman, Western Washington Experiment Station and U. S. Bureau of Dairy Industry. V. L. Miller is Research Chemist and J. H. Alswager is Assistant Dairyman, Western Washington Experiment Station. M. E. Ensminger is Chairman, Division of Animal Husbandry and A. A. Spielman is Assistant Professor, Division of Dairy Husbannry, Wash. Agric. Expt. Station.