Field peas are used increasingly as a source for protein and energy in swine diets in Western Canada. The variability for the every value of field peas has been described poorly. Yet, effective diet formulation requires a clear understanding of not only average nutritional value, but also its variability. The objective of the present study was to determine the range of digestible energy (DE) content in samples of 11 field pea varieties grown on a single quarter section of land. The DE ranged from 3098 to 3739 kcal/kg; thus, the difference in DE between the highest and lowest value was 20%. Despite being grown under similar conditions, energy value for sample differed greatly among samples and variation in DE was greater than expected. Due to the fact nutritionists try to formulate diets within an accuracy of 1.5%, the issue of ingredient variability represents an area of significant economic opportunity.
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