Presencia de inhibidores del crecimiento en las semillas de guisantes (Pisum Sativum L.)

Abstract

Rations containing four levels (20, 30, 40 and 50 percent) of peas meal (Pisum sativum, L) were fed to 80 day-old male Leghorn chickens divided into four groups, until they were four weeks old. The growth rate of the chickens was markedly decreased as the level of the peas meal was increased in  the ration. This reduction in the growth rate may have been due to a defficiency in methionine or to the pressence in the peas meal of toxic substances that may have caused an inhibition of growth.

In order to gain further knowledge in the subject a second trial was carried out using 100 chickens divided into five groups, in which a ration containing 30 percent of peas meal was supplemented with dl­methionine at levels of 70, 180 and 270 gr. per 100 Kgs. of feed, was compared with a control ration containing adequats amounts of amino­acids for growing chickens. The ration containing 90 gr. of methionine per 100 kgs. of feed improved the growth but the animals did not reach the final weight of those fed the control ration. lncreasing the levels of
methionine did not improve the performance of the chickens. The results of this work would indicate that the peas meal may have some toxic factor(s) that inhibit growth when fed to chickens.