Greater use of peas (cool season legumes) in pig diets has been sparked by the marked expansion in production of this commodity. Over the past decade field pea production across the Prairies has more than quadrupled from 400,000 to 1.76 million metric tonnes (1997 Specialty Crop Report, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food). Peas, also referred to as field peas, feed peas, green or yellow peas have long been used in swine feeding. Scientifically Pisum sativum hortense refers to cultivars with white flowers and yellow or green seeds while Pisum sativum arvense varieties have dark flowers and a dark brown seed coat and are sometimes called fodder peas. Traditionally viewed as a protein source for swine, peas are now being soughtafter for their many other attributes - energy, digestibility, palatability.
Peas are well suited to swine feeds as evidenced
by the proportions accepted in the diet and resulting performance.
This summary is a comprehensive review of research carried out
on the use of peas in swine diets from 1980 - 1997. It takes
a look at pea nutrient effects on swine performance for all classes
of swine. Emphasis is placed on Canadian peas but supporting
data is also found in European and Australian pea varieties.