Dicamba and 2,4-D, which are used prior to seeding in conservation tillage systems, were applied in late fall and early spring to determine their residual effect on subsequent spring-seeded crops. The herbicides 2,4-D ester and 2,4-D amine with dicamba or glyphosate, applied 0 or 15 d prior to spring seeding, damaged canola, peas, lentils, and alfalfa. The legumes were damaged by spring-applied dicamba. There was also a slight reduction in the total dry matter yield of wheat and barley by 2,4-D applied in spring prior to seeding. All crops tested, except lentils, were tolerant of recommended fall applications of 2,4-D for the control of winter annual flixweed and field pennycress.

Our purpose was to determine the effects of a pulse-based diet in individuals 50 years or older for reducing CVD risk factors. A total of 108 participants were randomised to receive pulse-based foods (two servings daily of beans, chickpeas, peas or lentils; about 150 g/d dry weight) or their regular diet for 2 months, followed by a washout of 1 month and a cross-over to the other diet for 2 months. Anthropometric measures, body composition and biochemical markers (i.e. serum LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), as the primary outcome, and other lipids, glucose, insulin and C-reactive protein) were assessed before and after each diet phase. A total of eighty-seven participants (thirty males and fifty-seven females; 59·7 (sd 6·3) years, body mass 76 (sd 16) kg) completed the study. Compared with the regular diet, the pulse-based diet decreased total cholesterol by 8·3 % (pulse, 4·57 (sd 0·93) to 4·11 (sd 0·91) mmol/l; regular, 4·47 (sd 0·94) to 4·39 (sd 0·97) mmol/l; P < 0·001) and LDL-C by 7·9 % (pulse, 2·93 (sd 0·84) to 2·55 (sd 0·75) mmol/l; regular, 2·96 (sd 0·86) to 2·81 (sd 0·83) mmol/l; P = 0·01). In a sub-analysis of individuals with high lipid levels at baseline (twenty individuals with high cholesterol), the pulse-based diet reduced cholesterol by 6 % compared with the regular diet (pulse, 5·62 (sd 0·78) to 5·26 (sd 0·68) mmol/l; regular, 5·60 (sd 0·91) to 5·57 (sd 0·85) mmol/l; P = 0·05). A pulse-based diet is effective for reducing total cholesterol and LDL-C in older adults and therefore reduces the risk of CVD.

Pulses, including peas, have long been important components of the human diet due to their content of starch, protein and other nutrients. More recently, the health benefits other than nutrition associated with pulse consumption have attracted much interest. The focus of the present review paper is the demonstrated and potential health benefits associated with the consumption of peas, Pisum sativum L., specifically green and yellow cotyledon dry peas, also known as smooth peas or field peas. These health benefits derive mainly from the concentration and properties of starch, protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in peas. Fibre from the seed coat and the cell walls of the cotyledon contributes to gastrointestinal function and health, and reduces the digestibility of starch in peas. The intermediate amylose content of pea starch also contributes to its lower glycaemic index and reduced starch digestibility. Pea protein, when hydrolysed, may yield peptides with bioactivities, including angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor activity and antioxidant activity. The vitamin and mineral contents of peas may play important roles in the prevention of deficiency-related diseases, specifically those related to deficiencies of Se or folate. Peas contain a variety of phytochemicals once thought of only as antinutritive factors. These include polyphenolics, in coloured seed coat types in particular, which may have antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activity, saponins which may exhibit hypocholesterolaemic and anticarcinogenic activity, and galactose oligosaccharides which may exert beneficial prebiotic effects in the large intestine.

We propose a novel approach to introducing hypothesis testing into the biologycurriculum. Instead of telling students the hypothesis and what kind of data to collectfollowed by a rigid recipe of testing the hypothesis with a given test statistic, we askstudents to develop a hypothesis and a mathematical model that describes the nullhypothesis. Simulation of the model under the null hypothesis allows students to comparetheir experimental data to what they would expect under the null hypothesis, thus leadingto a much more intuitive understanding of hypothesis testing. This approach has beentested both in the classroom and in faculty workshops, and we provide some suggestions forimplementations based on our experiences.

The objective of the present study was to compare whole pea flour (WPF) to fractionated pea flour (FPF; hulls only) for their ability to reduce risk factors associated with CVD and diabetes in overweight hypercholesterolaemic individuals. Using a cross-over design, twenty-three hypercholesterolaemic overweight men and women received two-treatment muffins/d containing WPF, FPF or white wheat flour (WF) for 28 d, followed by 28 d washout periods. Daily doses of WPF and FPF complied with the United States Department of Agriculture's recommended level of intake of half a cup of pulses/d (approximately 50 g/d). Dietary energy requirements were calculated for each study subject, and volunteers were only permitted to eat food supplied by the study personnel. Fasting insulin, body composition, urinary enterolactone levels, postprandial glucose response, as well as fasting lipid and glucose concentrations, were assessed at the beginning and at the end of each treatment. Insulin concentrations for WPF (37·8 (sem 3·4) pmol/ml, P = 0·021) and FPF (40·5 (sem 3·4) pmol/ml, P = 0·037) were lower compared with WF (50·7 (sem 3·4) pmol/ml). Insulin homeostasis modelling assessment showed that consumption of WPF and FPF decreased (P < 0·05) estimates of insulin resistance (IR) compared with WF. Android:gynoid fat ratios in women participants were lower (P = 0·027) in the WPF (1·01 (sem 0·01) group compared with the WF group (1·06 (sem 0·01). Urinary enterolactone levels tended to be higher (P = 0·087) in WPF compared with WF. Neither treatment altered circulating fasting lipids or glucose concentrations. In conclusion, under a controlled diet paradigm, a daily consumption of whole and fractionated yellow pea flours at doses equivalent to half a cup of yellow peas/d reduced IR, while WPF reduced android adiposity in women.

The LEA-like protein previously isolated from a homogenate of pea (Pisum sativum L.) embryonic axes heated at 80°C for 10 min (Russouw et al., 1995) was purified without exposure to heat. Peptides produced by trypsin digestion were separated by HPLC and sequenced. The protein was identified as a member of the LEA group I family. The conformation of the protein was compared before and after heat treatment by antibody affinity, circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid binding. No differences could be detected, demonstrating that the protein was not irreversibly denatured by exposure to high temperature.

Pea seed development on the mother plant consists of three phases, all limited by water concentration (WC). The first (P1) or embryogenesis sensu stricto takes place at constant WC (stable at 80%). During the phase P2, cotyledon filling or maturation, WC decreases linearly from 80 to 55% (physiological desiccation) but the water content stays constant while the dry weight increases until it stops abruptly (at 55% WC), at this time, the seed has almost reached its final dry weight, its maturity mass or physiological maturity. The third phase, P3, consists of a fast desiccation which leads to a WC of 18–14%, where the seed is mature and ready to harvest. Similar events occur in other grain legumes, in cereals where mass maturity is attained at a lower WC (close to 40%) and in other species including crop or weed species. An elementary model of pea seed dry-matter accumulation, based on the constancy of water content (P1) and the linear decrease of WC from 80 to 55% (P2), allows us to define a coefficient α linked to WC and to calculate dry matter changes versus α. This model, taking account of WC in other species, can be generalized easily. Maturation of the somatic embryo, occurring under conditions very close to those present in vivo around the zygotic embryo, follows a pattern of decrease of WC similar to that of the zygotic embryo. We expect that if cell number is similar in the somatic and the zygotic embryo, synseeds will be ready for trade in the near future since control of all the processes that lead to zygotic-like embryoids is now available.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of expander processing of food for growing and finishing pigs. Experiment 1 examined the effects of expander processing on the nutritive value of a cereal-based diet and a pea-based diet for pigs while experiment 2 determined the effects of extrusion and expansion of the peas component of the diet on the nutritive value. In experiment 1, growth performance, carcass characteristics (no. = 12) and nutrient digestibility (no. = 4) were determined in pigs offered individually food containing a cereal diet (T1), a complete cereal diet that had been expander processed (T2), a 400 g/kg peas diet (T3) or a complete 400 g/kg peas diet that had been expander processed (T4). The expanded diets were processed at 105°C for 5 s at 35 bar pressure. In experiment 2, productive performance and nutrient digestibility were determined in pigs (no. = 12) offered individually diets including a control cereal diet (no peas) (TT1), a 400 g/kg raw peas diet (TT2), a 400 g/kg expander processed peas diet (TT3) or a 400 g/kg extruded peas diet (TT4). The pea portions of the diets were extruded at 130°C for 30 s and expanded at 130°C for 10 s at 42 bar pressure. In experiment 1, the inclusion of peas in the diet reduced (P < 0·001) the digestibility of the organic matter (OM) (0·871 v. 0·893, s.e. 0·003), protein (0·867 v. 0·907, s.e. 0·004) and energy (0·857 v. 0·880, s.e. 0·003). Expansion had no effect on the nutrient digestibility of the diets, however, it did increase (P < 0·05) the digestible energy content of the cereal diet. The inclusion of peas in the diet reduced (P < 0·05) daily gain (0·929 v. 0·999, s.e. 0·024 kg/day) and increased (P < 0·001) food conversion ratio (FCR) (2·31 v. 2·16, s.e. 0·029) from 34 kg to slaughter. Expansion had no effect on daily gain or FCR. In experiment 2, OM digestibilities of 0·891, 0·872, 0·882 and 0·885 (s.e. 0·0042) (P < 0·01), protein digestibilities of 0·905, 0·879, 0·874 and 0·877 (s.e. 0·0069) (P < 0·001) and gross energy digestibilities of 0·875, 0·861, 0·870 and 0·875 (s.e. 0·005) (P < 0·05) were recorded for TT1 to TT4 respectively. Gains (kg/day) of 0·981, 0·927, 0·940, and 1·016 (s.e. 0·036) (P < 0·05) and FCR of 2·17, 2·32, 2·28 and 2·18 (s.e. 0·037) (P < 0·05) were recorded for TT1 to TT4 respectively. In conclusion, expansion had no effect on the nutritive value of food for pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the nutritive value of extruded or raw peas (Pisum sativum as an energy and protein supplement for pigs of 33 to 100 kg live weight. Experiment 1 determined the effects of extrusion on the nutrient apparent digestibility of peas when included at 200 g and 400 g/kg in the diet. In experiment 2, performance was determined in individually fed pigs (no. = 70) offered diets ad libitum including a control (no peas, T1), 200 g/kg raw peas (T2), 400 g/kg raw peas (T3), 200 g/kg extruded peas (T4), 400g/kg extruded peas (T5). The peas were extruded at 120°С for 30 s. All diets were formulated to have similar concentrations of digestible energy (DE) and total lysine. There was a significant interaction effect (P < 0·05) between level of peas and extrusion on the digestibility of the organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), energy and the DE content of the peas. The inclusion of 400 g/kg raw peas led to a lower estimated digestibility of OM (P < 0·001), N (P < 0·001), gross energy (P < 0·05) and DE content (P < 0·05) of the peas compared with the 200 g/kg peas. However, there was no difference (P > 0·05) between the digestibility of the 200 and 400 g/kg peas when the peas were extruded. In experiment 2, there was a significant interaction (P < 0·05) between the level of peas in the diet and extrusion. As the level of raw peas increased from 200 to 400g/kg, growth rate decreased (P < 0·01) and food conversion ratio (FCR) increased (P < 0·01). However, as the level of extruded peas was increased from 200 to 400g/ kg, there was no difference in either growth rate or FCR. It is concluded that extrusion of peas improved the nutrient digestibility and improved overall gain and FCR of the pigs.

The nutritional value of different categories of peas was measured in mash or pelleted diets using adult cockerels. Twenty-five round and white-flowered peas (feed peas), 12 round and coloured-flowered peas and five wrinkled and white-flowered peas were used in mash diets. From the same batches, 11 feed peas, five coloured peas and four wrinkled peas were tested in pelleted diets.

Mean apparent metabolizable energy (AME) values were 12·02, 11·35 and 10·50 MJ/kg dry matter (DM) for feed peas, coloured peas and wrinkled peas respectively in mash diets and 13·18, 12·72 and 11·63 MJ/kg DM for the same categories in pelleted diets.

Mean starch digestibility was 0·905, 0·887 and 0·802 for feed peas, coloured peas and wrinkled peas respectively in mash diets and 0·985, 0·984 and 0·840 for these categories in pelleted diets.

Mean protein digestibility was 0·788, 0·643 and 0·798 for feed peas, coloured peas and wrinkled peas respectively in mash diets and corresponding values for peas in pelleted diets were 0·855, 0·743 and 0·853.

Pelleting thus had a positive effect on the nutritional value of peas and this improvement was all the more important because the AME and protein digestibility of the pea in mash diets was low.

The nutritional value of feed peas for cockerels was not strongly correlated with chemical composition or to digestibility data obtained in the pig.

Lines of peas (no. = 213) grown in the same location were analysed for 1000 seed weight, protein, starch, fat, sugars, ashes and fibre content. Some 54 lines of peas out of the total 213 were grown in large amounts and analysed for the same criteria and also for amino acids, legumin, vicilin, lectins, trypsin inhibitor activity, carbohydrates, fatty acids, tannins, saponins. The lines have been arranged into four categories according to the shape, colour, weight, chemical composition and end uses of the seeds. Feed peas and garden peas are round and have similar composition in terms of protein, starch and fibre contents; they are tannin-free and have variable trypsin inhibitor activity. Coloured peas have also a round shape but differ from the feed and garden peas principally by tannins and also by lower starch, higher protein, higher fibre contents. Wrinkled peas differ from the feed and garden peas by lower starch, higher protein, higher fibre, higher lipid contents and their starch is characterized by a higher amylose/amylopectine ratio.

Nineteen round white-feed peas (FP) varieties, six coloured-flowered peas (CP) varieties and four wrinkled white-flowered peas (WP) varieties were given to growing pigs in order to measure their feeding value. Mean values of energy apparent digestibility measured at the faecal level of FP, CP and WP were respectively 0·886, 0·812 and 0·823. Mean values for digestible energy were 16·34, 1506 and 15·60 M]l kg dry matter. Mean values of faecal apparent digestibility of protein were 0·840, 0·760 and 0·828. The lower energy and crude protein (CP) apparent digestibility of CP relative to FP can be explained by their higher fibre content and by the presence of condensed tannins whilst the lower energy and CP apparent digestibility in WP relative to FP can be explained by their higher fibre content, their lower starch content and their higher amylosel amylopectine ratio. Among the feed peas, there was no difference between peas with low trypsin inhibitor activity and peas with medium trypsin inhibitor activity.

The effect on sow reproductive performance of including 100 g white-flowered peas (Pisum sativum hortense, cv. Vreta and Lotta) per kg, replacing barley, wheat and soya-bean meal in gestation and lactation diets, was studied over four parities using 24 pairs of crossbred littermate sows. Net sow weight gains and changes in backfat thickness over the complete reproductive cycle were similar for both treatments. Piglet live-weight gains and mean litter size at birth were not influenced by treatment, although litter size at weaning was 0·5 pigs higher (P > 0·05) for the control sows, due to higher post-natal mortality rate in the litters from the sows given the pea diets. It can be concluded that inclusion of white-flowered peas at a rate of 100 g/kg had no adverse effect on reproductive performance, with the exception of slightly higher post-natal piglet mortality.

The faecal and ileal true protein digestibilities of the raw pea (Pisum sativum) varieties finale and frijaune and the ileal true protein digestibility of steam-processed common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were measured in piglets using the 15N-dilution technique. The faecal true protein digestibility of both pea varieties was about 97. The ileal true protein digestibility was between 93 and 95, indicating that the pea protein is almost completely enzymically digested in the small intestine. The faecal apparent protein digestibility was 85 for both varieties while at the ileal level it was 79 and 74 respectively. The lower ileal apparent protein digestibility of peas can be attributed completely to the excretion of endogenous protein. The ileal apparent protein digestibility of toasted common beans was about zero (–4); the ileal true protein digestibility was about 66. This indicates that the protein of the common bean, although toasted, was highly resistant to enzymic digestion. It was calculated that per kg ingested bean protein, 340 g undigested bean protein and 700 g endogenous protein passed the terminal ileum. The results of the present study explain why in previous experiments a strongly reduced weight gain and even weight loss was observed in piglets fed on raw and toasted common beans.

Rats were fed on four semi-purified diets in which raw or cooked peas (Pisum sativum var. Sentinel) provided 250 or 500 g/kg diet. Pressure-cooking of peas followed by rapid freezing and freeze-drying increased the proportion of starch resistant to α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) without previous treatment with dimethyl sulphoxide. There were only minor effects of cooking on the digestibilities of non-starch polysaccharides and their constituent sugars. With the higher dietary pea concentration there were marked increases in the flow of organic matter to, and fermentation in, the large bowel. These increases were associated with significant increases in colonic tissue and contents weights, and in colonic transit time. Both cooking and dietary pea inclusion rate altered the pattern of volatile fatty acids in caecal contents and in portal blood.

The digestion by pigs of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in wheat and raw peas (Pisum sativum) fed in mixed diets was measured. In the four experimental diets, wheat was included at a constant 500 g/kg whilst peas contributed 0–300 g/kg and these were the only dietary sources of NSP. Separate estimates of digestibility for wheat and peas were obtained by using a multiple linear regression technique which also tested the possibility that the presence of peas might influence the digestibility of wheat NSP. There was little evidence of the latter and it was found that the digestibility of peas NSP (0.84) was considerably greater than that of wheat (0.65). The non-cellulosic polysaccharides (NCP) had twofold greater digestibilities than had cellulose for both foods with essentially all the peas NCP being digested. Faecal α-diaminopimelic acid concentration increased with feeding of peas, suggesting stimulation of bacterial biomass production in the large intestine using the readily fermented peas NSP. All three major volatile fatty acids produced by large intestinal fermentation were detected in jugular blood and increased significantly with increasing peas inclusion rate in the diet.

The digestion of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) was studied in rats given semi-purified diets containing 0-500 g raw peas (Pisum sativum)/kg. NSP were equally well digested at all inclusion levels with digestibilities for individual constituents ranging from 0.58 for xylans to 0.99 for arabinose-containing polymers with a total NSP digestibility of 0.79. Increasing the dietary pea inclusion rate increased the amount of substrate flowing to the large bowel (LB) and this was associated with marked increases in caecal tissue and contents masses, a reduction in caecal transit time from 0.88 to 0.43 d and a threefold increase in faecal bacterial biomass output. Caecal pH fell as did the molar proportions of acetate, isobutyrate, isovalerate and valerate whilst butyrate increased when peas were included in the diet. Possible mechanisms for these fermentation end-product changes are discussed. Pea inclusion in the diet was associated with increased volatile fatty acid and 3-hydroxy butyrate concentrations in portal and heart blood. It was concluded that peas are a rich source of fermentable polysaccharides which produce a LB fermentation pattern of potential health benefit.