Table 7.
Effect of harvesting pea hay (Pisum sativum L.; c.v. CDC Horizon) at EARLY, MID, and LATE maturities on apparent total tract digestibility when fed to beef heifers
| Digestibility, % | EARLY1 | MID | LATE | SEM | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OM | 49.56 | 46.74 | 52.53 | 1.706 | 0.051 |
| CP | 63.50 | 60.06 | 62.72 | 4.213 | 0.58 |
| aNDFOM | 15.45 | 18.58 | 14.89 | 2.237 | 0.41 |
| ADF | 21.19 | 19.98 | 17.14 | 3.185 | 0.63 |
| Starch | 96.10 | 92.23 | 93.08 | 1.286 | 0.071 |
| Ether extract | 71.09 | 60.70 | 66.01 | 7.460 | 0.36 |
1Harvest maturities consisted of EARLY (plants with flat pods at one or more nodes), MID (filled pods at one or more nodes and leaves that were turning from green to gold), and LATE (yellow dry seeds filled pods on most nodes, and the leaves and pods were yellow).