Effects of the Stage of Growth and Inoculation on Proteolysis in Field Pea Silage

Ensiling legumes is a good way of providing home-grown protein in dairy farms but severe protein degradation can occur when conserving legumes. Peas (Pisum sativum L.) are legumes with a high crude protein and starch content, that provide a high forage yield in a short growing period. Very little information is available on the protein value of field pea silage. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of stage of maturity and inoculant application on proteolysis in field pea silage in the Po Valley, NW Italy

Effects of Stage of Growth and Inoculation on Fermentation Quality of Field Pea Silage

Field peas (Pisum sativum L.) are a short-term catch crop with a high crude protein content, which provides a high forage yield in a short growing period. Since field peas are a succulent crop and are difficult to field cure, it is preferable to directly ensile them to prevent weather damage and excessive grain losses. The onset of lodging is delayed in field pea varieties, since the crop is supported by the tendrils in a more erect manner, and this allows easy harvesting without soil contamination even at advanced stages of maturity (Koivisto et al., 2003). To our knowledge, no information is available on the ensiling of peas in Southern Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of the stage of maturity and inoculant application on the quality of silage produced from directly-cut field peas in the Po Valley, NW Italy

Betavoltaics using scandium tritide and contact potential difference

Tritium-powered betavoltaic micropower sources using contact potential difference (CPD) are demonstrated. Thermally stable scandium tritide thin films with a surface activity of 15 mCi cm2 were used as the beta particle source. The electrical field created by the work function difference between the ScT film and a platinum or copper electrode was used to separate the beta-generated electrical charge carriers. Open circuit voltages of 0.5 and 0.16 V and short circuit current densities of 2.7 and 5.3 nA cm2 were achieved for gaseous and solid dielectric media-based CPD cells, respectively. © 2008 American Institute of Physics