Raw material and nutrient lexicon

Annual, protein-rich legume (papilionaceous plant). The plant has a very strong taproot with numerous secondary roots, which are covered with nodule bacteria (N-collection). The almost round pods, eight to 12 cm long and one to two cm wide, stand upright to horizontal and contain two to five seeds. Depending on the cultivar, the seeds vary in colour from grey-yellow, light brown to black-brown, reddish or greenish, as well as in shape from almost spherical, ovoid to round-oval, with flattened to flattened, partly shrivelled sides and a large elongated, dark navel. The field bean tolerates temperatures down to minus four °C and makes high demands on a constant water supply. Therefore, the following are suitable: soils with good water-holding capacity or light soils with sufficient rainfall. Field bean varieties are grown on some farms for crop rotation reasons. For use in animal feed, the content of crude protein (approx. 26 %) and starch (approx. 38 %) are decisive. When using field beans, the comparatively low content of sulphur-containing amino acids, especially methionine, must be taken into account. The methionine content of the feed formula is supplemented accordingly by other protein components such as soya meal or by adding pure methionine according to the requirements of the animal species to be supplied. Field beans are mainly used in recipes for fattening pigs.