Introduction Research at CLIMA has indicated that Lathyrus cicera and L. sativus (grasspea) have potential as grain legumes on 100 000 to 300 000 ha of neutral to alkaline soils in low-to-medium rainfall areas of southern Australia. They do not have serious disease problems and are envisaged as low maintenance/low cost crops for the purposes of green manure, managing herbicide resistant weeds, ...

samples of grass pea seed (lathyrus sativus) were prepared and analyzed for some chemical composition and as well for their anti-nutritional factors. the rumen degradability coefficients and post ruminal digestibility of dry matter and crude protein of unheated vs. oven heated samples were determined, employing in situ and in vitro techniques. results indicated that grass pea seed contained a c...

BACKGROUND The use of traditional foods can enrich our diet, perpetuating important elements of local knowledge and cultural inheritance. Raw, soaked and cooked samples of two Fabaceae species (Cicer arietinum L. and Lathyrus sativus L.) were characterized regarding nutritional and bioactive properties. RESULTS L. sativus gave the highest carbohydrate, protein, ash, saturated fatty acid and p...

Introduction In Italy, grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) is one of the least common grain legumes. Today, it is not included in the official statistics of Italy and its survival is due to the praiseworthy action of a small number of farmers in very limited areas of peninsular and insular centralsouthern Italy. Since the Second World War the sharp reduction in cultivation, similarly for other grain...

747 1941-Lathyrus sativus peas, spastic paraparesis; the toxic agent was identified to be 1)-JY-methylamino-Lalanine (BMAA); 1953-Guamalian type of Parkinsonism, caused by the seeds of Cycas circinalis; the toxic agent was identified as 1)-JY-oxalylmethylamino-Lalanine (BOMAA); 1948-hexachloraphene encephalopathy; 1950-monosodium glutamate in baby food; 1953-Minamata disease, mercury encephalop...

The effects of Lathyrus sativus neurotoxin were studied on the cell membrane potential and cellular cation composition in Retzius nerve cells of the leech Haemopis sanguisuga, with ion-selective microelectrodes using liquid ion-exchangers. Bath application of 10(-4) mol/l Lathyrus sativus neurotoxin for 3 min depolarized the cell membrane potential and decreased the input resistance of directly...

It is nearly four decades since the discovery of ODAP as the major neurotoxic constituent of Lathyrus sativus seeds. However, several basic questions relating to neurolathyrism still remain unanswered. We are unable to convince several governments to ban the cultivation of the pulse and to take on a more serious approach to introducing the low toxin varieties. Meanwhile, farmers continue to gro...