USE OF THE MITSCHERLICH EQUATION TO DESCRIBE AMINO-ACID RESPONSE CURVES IN THE GROWING CHICK

The possibility of using the Mitscherlich equation to describe amino acid response curves was investigated using the lysine requirement of the growing chick as a model. The equation was of the form Y = A - [Be-CX], where Y is the gain in weight (g/day), X the concentration of lysine in the diet (metabolizable energy) and A, B and C are constants. Of the 10 sets of data used by the Agricultural Research Council to derive the lysine requirement of the growing chicks, 8 were satisfactorily fitted to the equation.