b'Move Over Soybeans, Lupin is Here to StayWHATS NEXT IN BREEDING THIS EXCITING HIGH-PROTEIN AND QUIRKY CROP BY: TREENA HEINA s the European livestock sector looks to replace importedLupins around the worldsoybeans in animal feed, other high -protein crops are in the spotlight including lupins. Because of its potential asAt this time, about 96 per cent of lupin is grown for livestock a high-protein feed and food ingredient, lupin has never hadfeed, and mostly in Australia. It was historically gathered more attention.or grown by ancient people as a livestock feed, but also Many factors are converging in the heated competition foras a food source. Indeed, in addition to current attention better varieties. that lupin is garnering as a high-protein feed ingredient, The main lupin species bred today are Lupinus albus,it is being closely examined for much greater use in food known as white lupin; L. angustifolius, narrow-leaved or blue;products, as support for plant-based foods rises through and L. luteus, yellow. They are similar in phenotype, but withinitiatives such as the EU Protein Plan. different soil requirements and yield potential. They each have a protein content of 35 to 45 per cent dry matter, generally moreLupin seeds have been found in ancient Egypt dating back than peas or other legumes, and a yield comparable to peas.to the 22nd century B.C.E. The crop was spread throughout In terms of feed value, lupins, peas and field beans are toothe Roman Empire, and in the Western Hemisphere, lupin low in sulphur-containing amino acids to meet the needs of someseeds were also a common food during the Incan Empire livestock species such as chickens. However, the content of theseperiod and for some Native American tribes. Today, the amino acids can be a bit higher in lupins compared to peas andseeds are still a very popular snack in Egypt, especially lupins protein price per kilogram is lower than soybeans.during the ancient Sham el-Nessim festival. In parts of Protein and yield are maximized at lower soil pH levelsinEurope and Australia today, lupin bean flour is combined recent research, 7.5 at most for white lupin, and 6.8 for blue andwith wheat flour in pancakes and baked goods. A lot of yellow. And while lupin seeds are relatively low in carbohydrates,information on lupin usage, breeding and cultivation can they do contain moderate amounts of fat: In white lupins, up tobe found in proceedings of conferences organized by the 14 per cent, mostly unsaturated, and carotenoids, such as betaInternational Lupinus Association.carotene and lutein.In addition, lupin fixes nitrogen when properly inoculated, helping boost yields in the crops that follow and improve soil as a green manure cover crop. Lupin is also generally more drought- and frost-tolerant than crops like soybean and can therefore beManuel Deyerler, Breeder at Landwirtschaftliche Lehranstalten grown in more northern locations and at higher altitudes. Triesdorf in Germany, Nathalie Harzic, Breeder at Crience While lupin has potential, with the low seed sales volumes,in France, and Pawe Barzyk, Breeder at Pozna ska Hodowla it can be challenging to justify breeding investment. To find outRo lin (PHR) in Poland.where things stand at this point, European Seed spoke with Thomas Eckardt, General Manager at Saatzucht Steinach inBREEDING OVERVIEW Germany, David McNaughton, Director at Soya UK, a seed com- It takes from eight to 15 years to develop a new lupin variety, and pany which works with lupin breeders at the National Academyabove all, they must contain low amounts of alkaloids. The max-of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Frederik Schirrmacher, Productimum alkaloid levels are similar for feed (0.05 per cent) and food Manager at Deutsche Saatveredelung (DSV) in Germany,(0.02 per cent). Modern cultivars contain 0.02 per cent or less. 6IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'