Lupine cultivation - success with new varieties We work with lupines because they have particularly high-protein grains. Similar to fava beans and pea, but significantly higher in protein. Their protein content is almost as high as that of soybeans. Ecologically, we think that lupine is also a really interesting crop with its large flower. Especially the white lupine blooms for a very long time. This means that the insects find something at a time when almost nothing else is flowering in the fields. On the other hand, it is of course very good for the soil. It has a strong taproot and forms a symbiosis with the nodule bacteria in its roots which fixes the nitrogen. So you can produce protein-rich grains without nitrogen fertilization. The market is desperate for lupines. The feed mills demand lupines. It must also be mentioned that a lot is still developing in the field of human nutrition. The lupine is a high-protein, low-starch seed that contains all the essential amino acids. It is therefore also highly appreciated by vegans. Blue or white lupine? Under our conditions there are two main types. One is the narrow-leaved lupine, which has fine leaves and is commonly called "blue lupine" because there are varieties that have beautiful blue flowers, like this one. But there are also white-flowered varieties, of which there are more at the moment. The white lupine has much broader leaves and a larger plant shape. It also has a higher yield level. We started with the blue lupine because it is more resistant to an important fungal disease, the so-called anthracnose. The white lupin can be so severely affected that you have a 100 percent loss of yield. Since the appearance of anthracnose around 1995, the cultivation of white lupine has rapidly declined. New varieties We are working on a resistance breeding project for the white lupin, because it is more interesting in terms of yield potential. It is also better suited to the heavier soils in Switzerland. Here we have the variety "Amiga", which has been the main variety of white lupin so far. Until the anthracnose outbreak, it was also the best variety worldwide. It matures very early, it is stable, high-yielding and also has a very good taste. Unfortunately, this is the last year that this variety is still available on the seed market. It is no longer propagated because it is too susceptible to the disease anthracnose. Here we have a new variety from Germany called "Frieda". It is said to be more resistant to anthracnose. 2019 was the first year that it was approved. We are very curious whether it will live up to this promise and actually be more resistant to anthracnose. If this is the case, it would mean a huge boost for the cultivation of white lupine. Now I would like to draw attention to a third variety. This is also a new variety. It comes from France. The variety is called "Sulimo". It has always produced very good results in our trials, even though it does not have a declared resistance to anthracnose. Yields 2019 We have now harvested the lupins. We are actually very satisfied with the two new varieties "Sulimo" and "Frieda". In July, we still had a very strong anthracnose infestation, so that we could only harvest 13 decitonnes per hectare at the low yielding site in Rümikon. But the new varieties "Sulimo" and "Frieda" gave a yield of 20 decitonnes - considerably more. At the better yielding Feldbach site, the old varieties yielded 16 decitonnes and the new ones 28. This is a really nice yield for lupines. We are very satisfied. The demand for these new varieties is already very high, so we have to make sure that seeds are produced according to demand. If you are interested in growing white lupines in 2021, please contact me so I can coordinate it.
