It may only be a few years before Australians are consuming a high protein,
semi-domesticated grain eaten by the Incas a thousand years ago.

Pearl lupin (Lupinus mutabilis), a nitrogen-fixing legume very high in oil
and originally from the Andes in South America, is to be developed for
medium to high rainfall zones of Australia.

Its name derives from the appearance of the lustrous, spherical, pearl-white
seeds.

A three year Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded
project, involving the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture
(CLIMA) at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Department of
Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA), will focus on increasing grain yield and
improving adaptation, with the ultimate aim being commercial release of a
new variety.

It builds on previous GRDC supported work on preliminary breeding,
agronomics and germplasm evaluation by Dr Jon Clements of CLIMA and Dr Mark
Sweetingham of DAFWA.

Assessing pearl lupins at UWA?s Shenton Park Field Station are (L to R)
Gordon Francis, Technical Officer, CLIMA, Dr Jon Clements, Research Fellow,
CLIMA, Dr Bevan Buirchell, Senior Lupin Breeder, DAFWA and Michael Blair,
Manager, Field Station.

CLIMA Director, Professor William Erskine, says Australian farmers presently
grow narrow-leafed lupin as a nitrogen-fixing crop in broadacre farming
rotations.

?But broad-leafed pearl lupins are unique among crop lupins because the seed
quality is similar to soybean and it could become the cool season equivalent
of that crop.

?Pearl lupins have the unusual combination for a legume of high protein, at
up to 47 per cent and high oil at up to 18 per cent. A thin seed coat is an
added bonus as it increases grain value and seed can be more readily
dehulled,? he said.

Pearl lupins also had a good profile of amino acids relative to other
legumes, lysine levels are similar to soybean and the oil has high oleic and
linoleic acid.

?Traditionally eaten as a porridge with maize or quinoa, pearl lupins have
potential for modern human diets in bread, sausages, cakes and yoghurt ? in
fact any food that soybean is currently used for,? Professor Erskine said.

?Their value for inclusion in fish and pig feed rations will also be
assessed.?

CLIMA?s Dr Clements will conduct the breeding work in partnership with
project supervisor, DAFWA Senior Lupin Breeder, Dr Bevan Buirchell.

?Rapid breeding cycles, combined with genotype by environment and germplasm
characterisation and evaluation studies, will help us develop domesticated
material with improved agronomic and disease resistance traits,? Dr
Buirchell said.

The project draws on useful germplasm from the Australian Lupin Collection
held at DAFWA?s South Perth site.

According to Dr Clements, the critical factors are yield and adaptation and
therefore the project would evaluate lines in medium to higher rainfall
regions in Western Australia and New South Wales.

?Transferring the high oil and protein characters from pearl lupin to narrow
leafed lupin (L. angustifolius) would be particularly valuable, if
possible,? Dr Clements said.

The group, assisted by CLIMA?s Gordon Francis, John Quealy and Dr Larissa
Prilyuk, will also assess closely related South American species for
possible trait transfer into the pearl lupin genepool.

Professor Erskine said CLIMA?s ongoing collaboration with DAFWA in
pre-breeding pearl lupins was a good example of how two outcome focussed R&D
organisations could potentially deliver rapid and beneficial outcomes to
legume growers.

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