Academic literature on the topic 'Narrow-leaf lupins'

Soya bean (Glycine max) meal is an important component of animal feed and oil seed rape and palm kernel cake and meal are typically used in commercial concentrate diets for sheep in the UK.. Lupins (Lupinus; Leguminosae) as a high protein, high energy, nitrogen-fixing grain legume, have potential as a home-grown livestock feed in the UK (Wilkins and Jones, 2000). Research has been conducted on the effects of narrow-leafed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius) (Hill, 2005) but there have been few studies on the effects of yellow lupins (Lupinus luteus) when fed to sheep. This study investigated the effects of incorporating either yellow lupins, narrow-leaf lupins or soya bean meal into the concentrate diets of finishing lambs on lamb productivity and carcass characteristics when compared to a commercial UK lamb finisher diet.

The ways in which Wimmera ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) affects the growth and yield of narrow-leafed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius) were studied in two experiments at Baker's Hill, W.A. (average annual rainfall 650 mm). In the first experiment, Uniharvest lupins and Wimmera ryegrass were grown alone and together starting at two dates. The three rates of ryegrass produced similar biomasses (total dry matter) at maturity (about 8000 kg/ha) but lupin grain yield decreased significantly with ryegrass sowing rate. One effect of ryegrass at the highest sowing rate was to alter the distribution of dry matter in the lupin canopy so that, at the end of the growing season, there was a lower percentage of leaf in the lower part of the canopy and this was associated with less light being received. Water stress in lupins at the end of the growing season was higher at the later planting with ryegrass. A multiple regression analysis showed that 74% of the variation in lupin grain yield between plots was due to variation in lupin height and biomass, and ryegrass tiller numbers in October. Lupins had little effect on ryegrass yield; although there were fewer tillers in the presence of lupins, weights of tillers were higher. In the second experiment, the effects of 38 ryegrass plants/m2 on growth of both Uniharvest and Unicrop lupins grown at a density of 40 plants/m2 were studied. Lupin biomass was unaffected until October but was then reduced significantly by the ryegrass, which yielded 4000 kg/ha dry matter. Grain yield was reduced because fewer pods were produced on lateral branches in both varieties, and on main stems in Uniharvest. The experiments showed that in good growing seasons, in high rainfall areas, lupins will yield grain even when grown with very high densities of ryegrass.

The rediscovery of grey leaf spot (caused by Stemphylium spp.) in narrow-leafed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius L.) in Western Australia in 2007 and identification of susceptible cultivars raised concern about potential impact of this disease in crop production. This study assessed potential yield loss in narrow-leafed lupins and the importance of inoculum source in the development of the disease. In two field experiments, no disease was observed in the resistant cultivar Mandelup, but disease progress was rapid in susceptible genotypes Unicrop and WALAN2333 and resulted in up to 64% yield loss. Disease progress and yield loss were greater in plots inoculated with infested trash than in those with spray-only inoculum. Release of Stemphylium spores from infested trash was monitored during the lupin-growing period by using spore traps and seedling trap plants. Conidia were released continuously throughout the growing period and significant (P < 0.01) correlation was found between the number of conidia captured and the frequency of rain, and between disease severity on trap plants and aerial concentration of conidia. The results confirm that grey leaf spot can severely reduce yield of susceptible narrow-leafed lupin cultivars and that removal or avoidance of previous season trash will be important in preventing spread of the disease.

Lupins are frequently the preferred legume species used in dryland crop rotations on light sandy soil types. These soils are prone to erode and the probability of sandblasting is increased if sown to lupins because of their slow growth and low vegetative cover during establishment. In addition, lupins are vulnerable to sandblasting, having above-ground growing points in contrast to cereals where the meristem is below ground and sheltered from damage unless erosion is severe. Consequently, there is concern about sandblasting having an economic impact on farming returns by causing yield reduction in lupin crops. This study reports the impact on the development and yield of narrow-leaf lupins exposed to different durations of sandblasting at a constant wind speed. A portable wind tunnel was placed in the field generating a turbulent boundary layer with a constant free stream mean velocity of 13.7 m/s. Field-grown plants of narrow-leaf lupin (cv. Merrit) were exposed to this velocity field with a total transport mass of 0, 42, 78, 153, and 248 kg/m achieved by maintaining a constant rate of soil introduction and increasing the run time. Plants with an average leaf number of 3.4–9.7 showed macro-damage symptoms increasing in severity with increased transport mass. Yield reduction was not significant up to a total transport mass of 78 kg/m at which plants were showing damage symptoms of wilting and burning of immature leaves and with minor damage of mature leaves. As levels of total transport mass increased, yield reduction occurred, until at the maximum treatment level of 248 kg/m, there was an 18% grain yield loss. At this treatment level damage symptoms included loss of most of the leaf tissue and scoring of the stem. These results indicate that sandblasting can cause significant yield reductions in lupin and that measures to control soil erosion through minimum tillage practices or windbreaks should be considered.

Nitrogen balances of narrow leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.), albus lupin (L. albus L.), field pea (Pisum sativum L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) sown over a range of dates were examined in 1992 in a rotation study at Wagga Wagga, NSW. Each N budget included assessment of dependence on fixed as opposed to soil N, peak aboveground biomass N, and N removed as grain or returned as unharvested aboveground crop residues. N balances of wheat sown across the plots in 1993 were assessed similarly in terms of biomass and grain yield. Yields, N2 fixation, and crop residue N balances of the legumes were markedly influenced by sowing time, and superior performance of lupins over other species was related to higher biomass production and proportional dependence on N2 fixation, together with a poorer harvest index. Residual N balances in aboveground biomass after harvest of the 1992 crops were significantly correlated with soil mineral N at 1993 sowing and with biomass and grain N yields of the resulting wheat crop. Best mean fixation and grain N yield came from albus lupin. Wheat grain N yields following the 2 lupins were some 20% greater than after fiield pea and chickpea and 3 times greater than after barley. Net soil N balance based solely on aboveground returns of N of legumes in 1992 through to harvest of wheat in 1993 was least for narrow leaf lupin-wheat ( –20 kg N/ha), followed by albus lupin-wheat ( –44), chickpea-wheat ( –74), and field pea-wheat ( –96). Corresponding combined grain N yields (legume+wheat) from the 4 rotations were 269, 361, 178, and 229 kg N/ha, respectively. The barley-wheat rotation yielded a similarly computed soil N deficit of 67 kg/ha. Data are discussed in relation to other studies on legume-based rotations.

Narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) grows poorly on alkaline soils, whereas white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) grows relatively well. This study aimed at examining genotypic variations of white lupins grown in limed acid and alkaline soils in the glasshouse and to test whether the glasshouse findings correlated with those observed in the field. Twelve white lupin genotypes were tested for their tolerance of limed and alkaline soils in the glasshouse. In limed soils compared with the control soil, genotypic variation in shoot growth ranged from 58 to 80%, root weight from 49 to 72%, and leaf chlorophyll concentration from 47 to 96%. In the alkaline soil, shoot weight ranged from 75 to 110%, root weight from 39 to 63%, and chlorophyll concentration from 58 to 94% of the control. However, iron chlorosis did not negatively correlate with shoot growth of the genotypes on the limed or alkaline soils. The results suggest that iron chlorosis may not be used as a sole indicator for selecting tolerant albus lupins for alkaline soils. Nineteen lines including those used in the glasshouse were compared in the field for their ability to grow on an alkaline clay. Large genotypic variation in early shoot growth was also found; shoot weight on the alkaline soil relative to an acid soil ranged from 38 to 85%. However, growth performance of the white lupin genotypes in response to the alkaline soil did not correlate with those in the glasshouse, indicating that factors other than soil alkalinity might also be important for the growth of albus lupin. Screening techniques to identify tolerant genotypes for alkaline soils need to be further developed.

Dissolution of North Carolina phosphate rock (PR) in the rhizosphere of white lupin (Lupinus albus) and narrow leaf lupin (L. angustifolius) was measured in a growth chamber experiment. Plants were grown for 8-13 days in an artificial soil (pure alumina sand) at alkaline pH to eliminate dissolution of PR due to reaction with the soil. Phosphate rock was supplied as the sole source of P and Ca for the plants at two rates of application (0.1 and 1 mg P g-1 soil). Both species dissolved considerable amounts of PR (up to 70% of PR present within 3 mm from the roots). Phosphorus extracted from the soil with 0.5 M NaOH showed that up to 69% of dissolved P accumulated in the rhizosphere of both species due to sorption by the soil, particularly at the high rate of application. Only white lupin utilized significant amounts of Ca. Thus P and Ca uptake were not driving forces for the root-induced dissolution of PR which was probably due to proton excretion that occurred concurrently, as evidenced by a decrease of rhizosphere pH of about 2 pH units. White lupin dissolved up to twice as much PR than narrow leaf lupin. This may be related to either the larger root biomass of white lupin or the particular excretion activity of its proteoid roots.

An experiment was carried out with 4 methods of utilising sweet narrow-leafed lupin crops (unharvested, stubble, cut before leaf drop, cut and conserved as rolls), to compare the development of lupinosis in wether weaners at 2 stocking rates while they were growing during the summer period. Growth of weaners grazed on the cut lupin treatments was greater than on lupin stubbles at both 25 and 50 weaners/ha (grazing period 98 and 63 days, respectively). Weaners grazed on unharvested lupin crops gained the most liveweight at the lower stocking rate; at 50/ha, weaners on unharvested lupin grazed for longer than those in the other 3 treatments (98 v. 63 days). After 63 days of grazing over all lupin treatments, weaners at 50ka had more (P<0.05) liver damage than did those at 25ka. Amongst lupin treatments, weaners given fodder rolls had the least liver damage, whereas those on the stubbles had the most (P<0.05). After 98 days, the weaners grazed at 50ka on the unharvested crop and 25ka on stubble had the most liver damage. Those grazed at 25ka on the unharvested crop or on lupin fodder rolls had very little liver damage. Although fodder rolling of lupins did offer some protection against development of liver damage associated with the intake of phomopsins in lupins, larger liveweight gains were obtained on unharvested lupin crops. Therefore, greater flexibility would be available to farmers by leaving lupin crops to mature before deciding how to use them. This would avoid the cost of preparing fodder rolls, which provided no marked advantage in this experiment.

lrrigation treatments were imposed in the field on an indeterminate cultivar of narrow-leafed lupins (Lupinus angustifolius L., cv. Danja) and on a breeding line with reduced branching (75A/329) so that they experienced no water-deficits (frequently irrigated), a transient mild water-deficit or a transient severe water-deficit during early reproductive growth, or continuous severe water-deficit during reproductive growth (unirrigated). Both leaf water potential and leaf conductance declined in all treatments in which a water-deficit was imposed. Differences in leaf conductance were apparent before differences in leaf water potential: conductance declined to 40% and 30% of the frequently irrigated controls in the transient mild and severe water-deficit treatments, respectively. Leaf water potential declined to -1 - 1 MPa and -1.6 MPa, respectively, in the transient mild and severe water-deficit treatments, compared to between -0 - 65 and -0 - 95 MPa for the frequently irrigated controls. Seed yield and total dry weight were reduced in the transient severe water-deficit and unirrigated treatments, but were no different from the frequently irrigated treatment when the water-deficit was transient and mild. However both transient water-deficit treatments produced more main-stem seed yield than the frequently irrigated treatment, especially in the reduced-branching line 75A/329. The transient mild water-deficit treatment also produced more first-order apical axis yield than the frequently irrigated treatment. These yield increases were mainly due to a greater yield of seed per pod, although on the first-order apical axes there was also a tendency to set more pods. The greater seed yield per pod in the transient water-deficit treatments was due to an apparent redirection of assimilate from vegetative to reproductive growth. This was not due to a smaller reduction in reproductive growth rates than in vegetative growth rates, but to an acceleration of reproductive growth that was maintained after stress relief. The same early acceleration of reproductive growth was also observed in unirrigated treatments, but the severe stress which persisted throughout later reproductive growth reduced pod growth rates and negated the early advantage.

ABSTRACT We applied a multilocus phylogenetic approach to elucidate the origin of serradella and lupin Bradyrhizobium strains that persist in soils of Western Australia and South Africa. The selected strains belonged to different randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR clusters that were distinct from RAPD clusters of applied inoculant strains. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with nodulation genes (nodA, nodZ, nolL, noeI), housekeeping genes (dnaK, recA, glnII, atpD), and 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer sequences. Housekeeping gene phylogenies revealed that all serradella and Lupinus cosentinii isolates from Western Australia and three of five South African narrow-leaf lupin strains were intermingled with the strains of Bradyrhizobium canariense, forming a well supported branch on each of the trees. All nodA gene sequences of the lupin and serradella bradyrhizobia formed a single branch, referred to as clade II, together with the sequences of other lupin and serradella strains. Similar patterns were detected in nodZ and nolL trees. In contrast, nodA sequences of the strains isolated from native Australian legumes formed either a new branch called clade IV or belonged to clade I or III, whereas their nonsymbiotic genes grouped outside the B. canariense branch. These data suggest that the lupin and serradella strains, including the strains from uncultivated L. cosentinii plants, are descendants of strains that most likely were brought from Europe accidentally with lupin and serradella seeds. The observed dominance of B. canariense strains may be related to this species' adaptation to acid soils common in Western Australia and South Africa and, presumably, to their intrinsic ability to compete for nodulation of lupins and serradella.

[Truncated abstract] Narrow-leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) was first recorded as having been introduced into Germany during the mid-19th century for use as green manuring and as fodder crops. However, it was not until post World-War I that there was any serious attempt to domesticate the species. Since that time several key domestication genes have been incorporated to enable the species to be grown as a crop over a range of climates, harvested as a bulk commodity and, the seed used for both animal and human consumption. However, the recent domestication of this species has seen a rather limited use of wild germplasm largely as a result of the difficulty in retaining these key domestication genes. To make the task of retaining these genes manageable, it was decided to resort to molecular technology. A mapping population of F8 derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) has previously been established by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, from a cross between a domesticated breeding line 83A:476 and a wild type P27255 in narrow-leaf lupin. The parents together with 89 RILs (of a population of 115) were subjected to DNA fingerprinting using microsatelliteanchored fragment length polymorphism (MFLP) to rapidly generate DNA markers for construction of a linkage map. Five hundred and twenty two unique markers of which 21% were co-dominant, were generated and mapped. Phenotypic data for the domestication traits: mollis (soft seeds), leucospermus (white flower and seed colour); Lentus (reduced pod-shattering), iucundis (low alkaloid), Ku (early flowering) and moustache pattern on seed coats; were included. Three to 7 molecular markers were identified within 5 cM of each of these domestication genes. The anthracnose resistance gene Lanr1 was also mapped. Linkage groups were constructed using MapManager version QTXb20, resulting in 21 linkage groups consisting of 8 or more markers. ... Five pairs of QTLs were found to be involved in epistasis, 2 of these having an effect on early vigour and another 3 influencing the time to opening of the first florets. Variation explained for each trait ranged from 28% for seed size, to 88% for days to flowering. We showed that it was possible to use this data to predict genotypes of superior progeny for these traits under Mediterranean conditions. QTL regions were compared on a second published linkage map and regions of conserved synteny with the model legume Medicago truncatula high-lighted. The work presented in this thesis demonstrates the importance of tight linkage between markers and genes of interest. It is especially important when dealing with genetically diverse material as found in the wild. One of the main problems faced by molecular scientists is the phenomenon known as linkage disequilibrium in marker populations caused by either small population size or 4 insufficient opportunity for recombination. This frequently results in the development of markers with little or no application outside of the population in which it was developed. Although the relatively small size of the population used in this study exposes it to such constraints, in this case excellent and valuable results were achieved in developing useful markers to at least 3 of the domestication traits within a relatively short time period of less then 4 years.