Exploring the potential of domesticating lupins in Punjab, Pakistan

Studies on domestication of lupins have been lacking under agro-climatic conditions prevailing in the Indo- Gangetic Plains. To evaluate the potential of cultivating different Lupinus species/cultivars in Pakistan, a study was conducted in an alkaline calcareous soil under irrigated field conditions at Faisalabad. Maximum shoot biomass and grain yields were recorded in white lupin. Yellow and blue lupins though grew well up to flowering stage but failed to produce seed. Proteoid roots were observed in white and yellow lupins, whereas none of the tested species/cultivars produced root nodules. While the grain component of five cultivars of white lupins showed similar contents of protein and carbohydrates, cultivars significantly differed with respect to contents of seed coat, oil and micronutrients. Results suggested that white lupin (but not yellow and blue lupins) has the potential for domestication as a high-protein alternate grain legume crop in Pakistan, producing much higher grain yield as compared to some conventional grain legumes.