White Lupin Performance and Nutritional Value as Affected by Planting Date and Row Spacing

Abstract

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a potential alternative winter grain legume crop for the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. However, information about suitable production technology and nutritional quality of lupin grown in this region is unavailable. We studied the performance of a determinate cultivar (Lucyanne) and an indeterminate cultivar (Lunoble) during 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 growing seasons to identify optimum planting time and row spacing and to examine the nutritional quality of lupin. Three row spacings (0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 m) were evaluated in each of the three planting dates: early October, late October, and mid‐November. The indeterminate cultivar was taller and had a 26% higher seed yield (4.8 Mg ha−1) than the determinate cultivar (3.8 Mg ha−1). A delay in planting time from early October to late October or mid‐November decreased both seed yield (5.6, 4.1, and 3.2 Mg ha−1, respectively) and plant height (0.77, 0.64, and 0.53 m, respectively). The highest seed yield (5.9 Mg ha−1) was recorded for the row spacing of 0.3 m. Row spacing did not affect seed size or plant height. Cultivar, planting date, and row‐spacing effects on protein and sugar concentrations were not significant. Delayed planting reduced, whereas narrow row spacing increased, oil concentration. The mean protein, sugar, and oil contents in Virginia‐grown lupin seed were 347, 73, and 75 g kg−1, respectively. These preliminary experiments indicated that indeterminate cultivar had a yield advantage over the determinate cultivar, the optimal planting time was early October, and the optimal row spacing was 0.3 m.