Large-leaved lupine

Economic importance

Large-leaved lupine is a green manure and ornamental plant. It is distinguished by early maturity. It is of economic importance due to its low demands on soil and climatic conditions, early seed ripening, high propagation coefficient, good green matter yield, and longevity (up to 10 years).

Plowing in the green mass in June–July makes it possible to create favorable conditions for sowing winter crops. It is of greatest interest as green manure for the northern and northeastern regions of the country. It is widespread in the central and southern regions, as well as in Belarus.

The crop is used to stabilize ravines and sands and to protect young orchards and forest plantations from grazing. Due to the growing importance of biologization and ecologization of agriculture, which began at the end of the 20th century, the importance of large-leaved lupine has increased.

The forage use of this crop is constrained by the ability to breed alkaloid-free varieties whose green mass could be fed to animals. The development of lupine forms with a stable low alkaloid content trait would make it possible to obtain high-protein feed in the northernmost regions of Russia, where other leguminous crops are not grown.

In the north it produces 2 cuts; in the forest-steppe zone, 3–4.

History of the crop

Large-leaved lupine originates from North America. It was introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant and quickly acclimatized.

In the late 19th century it found use in the field cultivation of Russia, which is the only country in the world using this crop in field cultivation. This was facilitated by D. N. Pryanishnikov, who considered it the best green manure for the northern regions of the European and Asian parts of the country.

Cultivation areas

Thanks to its early maturity, lupine is distributed as far as the Arctic Circle, where it is able to produce seeds.

Yield

Seed yield, starting from the second year of life, averages 600–800 kg/ha.

Green matter yield in the second year of life reaches 25–30 t/ha. Maximum yield in the east of the European part of the country is achieved after 4–5 years.

Botanical description

Large-leaved lupine, or perennial lupine, (Lupinus polyphyllus Lind.) is a perennial, subshrub, well-leafed plant with a small number of stems, up to 1 m tall.

The root system is taprooted, powerful, and penetrates the soil to a depth of 2–3 m.

The leaves are large.

Many-flowered inflorescences up to 40–50 cm long are located on the stems. The flowers are blue, pink, or white. Cross-pollination predominates.

The fruit is a small, elongated, many-seeded pod of black color; it splits open when ripe. The pods are pubescent with whitish hairs and turn black when ripe.

The seeds are small, oval, slightly flattened, mottled, of various colors (brown with white spots, mottled, and black). The weight of 1000 seeds is 20–30 g.

Ecological requirements

It is distinguished by cold resistance and frost resistance. Due to its cold resistance, it can be cultivated for seeds and green manure farther north than annual forms, as far as Vologda Oblast and the Komi Republic.

It grows well on loamy and sandy loam soils.

Vegetation

It can be cultivated in one place for more than 10 years.

Large-leaved lupine can be sown in spring under a cover crop or in summer without a cover crop. In the first year of life it forms a rosette of leaves that goes into winter. Regrowth in spring begins early; by the first cut it can form 30–40 t/ha of green matter.

Cultivation technology

According to the recommendation of D. N. Pryanishnikov, perennial lupine can be grown for 8–10 years in a diversion field of a crop rotation, obtaining two cuts per year for green manure: the cut mass is transported to a fallow field and subsequently plowed in for rye. It is also undersown in crop rotation under barley and winter crops, as a post-harvest crop after early-harvested crops, or on its own in occupied fallow. Any crops can be predecessors, but winter and row crops are preferable.

When sown under a cover crop, by autumn perennial lupine takes root, forms a leaf rosette, and overwinters in this state. It starts growing in early spring and by June is suitable for plowing in (in the case of sowing winter crops).

In the flowering–pod setting phase, the plants are cut and transported to the field for plowing in.

Sometimes a cultivation technology is practiced in which lupine is sown on one half of a fallow field, while the other half is left under clean or occupied fallow. In this case, the fallow-occupying crop must be harvested no later than the lupine is cut. At the beginning of flowering, the lupine is cut, transported to the second half of the fallow field, and incorporated into the soil. Thus, one half of the fallow field is fertilized with the cut green mass, and the second with the post-harvest plant residues of this crop.

Usually large-leaved lupine is used as green manure for winter crops. For this purpose, it is undersown in spring under grain crops. P45K45 is applied before pre-sowing cultivation.

Sowing

Sowing time is in spring under a cover crop of spring or winter grain crops.

Before sowing, lupine seeds and cover crop seeds are mixed and sown by the usual row method. The seeding rate is 35–45 kg/ha, sowing depth 3–4 cm.

Seeds are scarified to increase field germination and yield by 2 times.

It is also sown as a post-cut or post-harvest crop after early-harvested field crops.

Harvesting

When used as green manure, the green mass is plowed in in the second half of June, 1.5–2 months before sowing winter crops.

Seeds ripen in July, whereas in annual lupine species they ripen in late August–September.

Intended for transport to other fields as green manure, the green mass is cut during flowering–early pod formation.

Growing for seed

When growing lupine for seed, it is sown by a wide-row two-line method according to the 45×15 cm scheme to allow mechanized care of the crops. For faster seed propagation, it is advisable to use coverless sowing. The seeding rate is 8–10 kg/ha.

Before sowing, fertilizers P₃₀K₃₀ are applied.

Seeds are recommended to be treated with bacterial preparations.

Harvesting begins no later than when half of the pods are ripe, since they can easily split open.

List of sources

1. Kolomeichenko V. V. (2007). Crop Production/Textbook. Moscow: Agrobusinesscenter.