Identification of Promising Accessions of Wild Lupinus Hispanicus Boiss. Et Reut. from Northwestern Spain

Lupinus hispanicus Boiss. et Reut. is a Mediterranean wild species of lupin that grows naturally in the Iberian Peninsula. This species can be an interesting alternative leguminous crop adapted to marginal areas and is suitable for low-input cultivation systems. Thirty-one accessions were collected in northwestern Spain from a diverse range of altitudes (from 25 to 1063 m). To know their potential to produce green mass for forage and/or grain for animal feed, accessions were evaluated under winter conditions in northwestern Spain. Twenty-one traits related to growing cycle, biomass and seed yield and domestication were measured during two years at two different locations. Based on morphological characteristics we classified all the accessions into the sub-species L. hispanicus subsp. bicolor (Merino) Gladst. This result helps clarifying the distribution of this sub-species in the Iberian Peninsula. Performance of accessions across environments was stable, since the interaction with the environment was non-significant for most part of traits. Accessions showed phenotypical variability in their growing cycle and seed traits. Some accessions may have potential for grain (LUP-0048 and LUP-0052) or forage (LUP-0048 and LUP-0188) production and became an interesting alternative to other more input-dependent fodder crops in areas with poor soils and low supplies. Improving crucial traits as alkaloid content and seed permeability would be required before their utilization. Trials in each planting zone should be performed in order to establish adequate crop density, planting date and ideal plant type. Useful characteristics from L. hispanicus accessions (i.e. yield stability, waterlogging and poor soil tolerance and frost resistance) could be also introduced into yellow lupin cultivars.