Search Results (16)

FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is a key integrator of flowering pathways. White lupin, a grain legume, encodes four FT homologs: LalbFTa1, LalbFTa2, LalbFTc1, and LalbFTc2. Widespread distribution of white lupin implies diverse phenological adaptations to contrasting ecosystems. Recent studies highlighted associations between FT indels and flowering regulation. Therefore, we surveyed the global white lupin collection for the presence of such indels and potential links to phenology. A panel of 626 white lupin genotypes, representing several European and African agro-climates, was phenotyped under a long-day photoperiod in a two-year study, showing up to 80 days of flowering time difference between early landraces from Eastern Mediterranean and late accessions from France, Madeira, the Canaries, Greece, Italy, and the Azores. As many as seventeen indel variants were identified for LalbFTc1, twelve for LalbFTa2, nine for LalbFTa1, and four for LalbFTc2, yielding roughly three hundred allelic combinations. Significant correlations with phenology were confirmed for one LalbFTa1 indel and twelve LalbFTc1 indels. A large, highly correlated LalbFTc1 indel was revealed to be conserved among all domesticated Old World lupins, carrying all FTc1-promoter candidate binding sites of the same major floral repressor, AGAMOUS-LIKE 15. A small LalbFTa1 indel, providing additional contribution to earliness, showed homology between white and yellow lupins. LalbFTc1 indel-based PCR markers revealed high discriminatory power towards early (PR_42a and PR_71b) or late (PR_58c, PR_36b, PR_80, and PR_60b) flowering. Full article

Legumes are an inexpensive and essential protein source worldwide. The most consumed legumes include peanuts, soybeans, lentils, lupines, peas, common bean and chickpeas. In addition, the food industry is growing interested in expanding the use of legumes to partially replace or substitute cereals. Legumes were described to cause IgE-mediated allergies, and their growing use may also increase the incidence of allergy. The epidemiology of legume allergy varies by region; peanuts and soybeans are the legumes most involved in food allergies in Western countries, whereas lentils, peas, and chickpeas are reported as culprit allergens mainly in the Mediterranean area and India. This review, edited by the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergology and Immunology, summarizes the scientific literature on legume allergy in children and proposes a diagnostic workup and therapeutic approach. Full article

Lupin species provide essential nutrients and bioactive compounds. Within pulses, they have one of the highest contents of proteins and fibers and are among the poorest in carbohydrates. The Mediterranean region is an important cradle area of the origin and domestication of cultivated white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). In this work, we present the characterization of 19 white lupin landraces collected from several sites in southern Italy, characterized by different pedoclimatic conditions. The protein contents and electrophoretic patterns, total polyphenols, phytic acid, lipids and phosphorous content, and reducing and anti-tryptic activities have been determined for each landrace. The relationships of the compositional characteristics, the area of origin of landraces and between compositional characteristics and thermo-pluviometric trends that occurred in the genotype comparison field during the two-year period between 2019 and 2020 are compared and discussed. From a nutritional point of view, some of the analyzed landraces differ from the commercial reference. The panel of molecular analyses performed can help in building an identity card for the grain to rapidly identify those varieties with the desired characteristics. Full article

Interest in white lupine has increased in recent years in animal nutrition due to its balanced protein and lipid content, phytochemical compounds, and low alkaloid content. Agronomic traits, nutrients, and antioxidant phenols of six white lupin genotypes grown in a Mediterranean area were explored. Genotypes significantly differed in growth stages and life cycle length (from 172 to 204 days after sowing), plant height (from 36.1 to 97.2 cm), seed yield (from 1.02 to 3.50 Mg ha⁻¹), and yield components. Seed yield was positively correlated with the number of seeds per pod and the thousand-seed weight. Across the average of genotypes, a high protein content (397 g kg⁻¹), a low fiber content (133 g kg⁻¹), and oil content (116 g kg⁻¹) with a high oleic acid (453–509 g kg⁻¹) and low erucic acid content (8–17 g kg⁻¹) were found. The n3/n6 ratio varied from 1:1 to 1:4. Ecotype G showed the highest TPC, DPPH^•, and ABTS^•+ and Multitalia showed the highest content of Apigenin 1 and 2 derivatives. The lowest alkaloid content was recorded in Volos, Luxor, and Lublanc. Overall, this species can be considered a suitable feed crop and a valuable ingredient in animal nutrition due to its overall nutritional profile. At present, only Volos, Luxor, and Lublanc can be suggested in animal nutrition due to the low alkaloid content. Nonetheless, interesting agronomic and quality traits in Multitalia and the two ecotypes suggest room for breeding to reduce their antinutritional factors. Full article

Lupins are an important source of protein that could replace soybeans in the diet of ruminants and monogastrics, without reducing their performance. Lupinus albus (L. albus) is the main species of the genus Lupinus that is cultivated in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present research was to study commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines of L. albus by using phenotypical, molecular and biochemical data, in order to be used in breeding projects. Seven commercial cultivars (Estoril, Fas Sweet, Multitalia, Magnus, Orus, Ulysse Sulimo and Figaro) and three advanced lines from the company AGROLAND (LKML, LKAP and LKAU) were used. Eleven morphological traits were described using UPOV Guidelines (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). Additionally, agronomical traits and yield components were measured. Regarding the nutritional value, grain samples were analyzed for N and the crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), total alkaloids (TA), total phenolic content (TP), total tannins content (TT) and condensed tannins (CT) were calculated. Genetic diversity among genetic materials was assessed by SSRs molecular markers. The metabolomic analysis for four selected cultivars (Figaro, Magnus, Multitalia and Sulimo) was performed on the seeds with the GC/EI/MS technique. According to the results, the advanced lines were most productive but also with higher content of total alkaloids than the commercial cultivars. The only exception was the cultivar Multitalia that was characterized by a high content of alkaloids. Based on the SSRs, the cultivars Magnus, Orus and Estoril were grouped together while the breeding lines LKAP, LICML and LKAU were grouped with Multitalia. Regarding the metabolomic profile, the cultivars Multitalia and Magnus were together, while Sulimo was grouped with Figaro. Finally, the content of several beneficial metabolites for human and animal nutrition was significantly increased in Sulimo and Figaro, compared to Magnus and Multitalia. Both commercial varieties and lines have characteristics that can be exploited and used in breeding programs. Full article

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two types of nutritional supplementation during late gestation on the chemical composition, energy value, and IgG concentration in the colostrum and the IgG concentration in the blood serum of lambs. Pregnant Merino Precoz ewes (n = 36) carrying single fetuses were used. Animals were kept grazing on the Mediterranean annual grassland. From day ~90 of pregnancy, animals were allocated into three groups: daily supplementation with oat grain or lupine grain and a control group without supplementation. Immediately after parturition, colostrum was collected from each ewe, and a blood sample was taken from the lambs 24 h after birth. For the evaluation of the chemical composition of the colostrum, an EKOMILK^® milk analyzer was used. The energy value of the colostrum was calorimetrically evaluated. IgG concentrations were measured by simple radial immunodiffusion. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance. Colostrum content of protein and non-fat solids was higher in the group supplemented with oat grain than in the lupine grain supplemented and control groups (p ≤ 0.05). In contrast, ewes supplemented with lupine grain had the highest concentration of fat in their colostrum (p ≤ 0.05). Oat grain supplementation resulted in higher concentrations of IgG, both in sheep colostrum and in the blood serum of their lambs (p ≤ 0.05), being higher than those observed in the lupine grain and control groups. Ewes that gave birth to male lambs had significantly higher concentrations of IgG in their colostrum compared to ewes that gave birth to females (p ≤ 0.05). The colostral IgG concentration positively correlated with the serum IgG concentration of the lambs (r = 0.32; p ≤ 0.05). The results indicate that the quality of colostrum and the immunological status of the newborn lambs can be improved by supplementation with oat grain. Full article

The objective of this preliminary study was to evaluate the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal by lupins on lambs’ diets, on the carcass traits, meat characteristics, and meat fatty acid profile. Two trials were conducted: In trial 1, the soybean meal (control; C) was partially replaced by Lupinus albus or Lupinus luteus (50 g/kg; LA5 and LL5, respectively); in trial 2, lambs were fed four diets with graded levels of Lupinus luteus (0, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg; C, LL10, LL15, LL20, respectively). At the end of the feeding trials, animals were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics and meat composition, including fatty acids. Carcass composition in tissues was not affected (p > 0.05) by diet in both trials. Additionally, no significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed in meat quality attributes between diets in trials 1 and 2. Overall, the Longissimus muscle’s fatty acid content was not affected by diet (p > 0.05) in both trials. Carcass and meat quality was overall comparable between lambs fed with soybean meal and lupins, indicating the latter as a potential alternative protein source. However, the lack of significant differences could also be attributed to the small sample size. Full article

Legumes crops are important for sustainable agriculture and global food security. Among them white lupin (Lupinus albus L.), is characterized by exceptional protein content of high nutritional value, competitive to that of soybean (Glycine max) and is well adapted to rainfed agriculture. However, its high seed-quinolizidine alkaloid (QA) content impedes its direct integration to human diet and animal feed. Additionally, its cultivation is not yet intensive, remains confined to local communities and marginal lands in Mediterranean agriculture, while adaptation to local microclimates restrains its cultivation from expanding globally. Hence, modern white lupin breeding aims to exploit genetic resources for the development of “sweet” elite cultivars, resilient to biotic adversities and well adapted for cultivation on a global level. Towards this aim, we evaluated white lupin local landrace germplasm from Greece, since the country is considered a center of white lupin diversity, along with cultivars and breeding lines for comparison. Seed morphological diversity and molecular genetic relationships were investigated. Most of the landraces were distinct from cultivars, indicating the uniqueness of their genetic make-up. The presence of pauper “sweet” marker allele linked to low seed QA content in some varieties was detected in one landrace, two breeding lines, and the cultivars. However, QA content in the examined genotypes did not relate with the marker profile, indicating that the marker’s predictive power is limited in this material. Marker alleles for vernalization unresponsiveness were detected in eight landraces and alleles for anthracnose resistance were found in two landraces, pointing to the presence of promising germplasm for utilization in white lupin breeding. The rich lupin local germplasm genetic diversity and the distinct genotypic composition compared to elite cultivars, highlights its potential use as a source of important agronomic traits to support current breeding efforts and assist its integration to modern sustainable agriculture. Full article

French broom (Genista monspessulana) (Fabaceae) is a perennial species native to the Mediterranean basin. Introduced in the 19th century as an ornamental plant, it is currently invasive in California and Australia. The current research is focused on biocontrol with the use of the phytophagous weevil Lepidapion argentatum (Brentidae). Its capacity to develop both in the stem galls and pods of French broom makes it a promising candidate. The impact on the reproduction of French broom was studied in Southern France and revealed that it could effectively reduce the number of viable seeds by 18.8%, but also increased the number of aborted seeds by 10% within the attacked pods. To evaluate the specificity of L. argentatum, choice and no-choice tests were performed in 2012 and 2015 on a total of 36 non-target closely related species. Results revealed the presence of galls and larvae in the stems of seven species, including two endemic Californian lupines; i.e., Lupinus arboreus blue and Lupinus chamissonis. In the future, new tests will be conducted to determine if L. argentatum is able to complete its entire development lifecycle on the non-target species where galls have previously been observed. Full article

Soybean is the most commonly used protein supplement of plant origin in animal diets. However, its high price and environmental impacts of production and transport to global markets stimulate producer’s interest in alternative use of locally produced feed ingredients including grain legumes. Lupin is one of the major grain legumes economically cultivated in Europe. Their seeds are characterized by high protein and dietary fiber content, presenting a high nutritional value for animal feeding. There is the need for screening new alternatives that can replace soybean by traditional protein sources with nutritional and commercial value for human and animal consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sowing date on the potential of 3 lupines varieties well adapted to Mediterranean climatic conditions and soils from North Portugal as an alternative protein source to human and animal feed. The species and varieties tested were white lupine (Lupinus albus L.), cv. Estoril, narrow-leafed lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.), cv. Tango, and yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus L.), cv. Cardiga. Four sowing dates with 3-weeks interval were tested from early September to November. The sowing was performed manually in a split-plot completed randomized block design with plots of 10m² each and 4 replications. The harvest was carried out during the month of June. Agronomic parameters like plant growth indicators, weed infestation, grain yield and protein content were evaluated. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), using the Statistix 10 (Analytical Software 10). When the effects of the factors or their interactions were significant (p < 0.05), the means were separated using multiple comparisons of the Tukey test. Early sowing of Estoril yield more grain than Cardiga (1766 and 1552 kg ha⁻¹, respectively). Late sowing dates significantly reduced (59–62%) yields compared to early sowing. In contrast, Tango showed always the lowest grain yield in all sowing dates with a reduction of 91% and the highest weed infestation on the last date compared to the first one. The highest crude protein yield was obtained with Cardiga (618 kg ha⁻¹) and Estoril (588 kg ha⁻¹), while the lowest was in Tango (144 kg ha⁻¹). The grain protein content decreased from first to last sowing date, with a reduction to half in Estoril and Tango and Cardiga showing 59% less, in last sowing. In conclusion, Cardiga followed by Estoril showed more adaptability to the region and may constitute an alternative protein source for the feed industry. Full article

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a pulse annual plant cultivated from the tropics to temperate regions for its high-protein grain as well as a cover crop or green manure. Wild populations are typically late flowering and have high vernalization requirements. Nevertheless, some early flowering and thermoneutral accessions were found in the Mediterranean basin. Recently, quantitative trait loci (QTLs) explaining flowering time variance were identified in bi-parental population mapping, however, phenotypic and genotypic diversity in the world collection has not been addressed yet. In this study, a diverse set of white lupin accessions (n = 160) was phenotyped for time to flowering in a controlled environment and genotyped with PCR-based markers (n = 50) tagging major QTLs and selected homologs of photoperiod and vernalization pathway genes. This survey highlighted quantitative control of flowering time in white lupin, providing statistically significant associations for all major QTLs and numerous regulatory genes, including white lupin homologs of CONSTANS, FLOWERING LOCUS T, FY, MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1, PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4, SKI-INTERACTING PROTEIN 1, and VERNALIZATION INDEPENDENCE 3. This revealed the complexity of flowering control in white lupin, dispersed among numerous loci localized on several chromosomes, provided economic justification for future genome-wide association studies or genomic selection rather than relying on simple marker-assisted selection. Full article

Lupins are suitable candidates to replace soybean meal in livestock feeding in the Mediterranean area, presenting a solution for the European Union’s dependence on soybean importations. This study aimed to assess the effect of incorporating Lupinus albus and Lupinus luteus into Churra da Terra Quente lambs’ diets on growth performance and digestibility. Two trials were conducted over two years. In trial 1, two experimental diets containing 50 g/kg Lupinus albus and 50 g/kg Lupinus luteus were tested. In trial 2, lambs were fed with diets containing higher incorporations of Lupinus luteus (100, 150, and 200 g/kg: LL10, LL15, and LL20, respectively). Total dry matter, hay dry matter, and crude protein intake were calculated, as well as average daily gains. At the end of the growth trials, dry matter, organic matter, and NDF digestibility was determined. Incorporating 50 g/kg of lupins did not affect (p > 0.05) the performance. Lambs fed on LL20 diets presented the lowest HDMI and CPI values (p < 0.05). The highest intakes (p < 0.05) were observed from LL15 lambs. No differences were found in apparent digestibility coefficients between diets (p > 0.05), except for NDF digestibility which was highest (p < 0.05) for LL20. The optimum level of lupin inclusion in lambs’ diets seems to be 150 g/kg. Full article

Lupinus mutabilis Sweet is an Andean protein crop with agro-economic potential. However, it is characterized by low yields and phenotypic plasticity related to environmental conditions when cultivated in different locations in Europe. Current research objective was to evaluate L. mutabilis agro-morphological performance in two locations in Greece and to record its pollinators, since these can contribute to optimization of crop performance. For this purpose, eight Andean lupin accessions, one white and one blue lupin commercial varieties were evaluated for 71 agro-morphological traits in a Randomized Complete Block design with three replications. Combined Analysis over Location presented a significant accession-location interaction for traits of economic interest such as seed crude protein and 100 seed weight. Seed crude protein was higher in L. mutabilis accessions (up to 43.8 g 100 g⁻¹ seed) than white and blue lupins. Andean lupin yielded up to 327 kg ha⁻¹ (LIB214) in Kalamata, while its yield was lower than the white lupin in Athens. Using principal component analysis, three groups of accessions were formed, one by each lupin species and three within Andean lupin accessions. Floral traits such as color and size are related to pollinators diversity and preference. Insect pollinators and floral traits interplay among different lupin species was examined. Pollinators visited L. mutabilis flowers belong to the genera Anthophora, Bombus, Megachile and Xylocopa. The results of the present study, indicate that L.mutabilis has agronomic potential and enhances above ground biodiversity, however breeding for higher yields is required. Full article

Andean lupin in Europe has regained interest in recent years due to its high seed protein and oil content and its potential use for food, feed as well as a crop used in biorefineries. A search for suitable germplasm in combination with a determination of appropriate agronomical practices such as planting date are needed for commercial farming in new areas. The current study aims to evaluate the performance of six selected L. mutabilis accessions in a Mediterranean area using two different planting dates for two consecutive experimental years. A split plot design with accessions as subplots and planting dates as main plots was used. Measurements such as days to flowering, plant height, total number of pods and seeds per plant, seed yield and seed crude protein content were taken. All accessions performed better when cultivation started not later than the end of autumn since high temperatures occurred during late spring shortened the growth cycle and reduced yield. Earlier cultivation applied, in the middle of autumn, did not enhance significantly seed yield production. Among the accessions, LIB223 was characterized by the highest seed crude protein content in the early planting treatment, while accessions with prolonged growth cycle (LIB209, LIB214 and LIB223) produced higher seed yield than other accessions and could be further studied as promising breeding material for cultivation under the edaphoclimatic conditions tested. Full article

Legumes are major ingredients in the Mediterranean diet, playing an essential role in developing countries. Grain legumes, such as lentil, chickpea, pea, lupin and beans, among others, are recognized as good sources of proteins, starch, fiber, vitamins and minerals for human nutrition, being an essential food crop for people worldwide. Due to their nutritional and techno-functional properties, legumes are widely used by the food industry as ingredients in a wide range of products for general and specific groups of the population, including vegetarians, diabetics or celiac patients. The Special Issue “Legumes as Food Ingredients: Characterization, Processing, and Applications” covers key aspects regarding the nutritional quality of legume flours and their derived products, as well as the health benefits of some of their bioactive components. The amounts of antinutritional components, such as certain allergens that might pose risks to sensitized consumers, are reported to be reduced by processing. Several pretreatments, including fermentation with lactic bacteria and yeasts, are used to improve the nutritional and sensory profile of the legume-derived products, increasing their acceptance by consumers. Full article