Search Results (87)

The implementation of vegetative cover crops in vineyards is a sustainable alternative to chemical weed control, potentially influencing both soil fertility and grape-associated microbiota. This study evaluated the impact of six groundcover management strategies under vines—white clover (Trifolium repens), red clover (Trifolium pratense), burr medic (Medicago polymorpha), lupine (Lupinus albus), spontaneous weeds, and an herbicide-treated control—on the microbial dynamics and physicochemical properties of Cabernet Sauvignon must and wine from the Maipo Valley, Chile. Amplicon sequencing of bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities was combined with spontaneous fermentation trials and chemical analyses of must and wine. Fungal and bacterial communities on grape surfaces were dominated by Ascomycota and Proteobacteria, respectively, with no significant compositional differences among treatments. During fermentation, Metschnikowia and Tatumella were the most abundant non-Saccharomyces and bacterial genera, respectively, showing dynamic shifts across fermentation stages. Legume-based covers, particularly red clover, increased wine total acidity and polyphenol index while reducing pH. Correlation analyses revealed associations between specific microbial taxa (Metschnikowia, Cohnella, Saliterribacillus) and key enological parameters. Overall, these findings demonstrate that leguminous cover crops subtly modulate vineyard microbial ecology and fermentation outcomes, offering an environmentally sustainable pathway to enhance enological differentiation in semi-arid viticultural regions. Full article

White lupin improvement is challenged by the need to select for low seed content of total quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) when crossing low-alkaloid (sweet-seed) with bitter-seed (landrace) material. This study, which focused on 45 international landraces and 142 broadly sweet-seed breeding lines, aimed at (a) assessing the ability of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to distinguish broadly sweet-seed from bitter-seed material and, possibly, lines with particularly low QA content within broadly sweet-seed material; and (b) comparing landrace and breeding material in terms of the composition and amount of QA compounds. QA content was analyzed using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method. NIRS analyses were performed either on whole-seed samples or ground samples. The range of variation for total QA was 95–990 mg/kg among breeding lines and 14,041–37,321 among landraces. NIRS was able to discriminate broadly sweet-seed from bitter-seed material when using flour samples, non-destructive 10-seed samples, and even individual whole seeds (with <1% misclassification). It was unable to identify material with particularly low QA content. Landrace and breeding line germplasm differed in the proportions of individual QAs. Patterns of geographical variation for total QA content of landraces were identified. Our results can contribute to define an efficient NIRS-based pipeline to select for low total QA content. Full article

Iodine has an essential role in the human body; however, its insufficiency is still a challenge. Therefore, the search for new strategies to increase iodine intake in the daily diet is fully justified, with sprouts as a preferred and interesting candidates for biofortification. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of different methods of iodine enrichment of legume sprouts (yellow lupine, lentil, red and white clover, and common vetch) as well as to identify the most promising species for iodine bioaccumulation. The iodine content in mineralized sprout extracts was determined using the Sandell–Kolthoff method. Watering seeds, previously soaked in water (1 day), with a 6.5 mg/L potassium iodide solution (7 days) revealed to be the most effective fortification model, achieving the highest iodine concentrations in all tested species, with white clover being the best accumulator (1026.7 ± 60.4 µg I/100 g fresh weight) of this component. In turn, the greatest changes in biomass were observed in red clover (even up to 250% of the control). Iodine biofortification of legume sprouts could be effective; nevertheless, further research in this area is required. Full article

In various European regions, white lupin (Lupinus albus L) production could increase by autumn sowing of winter-hardy varieties. This study aimed to explore the genetic variation, the genetic architecture, and the genomic prediction of frost resistance in two reference populations, one including 144 landrace and cultivar genotypes, and the other comprising 144 breeding lines. These populations were genotyped by 40,914 and 32,951 SNP markers, respectively, issued by genotyping-by-sequencing. The genotypes were phenotyped for mortality and a biomass injury score at freezing temperature of −11 °C under controlled conditions. Both traits, highly correlated, exhibited large genetic variation and high broad-sense heritability (H² = 0.76–0.82). A genome-wide association study highlighted their polygenic architecture and detected markers linked to candidate genes. The intra-population predictive ability of plant mortality achieved 0.41 for landrace and cultivar germplasm, and 0.67 for breeding lines. The cross-population predictive ability was higher when using the model constructed for landrace and cultivar germplasm to predict breeding lines (0.39) than the reverse (0.26). Landrace field survival was largely influenced by late phenology in addition to frost resistance. Our results revealed frost-resistant germplasm, confirmed the polygenic control of frost resistance, and highlighted genomic prediction opportunities for line selection and the identification of elite genetic resources. Full article

Quinolizidine alkaloids, found particularly in leguminous plants (Fabaceae), are known for their role in plant protection, acting as toxic secondary metabolites against pests and pathogens. However, their toxicity also makes them anti-nutritional factors in food and feed. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor their presence. The aim of this study is to optimise two stages of the research procedure, i.e., (1) the conditions of LC–MS/MS instrumental analysis for the simultaneous determination of five alkaloids: angustifolin, hydroxylupanine, sparteine, and two geometric isomers of lupanine and isolupanine, and (2) the extraction and isolation stage of six different leguminous matrices: field beans, peas, lupins (narrow-leaved, white, yellow) and lentils. The modified and validated QuEChERS method based on LC-MS/MS shows acceptable recoveries (71–115%) with relative standard deviation <15%. A slight matrix effect (−20–14%) was observed. The uncertainty of the method <28%. The developed method shows significant progress in terms of sensitivity, achieving a detection limit as low as 0.01 mg/kg. This is a significant improvement over existing analytical methods and highlights the great potential of this method for detecting trace amounts. The innovative, sensitive, and selective method, offering simplicity and speed, was applied to the analysis of real leguminous samples. Full article

Organic farming systems, which prohibit synthetic fertilizers, often rely on legumes for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N). In orchards, legumes can be established as cover crops between tree rows to enhance nutrient cycling. This study evaluated the effects of two legume cover crops, white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), compared to a Control treatment with conventional tillage, which is the most commonly used method of soil management in the region, in an organically managed almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A.Webb] orchard compliant with European Union standards, in an experiment arranged as a completely randomized design. In the first year, kernel yield was highest in the Control treatment (404 kg ha⁻¹), while significantly lower yields were recorded for white lupin (246 kg ha⁻¹) and hairy vetch (283 kg ha⁻¹), likely due to competition for resources between cover crops and trees. In the second year, however, the trend reversed, with cover crop treatments yielding significantly more (Lupin: 313 kg ha⁻¹; Vetch: 296 kg ha⁻¹) than the Control (199 kg ha⁻¹). The cover crops accumulated over 150 kg ha⁻¹ of N in their tissues, enhancing soil N availability and increasing N concentrations in almond leaves. In addition to N, cover crops influenced the cycling of other nutrients, increasing potassium (K) and boron (B) concentrations while reducing calcium (Ca) and manganese (Mn) in plant tissues. Despite being derived from a two-year study, these results highlight the complexity of interpreting cover crop effects, underscoring the need for further long-term research to provide more comprehensive guidance to growers. Full article

This study investigated the possibility of partial replacement of genetically modified soybean meal (SBM) with raw white lupin (WL) seeds in growing pigs’ diets and determined its impact on performance [body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI)], meat quality, and fatty acid profile (FA). A total of 54 male crossbred pigs [(Topigs Large White × Norsvin Landrace) × Duroc], aged 12 weeks, with an initial average BW of 30.30 ± 0.77 kg, were divided into three dietary groups of 18 piglets each. The control group (CON) was fed a standardized SBM-based complete feed. In the experimental groups (WL1 and WL2) the SBM was replaced with increasing levels of WL seeds [WL1-5.0% and WL2-10.0% (grower period, 30–60 kg BW), and WL1-7.0% and WL2-14.0% (finisher period, 61–110 kg BW)]. All diets were formulated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenous with similar content of total lysine and sulphur amino acids, calcium, and available phosphorus. At the end of 83 days’ fattening trial, the animals were slaughtered. Longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) was sampled for analyses of the physicochemical traits. The results show that increasing the dietary raw WL concentration decreased final BW (p = 0.039), ADG (p < 0.0001), and ADFI (p = 0.004) throughout the experimental period, especially in the second phase of feeding. Dietary treatments did not affect the pigs’ blood biochemical constituents. Concerning LD muscle characteristics, the redness color (a*) and collagen content was higher (p < 0.0001) in the WL1/WL2 vs. CON group. Beneficial decrease in the values of some textural attributes (hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience) of LD in the WL1/WL2 vs. CON group was registered. The use of WL had a significant effect on the content of FAs, especially for eicosapentaenoic (p = 0.014) and n-3 PUFA (p = 0.045), which were higher than those fed the CON diet. In conclusion, WL could be used as a replacement of SBM in growing–finishing pigs’ diets, with significant improvements in the meat fatty acid profile and technological properties. Full article

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

Seed production of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) and sweet white lupine (Lupinus albus L.) is risky due to weed infestation as few herbicides are permitted for use in crops. Our aim was to test herbicides in these crops in order to expand the list of available herbicides. Various pre- and post-emergence herbicides were tested for their phytotoxicity and weed-control activity in field cultures of the common vetch (cv. Emma) and sweet white lupine (cv. Nelly). After the application of herbicides, phytotoxicity was monitored visually. Data collection involved the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the plant height, the number of weeds, yield, and its contamination. Additionally, 1000-seed-weight measurements were taken for lupine. Summarizing the phytotoxicity and efficacy results in common vetch, the agents S-metolachlor, flumioxazin, and clomazone can be recommended for further pre-emergence testing, while metazachlor + quinmerac, chlorotoluron, and flumioxazin can be recommended for further post-emergence testing. In sweet white lupine, pre-emergence applications of flumioxazin, pendimethalin, dimethenamid-P, pethoxamid, clomazone, metobromuron, and diflufenican were found to be effective without any significant phytotoxicity. Further post-emergence testing of flumioxazin, chlorotoluron, carfentrazone-ethyl, and diflufenican can also be recommended, as well as the application of halauxifen-methyl and sulfosulfuron at low doses (0.4 L ha⁻¹; 13.0 g ha⁻¹). Additional evaluations of these treatments are recommended, including in different soil and weather conditions. Full article

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, has caused significant physical damage to crops worldwide. This study explores the potential of repurposing crop plants that exhibit structural breakage due to hailstorms and strong winds and were originally cultivated for seed production (amaranth, borage, camelina, flax, quinoa, soybean, and white lupin) as alternative forages for ruminants. Their nutritional value was assessed by analyzing chemical composition, in vitro dry matter degradability (DMD), in vitro neutral detergent fiber degradability (NDFD), estimated dry matter intake (DMI), and relative feed value (RFV) compared to conventional forages (alfalfa and ryegrass hay from undamaged plant). Results revealed significant variability among the damaged crops. Borage, amaranth, and white lupin exhibited superior DMD, NDFD, estimated DMI, and RFV, positioning them as promising forage alternatives. Soybean and quinoa showed protein content, DMD, NDFD, estimated DMI, and RFV comparable to alfalfa hay, suggesting their suitability as substitutes. However, camelina exhibited limited NDFD, while flax had low DMD, NDFD, estimated DMI, and RFV, indicating the need for pre-treatment strategies to optimize their nutritional value. Overall, repurposing weather-damaged borage, amaranth, white lupin, soybean, and quinoa as alternative forages for ruminants provides a promising approach to mitigating feed shortages, improving feed resource utilization, and optimizing resource utilization in livestock production. Full article

Plant proteins are garnering interest due to the growing demand for plant-based products, but their functionality in gel-based foods remains limited. Ultrasound (US) technology may improve the technological properties of proteins. Thus, the effect of US treatment time (0–15 min) on the structure and gelling properties of pea, lupin, and rice proteins was evaluated. The results showed that the whiteness (~60%) of all freeze-dried proteins remained unchanged (p > 0.05), regardless of the US time. However, FT-IR analysis revealed progressive reductions in α-helix and β-sheet for pea and lupin proteins (~50%) with US time, indicating partial unfolding. In addition, microstructure analysis showed an ~80% reduction in aggregate size for these proteins, while rice protein exhibited minimal changes. Conversely, weak gels were formed with pea and lupin proteins treated after 5 and 10 min of US, respectively, whereas rice protein did not form gels. Furthermore, US treatment time significantly increased (p < 0.05) the mechanical moduli, resulting in more structured gels after longer treatment times (tan δ ~0.3 at 15 min of US). These findings suggest that US treatment enhances the gelling properties of pea and lupin proteins, making them more suitable for plant-based food applications such as yogurt or desserts. Full article

The higher adaptation of landraces to local agroclimatic conditions resulting from natural and moderate artificial selection by farmers within specific environments makes them a crucial source of alleles and genotypes for cultivation and breeding programs. Unlike modern cultivars, which have been developed under more intense artificial selective pressures, landraces exhibit a broader genetic base that has been documented in landrace collections for many crops. This review provides an overview of the importance of genetic resource valorisation in legume species, focusing on cultivated species of the Lupinus genus, particularly white lupin (Lupinus albus). On the one hand, legumes, including Lupins, are considered a crucial alternative source of protein within the framework of more sustainable agriculture. On the other hand, they are often neglected species in terms of breeding efforts, despite receiving increasing attention in recent years. Here, we also report on the latest advances in the development of genomic tools, such as the novel pangenome of white lupin and the identification of markers and loci for target adaptation traits, such as tolerance to alkaline soils, which can effectively support the breeding of Lupinus albus, especially for the introgression of desirable alleles from locally adapted varieties. Full article

The aim of the study was to investigate the incorporation of white (WL) and yellow lupine (YL) seed meal as a replacement for rapeseed meal (RS) in the diets of finishing bulls with respect to growth, serum biochemical parameters, carcass composition and meat quality, including sensory analysis. A total of 30 Fleckvieh bulls (average initial weight 441 kg; SD = 33 kg) were housed under identical conditions and fed ad libitum diets similar in protein and energy contents, but with different protein sources—YL seed meal (70 g/kg DM), WL seed meal (77 g/kg DM), and RS meal (75 g/kg DM)—for an average of 85 days. The RS bulls gained weight more rapidly (p < 0.05) and were more efficient (lower feed to gain ratio; p < 0.001) than the YL animals, with the WL group being intermediary. The slaughter and carcass traits, most blood parameters, and meat quality attributes measured in two different muscles were not affected by diet. The proportions and contents of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were higher in YL and WL meat (p < 0.001), whilst polyunsaturated fatty acid proportions were higher in RS meat (p < 0.001). Several meat texture characteristics were slightly more favourable in the YL samples compared to the other treatment groups. In conclusion, WL could be used as a replacement of RS in the diets for finishing bulls. However, further research is needed to examine different varieties and inclusion levels of YL in cattle feeding. Full article

Background: Previous work has shown that the mostly beneficial modulation of intestinal microbiota generally found with legume-based diets is likely to be due, at least in part, to their constituent protein components. Objectives: The faecal microbiota composition was studied in rats fed diets differing only in their constituent proteins. Methods: Rats (n = 10/group) were fed for 28 days diets based in milk [(lactalbumin (LA), casein (CAS)], or white lupin (Lupinus albus) protein isolate (LPI). Results: Significant differences among the three groups in bacteria composition and functionality were found by both qPCR and Illumina sequencing analysis. Significant (p < 0.01) differences were found by ANOSIM and Discriminant Analysis among groups at the family, genus and species levels in both microbiota composition and functionality. A number of groups able to explain the differences between animal (casein, lactalbumin) and lupin proteins were revealed by LEfSe and PCA analysis. Specifically, feeding the CAS diet resulted in lower Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli compared to the other diets, and the LPI diet gave place to lower Enterobacteria than CAS, and lower Escherichia/Shigella than LA and CAS. Differences in the LA group were attributable to Bifidobacterium spp., Collinsella spp. (in particular C. stercoris), Bacteroides spp., Eubacterium spp. (in particular E. dolichum), Roseburia spp. (in particular R. faecis), and Oscillospira spp. In the case of the CAS group, the organisms were Parabacteroides spp., Blautia spp., Enterobacteriaceae spp., Turicibacter spp., species from Christenellaceae, species from Alphaproteobacteria and Mogibacteriaceae, Coprobacillus spp. and Dorea spp. In the case of the LPI group, the organisms were Lactobacillus spp. (Lactobacillus spp. and L. reuteri), species from Clostridiaceae, species from Peptostreptococcaceae, species from Erysipelotrichaceae, and Adlercreutzia spp. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained, LPI is likely to beneficially modulate the intestinal microbiota composition in rats. Additionally, LA-based diet was associated to a healthier microbiota composition than CAS, although the CAS diet also modulated the intestinal microbiota to a composition compatible with improved bowel movement frequency and lipid metabolism. Full article

White lupin (Lupinus albus) has become a model plant for understanding plant adaptations to phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) deficiency, two major limiting factors for plant productivity. In response to both nutrient deficiencies, white lupin forms cluster roots, bottle-brush-like root structures that aid in P and Fe acquisition from soil. While the cluster root function is well-studied, not much is known about the signaling pathways involved in sensing and responding to a P and Fe deficiency. Sucrose has been identified as a long-distance signal sent in increased concentrations from shoot to root in response to both a P and Fe deficiency. Thus, sucrose plays a dual role both as a signal and as a major source of energy for the root. To unravel the responses to sucrose as a signal, we performed an Illumina paired-end cDNA sequencing of white lupin roots treated with sucrose for 20, 40 or 80 min, compared to untreated controls (0 min). We identified 634 up-regulated and 956 down-regulated genes in response to sucrose. Twenty minutes of sucrose treatment showed the most responses, with the ethylene-activated signaling pathway as the most enriched Gene Ontology (GO) category. The number of up-regulated genes decreased at 40 min and 80 min, and protein dephosphorylation became the most enriched category. Taken together, our findings indicate active responses to sucrose as a signal at 20 min after a sucrose addition, but fewer responses and a potential resetting of signal transduction pathways by the dephosphorylation of proteins at 40 and 80 min. Full article