Agriculture

Lupins are grown in regions with warm to moderate or subtropical climates. In 2005, about 1 million hectares were cultivated with lupins (950 000 hectares in Australia). Other important producing countries are Chile, Russia, Morocco, South Africa, France and Poland.

Utilisation

Green manures:

Lupins are legumes and so are able to bind nitrogen from the air. By ploughing the plants into the ground, the soil is enriched in nitrogen. Lupins are grown mainly for this purpose.

Animal feed:

Because of their high protein content, lupins also are used to feed domestic animals. For this, varieties have been developed that do not contain the naturally-occurring poisonous and bitter agents.

Foodstuffs and ingredients:

The seeds of the bitter agent-free lupins are also processed to foodstuffs:

• similarly to soya, as a basic component for various foods (e.g. lupin curd cheese) and ingredients (vegetable protein supplements)

Gene technology: Aims of research and development

Agronomic traits

Weed control

• Herbicide tolerance

Resistance against pathogens

• Virus resistance

Quality traits

Enrichment with health-promoting components, such as

• a gene for a storage protein (albumin), transferred from sunflower to improve the nutrition value of the plant

Renewable primary product

Production of pharmaceutically active substances

• Molecular pharming: Utilisation of gene-modified lupins as a system for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients (hepatitis B vaccine)

Field trials with GM lupins

In Australia, in 2003, an application to release genetically modified lupins for field trials was withdrawn. The seeds of the GM lupin were meant to contain a higher proportion of sulphur-containing amino acids and thus to have a higher content of nutrients.