ChileanJAR

The bitter white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is grown by small farmers in southern Chile, mostly from Mapuches ethnic group, and exported to some European and Arabic countries, where it is consumed as a snack. Both markets pay higher prices for bigger grains, although the European market is more demanding. The Boroa-INIA cultivar originated from a single plant collected in the Araucanía Region (37º30’-39º30’ S). This is a white lupin of indeterminate growing habit, belonging to the landrace known as “Local”. The bitter lupins introduced in the nineties, called “alto-calibre” (high-caliber) by Chilean farmers, are interesting for their grain size, but are more susceptible to lupin anthracnose than the “Local” landrace and of lower yield. The main attribute of the Boroa-INIA cv. is a good mean grain weight, 636 mg grain^-1 when sown at the appropriate time. This is 32% greater than the control representing the “Local” landrace average. At that mean grain weight, over 80% of Boroa-INIA grains reaches a caliber of 13 mm or bigger. Sown at the right time Boroa-INIA has yielded 6.3 t ha^-1, and 4.8 t ha^-1 in late sowings. This variety is a contribution of the Chilean Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) to the progress of small farming. Small farmers usually do not invest in improved seed; therefore bitter lupin is not attractive to private seed producers. Consequently, bitter lupin breeding activities have been undertaken by the public sector.