Andean Lupin
| Lupinus mutabilis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pisac, Peru | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Lupineae |
| Genus: | Lupinus |
| Subgenus: | Platycarpos |
| Species: | L. mutabilis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Lupinus mutabilis Sweet |
|
Lupinus mutabilis is a species of lupin grown in the Andes, mainly for its edible bean. Vernacular names include tarwi(tarhui), chocho, altramuz, Andean lupin, South American lupin, Peruvian field lupin, and pearl lupin. There are different aspects why L. mutabilis could become an important international crop. But until now, the high content of alkaloids in the seed is the main reason why the crop is not well known outside the Andes. This content could be decreased by different processes.
The origin of L. mutabilis has been identified in the Andean region of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. In this area, the greatest genetic variability in the world was found.The plant has been domesticated for more than 1500 years, mostly because of its high protein content.
L. mutabilis is an annual plant. The stem is hollow and highly branched. Plant height reaches from 0.5 to 2.8 meters, depending on the environmental conditions and the genomic properties. Due to the high vegetative growth, species from northern South America are taller than species from the southern Andean region. The genome contains 2n = 48 chromosomes and there is a high genomic variation, which leads to big differences in morphology. Several architectural types of L. mutabilis exist. Most common is the branching in V-form, this type has the highest biomass production. The basal branching type has the positive feature that its infructescence is at the same level. This species is preferably promoted because of its early ripening, stability and the homogeny seed quality.
The fruit is a 5 to 12 cm (2.0–4.7 in) long pod, depending on the amount of seed. One pod contains on average 2–3 seeds, but can have up to 9 seeds per pod. The thousand-seed weight (TSW) is around 200 g. Leaves are palmate and have a typical appearance: one leave is divided in five to twelve leaflets, which have an oval or lanceolate form. The form is typical for Faboideaes. The corolla reaches 1 to 2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) and contains five petals. Variation in coloration is high and reaches from white to purple. The white coloration is recessive to purple. L. mutabilis has a strong taproot reaching 3 m length. Like all Leguminosae secondary roots build nodules containing bacteria for nitrogen fixation.
The growing cycle varies from 150 to 360 days, depending on the genotype, altitude and environmental conditions. Phenological phases are: emergence, first true leaf, formation of the raceme on the central stem, flowering, podding, pod ripening, and physiological maturity.
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Wikipedia