We report the first genetic linkage map of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). An F8 recombinant inbred line population developed from Kiev mutant × P27174 was mapped with 220 amplified fragment length polymorphism and 105 gene-based markers. The genetic map consists of 28 main linkage groups (LGs) that varied in length from 22.7 cM to 246.5 cM and spanned a total length of 2951 cM. There were seven additional pairs and 15 unlinked markers, and 12.8% of markers showed segregation distortion at P < 0.05. Syntenic relationships between Medicago truncatula and L. albus were complex. Forty-five orthologous markers that mapped between M. truncatula and L. albus identified 17 small syntenic blocks, and each M. truncatula chromosome aligned to between one and six syntenic blocks in L. albus. Genetic mapping of three important traits: anthracnose resistance, flowering time, and alkaloid content allowed loci governing these traits to be defined. Two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with significant effects were identified for anthracnose resistance on LG4 and LG17, and two QTLs were detected for flowering time on the top of LG1 and LG3. Alkaloid content was mapped as a Mendelian trait to LG11.

Anthracnose is a major disease of lupins in Western Australia (WA). The disease wiped out the WA albus lupin industry in 1996 and since then, anthracnose resistance has been a major focus for WA lupin breeding. In an endeavour to find a source of resistance to anthracnose, all available germplasm in WA was screened against anthracnose in New Zealand over the summer of 1997 and 1998, and resistance was identified in Ethiopian landraces. The resistance was present in many Ethiopian landraces within a close geographical distribution, suggesting a similar genetic basis of resistance. Crosses were made between the resistant landraces and agronomically superior lines. The progeny were tested for anthracnose resistance, yield, seed quality, and other agronomic characters. The most superior line, Andromeda, was released for commercial production in WA. It was developed from an F 3 -derived single-plant selection of a cross between an anthracnose-resistant landrace P27175 from Ethiopia and a well adapted but highly susceptible WA breeding line 89B10A-14. Andromeda has a significantly higher level of resistance to anthracnose than the previous cv. Kiev Mutant and is recommended in the medium-to low-rainfall area of the northern wheatbelt of WA. Further breeding effort has resulted in significant improvement in the level of resistance within the WA breeding program, and early generation lines are more resistant than advanced lines. The best resistant lines are, however, in a late flowering background and only an incremental improvement has been achieved in combining early flowering with anthracnose resistance, which seems to be a complex process.

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Lupin is a long-day plant, and its flowering time can be affected by prolonged exposure to cold, ambient temperatures and photoperiod. The vernalization response was investigated in three species of lupins, Lupinus albus L., L. luteus L. and L. mutabilis Sweet., under varying vernalization regimes in glasshouse conditions over summer. A range of genotypes were included from each species. Three weeks after emergence, each line was vernalized for 0-4 weeks in a cool room at 6°±1°C with 14h photoperiod. Vernalization did not affect flowering time in early-season genotypes of all lupin species. However, significant differences occurred in mid to late-season genotypes. All genotypes including very late wild types flowered after 2 weeks of vernalization, indicating 2-week cold treatment was enough to induce flowering. Vernalization synchronized flowering for mid and late-season genotypes of L. luteus, giving greater flexibility of phenology in long growing season environments where vernalization occurs naturally. Vernalization reduced leaf node number in late-flowering lines of all species including mid-season L. luteus.

A key goal in the breeding for aphid resistance of cultivated lupins is to manipulate the levels and distributions of alkaloids. Lupin alkaloids are known to be responsible for resistance to herbivorous insects, but the total seed alkaloid level must remain under 0.02% for animal and human consumption. Yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus L.) is being investigated as a new legume crop for Western Australia (WA), but most lines produced to date have been very susceptible to aphids. In contrast, breeders in WA have had ongoing success releasing narrow-leafed lupin (L. angustifolius L.) cultivars with adequate resistance to aphids. In this study, aphid performance was evaluated on yellow lupin plants in the glasshouse from an F2 population derived from a cross between Teo, a yellow lupin cultivar resistant to aphids and with high total alkaloid levels, and Wodjil, a single plant selection from Teo that is susceptible to aphids and has low total alkaloid levels, and their parents. Resistance in Teo and the F2 progeny was strongly associated with the alkaloids gramine and a gramine analogue. The absence of plants with intermediate levels of these alkaloids in progeny of this cross makes it unlikely that aphid-resistant lines can be generated using Teo as the resistance source. On the other hand, different alkaloids were correlated with aphid resistance in the narrow-leafed lupin cultivar Kalya, and aphid resistance was more evenly distributed among progeny of a cross of the resistant cultivar Kalya with the susceptible cultivar Tallerack. For this reason, additional yellow lupin lines with a more diverse alkaloid profile were selected for further study from the Australian lupin breeding program. A wide variation in the aphid tolerance among lines was observed and aphid tolerance was positively correlated with alkaloid content. However, four lines were identified with moderate levels of aphid resistance in a low alkaloid background. These lines had varying alkaloid profiles, but as expected none were dominated by gramine and its analogues. We believe these lines offer a greater opportunity for aphid resistance breeding in yellow lupins.

Agricultural crops and their wild progenitors are excellent candidates for ecophysiologal research because germplasm collections are often extensive and well described, and in its dissemination the crop may explore new habitats. The advent of high-resolution climate models has greatly improved our capacity to characterise plant habitats, and study species’ adaptive responses. The yellow lupin (Lupinus luteus) is ideal because it evolved as a Mediterranean winter-annual in relatively high-rainfall coastal regions, but was domesticated as a summer crop in temperate central Europe. Currently the crop is being developed for Mediterranean south-western Australia, raising an interesting ecophysiological problem: is it more appropriate to concentrate on wild material from Mediterranean habitats, which are likely to be more similar to the target environments, or on European germplasm domesticated for temperate summer cropping? Lupinus luteus collection sites across the natural and domesticated distribution range were characterised by calculating site-specific bioclimatic variables and habitat types defined using multivariate analysis. Germplasm was evaluated in 2 field trials measuring a range of characters describing plant growth, phenology, architecture, and productivity. The earliest phenology and highest vigour and productivity were recorded in domesticated material from central Europe, characterised by short but unstressful growing seasons with reliable rainfall, long day-lengths, and rapidly rising vegetative-phase temperatures levelling out after flowering. Mediterranean habitats were classified by altitude, climate, and growing-season length. Early, productive germplasm came from warmer/low elevation sites with inconsistent rainfall and stronger terminal drought. Germplasm from low temperature/high elevation sites with high, relatively frequent rainfall had late phenology and low growth rates, early vigour, seed yield, and harvest index. Distinct habitats within the distribution range of L. luteus have selected for ecotypes with different phenologies and growth rates, which strongly influence plant architecture, fecundity and yield. It is suggested that variable responses to vernalisation and differences in seed size are important in determining these traits. European germplasm has many of the terminal drought-avoiding characteristics required in a productive Mediterranean ideotype, but may lack drought tolerance, which is likely to be under stronger selection pressure in more stressful Mediterranean habitats.

White lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is an important grain legume crop in Australia. The anthracnose incursion in the mid-1990s wiped out the white lupin industry in Western Australia (WA). Since then, incorporation of anthracnose resistance has been a major focus in white lupin breeding. After a series of experiments and targeted breeding in WA, high-yielding anthracnose-resistant genotypes were developed. One of these lines, Amira, was released in 2012 as a replacement for the then-benchmark variety Andromeda. Amira is high-yielding and early-maturing and it has substantially improved resistance to anthracnose compared with Andromeda. Its yield and grain quality are similar to Kiev Mutant and it will be suitable for growing in parts of the Northern Agricultural Region of WA where anthracnose risk is moderate to low. With the adoption of this new variety, reliable production of white lupin can recommence in WA. The growing season in WA is characterised by terminal drought, and early flowering is as important as anthracnose resistance. However, combining these traits was difficult and their combination was not achieved at a desired level in earlier work. The incorporation of the early-flowering trait from a different genetic source from France demonstrated that it is possible to combine these traits at an appropriate level. There was no genetic linkage between the two traits, and consequently, new genotypes with earlier phenology and higher levels of resistance than Amira were developed. The combination of early flowering and anthracnose resistance represents a breakthrough that will significantly improve the adaptation and profitability of white lupin production in WA.