LUKAA Project

Lupins in UK Agriculture and Aquaculture

An integrated programme for the development of Lupins as a sustainable source for UK Agriculture and Aquaculture.

Lupins are a high protein, high energy, nitrogen-fixing grain legume with a protein and oil composition that can effectively compete with imported soya as apart of livestock and fish diets.  As a result Lupins have considerable potential to provide a comparable UK-grown vegetable protein source for farmed animals and aquaculture as well as providing other advantages as arable break crops. 

This business-led consortia brings together ten industrial partners and two universities. Through innovative approaches to breeding, agronomy, feed processing and nutrition we are looking to overcome the major constraints including barriers to production, processing and feeding to develop the market for yellow and narrow leaf (blue) lupins as sustainable protein sources for UK agriculture.

The project will employ three concurrent approaches:

Germplasm Improvement and Variety Testing

Activities will utilise germplasm developed at IBERS  in trials at Soya UK and PGRO as part of the final stages of breeding new varieties,  this will include evaluating yield, early maturity and tolerance of alkaline soils.

Agronomy

Reliable production in lupin crops is hampered by poor weed control. Research carried out through NIAB TAG will focus on improving weed management options and strategies in  the crop.

Livestock

Feedstuffs will be the focus of three areas of research into overcoming current constraints to utilising lupins as an alternative source of protein for the poultry, ruminant and aquaculture industries.

  • Poultry

IBERS scientists will work with partners Birchgrove Eggs, Alvan Blanch, Wynnstay and Alltech to examine the potential for poultry and feed processing industries to utilise lupin based feeds.

  • Aquaculture

Scientists at Plymouth University with support from Ecomarine and Alltech will examine the use of novel fermentation products to improve nutrient utilisation of lupins in aquaculture.

  • Ruminants

IBERS Scientists will work with partners Kelvin Cave to determine effects of using crimping versus dried lupins in lambs’ diets. This would allow lupins to be used on farms lacking facilities to process and store dry grain.

Seed producers and wholesalers Germinal Holdings Ltd will provide advice and market information for exploitation activities.

This is a 3 year project that began in February 2012. It is funded by the industry partners together with co-funding from the Technology Strategy Board and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) as part of a Sustainable Protein Production initiative.

Contact

Liz Humphreys, Project Manager
Email: elh20@aber.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1970 823 072