Evaluation of new breeding lines of white lupin with improved resistance to anthracnose

Since the mid-1990s, the cultivation of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) has rapidly decreased in Germany and other countries in Central Europe because of the occurrence of Colletotrichum lupini, the causal agent of the fungal disease anthracnose, and the lack of varieties with a sufficient resistance towards this disease. To reestablish the relevance of cultivating white lupins, the development of new varieties with improved resistance is vital. In the study presented here, new breeding lines were evaluated from 2012 to 2014 on a total of five experimental sites in Germany. In each year, at least on one site a high disease pressure with good differentiation built up from natural seed infestations, so that evaluation and further selection for resistance was possible in all 3 years. The breeding lines showed improved performance of resistance towards C. lupini (anthracnose disease score 3.8 on average of all breeding lines and environments) compared to the reference varieties (anthracnose disease score 5.8). Improved resistance had a favorable effect on grain yield, particularly in environments with high disease pressure, and yield stability. Average grain yields were 2.6 t ha−1 for the breeding lines and 1.5 t ha−1 for the reference cultivars. Among the tested range of white lupins, the breeding material showed consistently higher grain yields on average of all environments compared to the rather low and variable yielding reference cultivars. The alkaloid content varied among environments and breeding lines.