Preliminary estimation of forage yield and feeding value of Lupinus angustifolius varieties cultivated in Jalisco, México, during the cool season

The effects of genotype and harvest date on lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) forage yield and quality were evaluated in Zapopan Jalisco, Mexico. Cultivars Haags Blaue, Boregine, Borlu, Probor, Sonate, and Boruta were grown during the 2013–2014 cool season and harvested twice, in January (early harvest) and February (late harvest). Fresh and dry matter (FM, DM) yield, crude protein(CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), minerals, and total alkaloids were measured at each harvest. FM yields varied from 9.1 to 12.2 t ha⁻¹ and from 23.4 t ha⁻¹ to 35.3 t ha⁻¹ at the first and late harvests, respectively. DM yields from early harvest plants varied from 1.2 to 1.7 t ha⁻¹; those from the second harvest (late harvest date) varied from 3.4 to 6.8 t ha⁻¹. The highest CP content for both (early and late harvests) was identified in the Probor cultivar, at 226 and 187 g/kg, respectively. At early harvest, ADF values varied from 291.2 in Sonate to 392.3 g/kg in Borlu; at late harvest, ADF values varied from 417.2 in Sonate to 488.3 g/kg in Borlu. Harvest date and varieties did not influence alkaloid and mineral content.