We asked the participants of the 2025 PCDF field tour held on August 5, 2025 at Roblin, Manitoba what has:
- 3x more plant protein than quinoa
- 3x more fibre than oats
- 3x more antioxidants than berries
- 3x more potassium than bananas
- 3x more iron than kale
The Answer: Lupins
White lupins contain 38-40% protein and are used for value added protein ingredients and functional foods.
What used to be known as blue lupins are now referred to as narrow leaved lupins and they contain 35-38% protein and are used for food and feed.
White lupins usually have a higher yield and higher oil content than narrow leafed lupins.
Most of the world’s lupins (80%) are grown in Australia, but the highest yielding lupins in the world are grown in Europe.
Research is being conducted with lupins to bring prairie growers another option for their crop rotations that has the added benefits of being high in protein, low in starch, high in oil, and high in fibre.
There are species of lupins native to Western Canada, and you may see them in gardens or blooming beautifully in our ditches. They are really pretty but YOU CAN NOT EAT THEM!
Sweet white lupins have had their bitter tasting alkaloids bred out of them to make them more palatable.
Narrow leaved lupins are more suitable for the climate found in Alberta and similar to field peas in terms of seed size and handling.
Sweet white lupins (the preferred food type) may be suited to Manitoba because they do require more moisture and a longer growing season.
Yellow lupins are very suited to Manitoba because they come from South America where they are grown as a winter crop and are bred to be drought and cold tolerant as well as anthracnose resistant.
We can grow lupins in Manitoba but to be integrated successfully in our crop rotations, we need to have a solid market and stable end users established.
Current Uses:
Lupins are being used in dairy cattle feed rations in Alberta.
White lupins can be used for silage because they are bushier and taller and some research is being done with later maturing varieties. Lupins are registered as a forage in Eastern Canada.
Lupins are undergoing a fractionization process to produce ingredients such as whole seeds, split seeds, and protein/starch.
Lupins are used to produce a hummus like product.
Narrow leaved lupins can be milled into pancake mix which is high in protein.
A University of Manitoba study used lupin flour at a 15% substitution in sour dough bread and it improved the bread expansion, reduced the crumb hardness and enriched the volatile compounds, in this unique twist to traditional bread making
Natural beauty products can contain lupins.
Lupins are processed to produce non dairy milk and ice cream and there has been research evaluating lemon and strawberry flavoured lupin ice cream again other non dairy competitors like oat and coconut based options.
In a lupin based hard ice cream trial, product quality exceeded consumers expectations and had a stunning appearance, unmatched smoothness, creamy texture, perfect over run, and a controlled melt rate.
Protein Industries Canada | The Future of Food is Canada. is developing new markets for lupins in Canada and the UK. Lupin Platform along with other UK companies intend to build and scale the lupin market to create innovative ingredients and food products.
Federal support in the form of repayable funding has been approved to accelerate the creation of Canada’s first lupin processing facility in Swift Current, SK.
For lupin agronomy knowledge in Western Canada we have looked to research done by Robynne Davidson at Lakeland College and Mark Olson who works with Lupin Platform. Lupin Platform is a company based in Calgary, AB since 2021 who have developed a closed loop production system for sweet white and sweet narrow leaved (blue) lupins. Also, we consulted Sean Linstead, who works with Elementa Foods, which is a company from South America that has a project studying lupin production in the Canadian prairies. At several Manitoba Crop Diversification Centres, including PCDF in Roblin, staff have been growing lupins for 4 years now and have learned a lot about the crop during that time.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS:
Lupins like it wet and cool; requiring about 8-10 inches of rain in the growing season and prefer temperatures are below 25 °C.
Lupins have a short, woody stem and WILL NOT LODGE!
Lupins seeds look like field peas only a bit smaller. Currently, lupin yields are lower than field peas.
Lupins can tolerate a spring frost.
FIELD SELECTION:
Fields require good drainage but lupins can grow well in heavier soil.
Lupins are pH SENSITIVE! It seems the more acidic the better and best if soils are below a pH of 7.
Narrow leaved lupins require soil pH to be under 7.2 and sweet white lupins are best with soil pH under 7.8.
Lupins need to be seeded into clean fields because broadleaf weed control is a challenge. Be aware that glyphosate resistant canola grown up to 2 years previously in the rotation can be a problem weed.
Lupins are sensitive to residual chemicals, and crop damage has been seen with dicamba and Infinity residual.
Chose fields low in salts and low in carbonates as iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) can be a problem.
TARGET PLANT STAND:
Ideal plant stand for narrow leaved is 11-12 plants/ ft2.
Ideal plant stand for sweet white is 8-10 plants/ ft2.
SEEDING:
For lupins, seeding depth, seeding date, and fertilizer are all similar to field peas.
Lupins have an epigeal emergence like dry beans do, so be sure to watch out for crusting or compaction because quick emergence of the crop is preferred.
Seed treatments have been tested and have been effective in protecting lupins from early root disease infections.
Lupins have a woody tap root which makes them RESISTANT to APHANOMYCES and able to withstand fungal pressure.
INOCULATION:
A good lupin crop needs to use 150 lbs/acre of nitrogen. Nitrogen requirements can be met when properly inoculated, but lupin products are limited. In the Manitoba regional variety trials of 2024, inoculant failure occurred. In 2025, lupin seeds were again inoculated but trials also had 50 pounds of nitrogen applied prior to seeding to ensure production.
Novozymes in Saskatoon produces peat based lupin inoculant but most of their product is shipped to Australia. In South America liquid inoculant is used while the UK industry uses a dry inoculant.
Lupin nodules tend to appear on plant roots at about 56 days after emergence.
WEEDS:
Lupins are poor competitors. Farmers are able to spray out grassy weeds with products like Assure, Poast or Centurion. Some pre emergent chemistries have been found effective. When it comes to in-crop applications for broadleaf weeds, the only current option is Sencor.
YOU CAN NOT USE Viper, Odyssey, Basagran, Pursuit, MCPA, Everest or Reflex.
Currently, the recommendations for best practices with lupin weed control are:
- control perennial weeds the previous fall
- apply Edge in fall or spring
- pre-seed burndown
- apply Sencor at the 2-3 leaf stage, but it can be applied safely up to the 5 leaf stage
- you can increase the rate of Sencor applied if you spray early. Another option is a second application.
DISEAESES:
Lupins can get infected by sclerotinia in a wet year if the canopy is thick. Narrow leaf lupins are resistant to anthracnose but white lupins are susceptible if seed was contaiminated.
INSECTS:
Blister beetles LOVE lupins! When they arrive in a field they come in large numbers, eat lots of plant material, and decimate lupin pods. Controlling blister beetles in lupins requires attentive scouting and monitoring and quick action if insecticide applications are warranted.
Grasshoppers are also a possible insect problem in lupins.
HARVEST MANAGEMENT:
Desiccation IS REQUIRED!
Lupins have thick pods that shatter easily. For LUPINS DESICCATION TIMING IS AT 50% seed colour change.
Reglone is recommended if conditions are dry.
Glyphosate is recommended if conditions are wet, but glyphosate applications are only acceptable for the feed market.
In 2024, some fields of lupins in Manitoba experienced Reglone not being effective when half an inch of rain was received five days after application.
Swathing is a HARD NO for lupins as they will shatter!
Fun Fact: Lupins have a higher protein content than peas.
Generally:
- Lupins are 32-38% protein
- Peas are 24% protein
- Faba beans are 32% protein
- Soybeans are 40% protein
Lupin Production Guidelines – Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers