New sweet blue lupin, Lupinus angustifolius L. varieties (Sanabor and Vitabor) for Ethiopia

Abstract

Though bitter white lupin is an ancient pulse crop to Ethiopia, sweet lupins are new to the country. Sanabor and Vitabor are recently introduced sweet blue lupin varieties to be used as multipurpose crop in the traditional lupin growing agro-ecologies of Ethiopia. These varieties were introduced from Germany and evaluated along with fourteen other varieties which have been tested in different locations of the country from 2009 to 2013. The varieties are registered at national level in 2014. The merits of the varieties are their low alkaloid content, high seed yield, resistance to anthracnose and fusarium, most importantly are palatable for livestock and can be used for human food. Thus, the varieties are recommended as multipurpose pulse crop for the traditional and new lupin growing areas.