GROWTH AND YIELD STUDIES OF LUPINUS-ANGUSTIFOLIUS AND LUPINUS-ALBUS IN VICTORIA

The effect of serial planting on dry matter production, leaf area, grain yield and yield components of L. angustifolius (''Uniwhite'', ''Uniharvest'' and ''Unicrop'') and L. albus (''Ultra'') was investigated in field plots at Rutherglen in 1973 and 1974. Delayed planting reduced dry matter production of all cultivars, and leaf area for ''Ultra''. Differences in dry matter partitioning were observed between the late flowering Uniharvest, and the early flowering ''Unicrop'' and ''Ultra''. In ''Uniharvest'', delayed plantings resulted in a greater proportion of total dry matter being produced during the flowering phase, whereas the reverse was true for ''Unicrop'' and ''Ultra''. The later flowering cultivars showed marked grain yield and yield component reduction with later sowing. Yields were reduced by 160.6 kg/ha and 222.5 kg/ha for each week''s delay in sowing ''Uniharvest'' and ''Uniwhite'', respectively. This effect was offset in the early flowering cultivars by greater development of lateral branches. In addition, when ''Unicrop'' and ''Ultra'' were planted in April, pod and flower abortion on the main stem resulted from low temperatures at flowering time. Optimum sowing time was early April for ''Uniwhite'' and ''Uniharvest'', and early May for ''Unicrop'' and ''Ultra''. Excellent vegetative growth under ideal moisture conditions highlighted the poor harvest indices of lupines and the scope for genetic improvement in the genus.